Hen ate mouse - possible impacted crop

[Jasmine1998]

One of my Wyandotte hens ate a small field mouse on Sunday. I tried to catch her but she somehow managed to swallow the whole darn thing. I don't think she has passed it yet & her chest looks huge. I felt her crop & it is the size of a softball & very hard. She also keeps pushing it with her foot. Any suggestions as to what I can do for her?

 

[NoseyChickens]

Check her out first thing in the morning before she eats. She may be fine and could have just eaten when you looked at her. Mine have eaten a few mice and have never had a problem. They digest them just fine.

 

[Katy]

Mine eat mice every chance they get and haven't ever had any problems.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Mice are part of a normal diet for chickens.

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

Ya know, I've always heard that chickens love mice to munch on - mine must just be psycho because all they do is kill them. Not that I'm complaining though, lol.

 

[Moochie]

My Moochie loves mice! Don't worry none!
Just check her in the morning and see if she's doing everything a chicken should be doing. When my hens eat alot of random bahooky their crops can be as hard as softballs too. And big!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I watched with horrid fascination once as one of my Orpingtons swallowed a small mouse whole after pecking it for awhile.

They are designed for this sort of thing, IMO. I agree with the others- check the crop in the am.

 

[GreenGoddess]

I regularly catch mice in snap traps in the house and then throw them into the pen for the chickens.. It's a great source of protein and they absolutely LOVE it!!! I thought my banty was gonna choke when she swallowed one whole.. The thing's body was twice the size of her head but she's fine!

Goddess jumpy

 

[woodmort]

I assume the chicken has access to grit. As long as she has that in her gizzard the mouse will go through.

 

[Jasmine1998]

She does have free access to grit but I still don't think that she passed it yet. I let them free range for about an hour today & she was trying her best to act normal but her crop is so big it kept getting in her way when she tried to run & she kept stopping to push at it with her foot.