First Chicken-eating-mouse experience . . .

[aqualung1919]

This last summer a watched and caught on tape 3 hens and a rooster catch and kill a mouse out in the lawn. I was quite proud of them.

 

[amyb]

so does this mean i need to be watchful of the kittens? our chickens have the run of the yard...and we have lots of semi-feral cats, and our pets around. i hate the thought of my hens eating a kitten!

 

[ratlummountain]

i've never seen them eat a mouse, but i did catch them going godzilla on a frog once.
definitely gave me a whole new respect for the ferocity of those lightening fast beaks.

i guess i might keep the kittens away from the chickens until they were a little bigger ?

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
I would think so especially the newborn ones. Mine flock swarmed the mouse. That is just not a pleasant thing to envision for a kitten

 

[gritsar]

If it's smaller than they are and/or weaker, they'll make an attempt at eating it. They are cannibals too.

 

[thkosan]

My young Ameraucana rooster dug up a mole and then grabbed it by its tail and tried to kill it by bashing it's little head against the side of the barn. His three girls were fighting him for it. Poor little mole was screammmmming. I grabbed it away from the rooster and the rooster grabbed it back. I eventually saved it, it bit me, I tossed it in the air inadvertantly because of the pain, and it quickly ran away and dug a new tunnel underground while I chased my chickens away. Pretty mean bunch, those birds.

 

[happyheart]

I have seen mine with moles mice birds frogs bugs anything I think they can put in their mouths and rip apart. It's almost disgusting

 

[kalaim]

I had no idea!

I must have a dull bunch of girls! I have two mice living under their heated water dish. When I go to empty the bowl, the mice go and scurry to different parts of the cage and the chickens just sit there and don't even notice!

Thankfully, I think I'd freak out if they caught one. I'd be fighting them for it to try and save the poor mouse!

 

[FrenchHen]

ARen't chickens kinda like catfish? They turn byproducts and waste bits into tasty things for us?

I gave mine two mice today that had been living in my CAR.
Ick!

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I've recently purchased some RatZappers which kill the critters with battery-powered electricity. Quickly and without any muss, fuss, or squeaking.

They work VERY well. I set three of them in my house (mice have recently moved in and I just can't handle poison, squealing when a snap-trap activates and only injures a mouse, starvation by glue-trap, etc.) and those 3 traps have managed to kill 11 mice in the past 24 hours. I've been simply picking up the trap and carrying it to the trash barrel to dispose of the small carcasses.

This afternoon, I picked up the trap closest to the back door and had a thought. When I dumped the dead mouse into the chicken run, it caused quite a stir. I last saw most of the mouse in the beak of the SIXTH chicken in a row that stole it from the fifth chicken who had it, being pursued by about four other chickens. And well out of the run, too. (My chickens range freely. I just always put treats IN the run.)

I guess it will increase their protein consumption. I won't be dumping the mice into the garbage any more!