carcass is terrifying my flock

[QChickieMama]

I'd read here that various people's flocks enjoy eating up the remaining meat on a carcass. I just dumped a river otter in my coop, and they freaked out, like one of their own had died.

Might they overcome this initial response and find it edible later today? I won't leave it overnight for predator reasons.

 

[LoveMyPeepers]

They will probably become curious at some point, they probably are just frightened because they could have taken it as danger

 

[nuthatched]

Just throw it away, it will rot before they get brave enough.

 

[Knobby]

Did you cut it up to expose the meat? I throw what's left of a deer carcass into their coop and it'd be lucky to last through the afternoon. Still trying to harvest my first deer of the season, but if/when i do, will try and share a video of the mini-velociraptors devouring it up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd read here that various people's flocks enjoy eating up the remaining meat on a carcass. I just dumped a river otter in my coop, and they freaked out, like one of their own had died.

Might they overcome this initial response and find it edible later today? I won't leave it overnight for predator reasons.

Did you open up the carcass so they could get to the insides or just toss the whole body? I open them up with a shovel or axe so they can get to the intestines and internal organs.

I do not leave the carcass in overnight either, same reason.

One time I was canning corn and had a yogurt cup full of corn ear worms. I dumped that cup out on the ground in a bare spot around a group of free ranging 10-week-olds. The chicks saw that pile. Slowly, step by step, inch by inch they crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! But they did not run that far. Very soon, step by step, inch by inch, they crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! But not that far. They repeated this 4 or 5 times before a brave cockerel got close enough to grab a worm. That's all it took, that pile was gone in less than a minute.

I don't know if yours will build up the courage and curiosity to check out that carcass. Mine generally do. I can get the same reactions to garden excess and wastes. Sometimes they immediately gobble it up. Sometimes they ignore it for a while but if one tries it most are soon eating it. Sometimes they just ignore it. The reactions can change from one year to the next.

 

[MamaPoult]

That's how my chickens reacted at first too lol. Leave it out, one will be brave enough and the others will follow!

 

[QChickieMama]

Did you open up the carcass so they could get to the insides or just toss the whole body? I open them up with a shovel or axe so they can get to the intestines and internal organs.

I do not leave the carcass in overnight either, same reason.

One time I was canning corn and had a yogurt cup full of corn ear worms. I dumped that cup out on the ground in a bare spot around a group of free ranging 10-week-olds. The chicks saw that pile. Slowly, step by step, inch by inch they crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! But they did not run that far. Very soon, step by step, inch by inch, they crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! But not that far. They repeated this 4 or 5 times before a brave cockerel got close enough to grab a worm. That's all it took, that pile was gone in less than a minute.

I don't know if yours will build up the courage and curiosity to check out that carcass. Mine generally do. I can get the same reactions to garden excess and wastes. Sometimes they immediately gobble it up. Sometimes they ignore it for a while but if one tries it most are soon eating it. Sometimes they just ignore it. The reactions can change from one year to the next.

Yes, it was skinned and I had carved the meat and heart and liver out. The big rooster in this pen simply lost his mind. He shoved his huge body into a tiny space. I didn't have the heart to leave it in there. Must have been the smell of a predator.

It's buried in my garden now, hopefully adding goodness to the terrible soil.

 

[Ryverchicks]

Mine use to go bonkers for the crickets in my yard. They would follow me around as I lifted things up to expose them

 

[Mother of Chaos]

... Must have been the smell of a predator.

This seems like a very sound guess.