Do Armadillos kill poultry or eat poultry eggs?

[Somechick]

A friend of mine with a new organic farm recently killed an armadillo for supposedly killing a turkey hen on a nest of eggs (eggs also eaten). She didn't see the thing do the deed, and had a turkey hen and eggs killed twice, the second time there was an armadillo in the yard around the time the dead turkey was found. It just is hard to believe that this would be the case. Possum, fox, etc. yes, armadillo? I will be very dissapointed if this is true as I would be glad to have anything that eats fire ants around my place!!!

I sure would like to know if anyone has CAUGHT one in the act, or believes that they are capable...

 

[Bi0sC0mp]

hi never have i ever heard of a Armadillo killing a chicken cause they are not meat eaters they eat bugs plants bushes.. tear up your lawn and garden so i say to this..

 

[mom'sfolly]

Armadillos don't eat turkeys, they eat bugs. I also consider them a cheap way to get my lawn aerated.

Your friend is wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo

 

[mistylady]

Armadillos might break eggs by running over them but they wouldn't kill anything on purpose. They will destroy your garden though.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

My mother has a female armadillo and her children who actuallly live in teh run with the chickens....she dug under the fence and found a neat place to burrow under the house. She has NEVER even looked at the chickens as far as we can tell.

I don't think they would even be capable of killing a chicken would they?

 

[1acrefarm]

If anyone has problems with them trap them and bring them here. I need more to eat these ants. I have never heard of one attacking another animal or eating eggs.

 

[NoelTate]

They live in my back yard and have never attempted to get into the coop. I think your friend was mistaken and killed an innocent animal for no reason. Sad.

 

[Somechick]

Thanks everybody, and I'm still glad to hear more stories and answers.

...but just as I thought, looks like a beneficial animal that was in the wrong place at the wrong time is dead and the real culprit lives on. They will find this out soon enough (but I'm going to share this anyway!)

I just could not see something with so small a mouth taking on a protective mama turkey!!! I wouldn't try it! And I definitely eat turkey!

 

[SpottedCrow]

I don't think armadillos even live on the East Coast...

 

[Somechick]

Well they do now!

I saw them only in Florida when I was a child (the sixties) but I saw a dead armadillo every 5 miles (at least!) on I -20 between Augusta and Atlanta May two years ago. This is not an exaggeration! I've been seeing dead ones on the side of the road since at least ten years ago in SC. They say the Florida ones do not carry leprosy the way the western ones do, but I don't know exactly how the ones here got here, from the South or the West!