Is it normal for chickens to eat little critters?

[Sir Birdaholic]

I'm glad chickens aren't any bigger!

 

[mboreham1]

woodmort - yours actually eat bone?

what a phenomenal treat, i could easily throw in deer bones left over from the FIL hunting exploits.

How long do they last and does it attract other pests?

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

My kids left their big, fat, white pet mouse outside in a pen with no top. The chickens discovered her and it was not pretty. I ended up finding her when the dog sniffed her out. I buried her and it took them 2 full weeks to ask where she was. I told them she was too fat and must have had a heart attack. My chickens also chase squirrels and chimpmunks. When the whole mouse incident happened I was so disturbed I was ready to get rid of all of them, but for some reason I didn't. No more pet rodents for my children.

 

[tammyd57]

I've seen my chickens eat all sorts of small animals. Voles, moles, mice, gophers, small birds like sparrows and chickadees, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, tadpoles, even a small turtle and a pigeon. They love meat and it's natural and good for them. I keep mouse traps set all the time just to supply fresh mice for them. They had one this morning with our leftover turkey carcass from dinner yesterday.
Plus, it's just so danged fun to watch 'em play keep away!

 

[wood&feathers]

Skinned the mouse?

Mine love snakes and lizards. Mice don't suffer in their presence - the rooster nails them in the head instantly. Then he swallows them whole. Kinda wild when I compare the size of his beak and the mouth of our corn snake. The beak isn't much bigger, and the roo swallowed it FAST. The snake takes longer, but has a specially adapted jaw that opens wider.

 

[Moochie]

we need amprolium and antibiotics. were gonna look everywhere tomorrow, but where can we get antibiotics from? yes from an avian vet, but i dont know of any in the lancaster/palmdale area. are antibiotics expensive too?
where do we get amprolium? my dad said if its for birds get it at petsmart but i dont think petsmart has amprolium.

 

[austradork]

Yup. I come home to find gored mice in my yard every now and then. I think it's normal chicken behavior.

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
Amprolium is what is in medicated chick feed to help prevent coccidiosis. If you need to treat a chick that has cocci, there are two common medications to use. Sulmet & Tylan, which are available at feed stores or online.
Antibiotics are usually available at feed stores also, or farm supply such as Tractor Supply. The cost of antibiotics for chickens is not high, especially in comparison with those made for humans.

ETA: Petsmart doesn't have an extensive array of chicken specific products, and what they do have is pretty high priced compared to buying the same thing from a farm supply or feed store.

 

[tacos50000]

if the mouse had eaten rat poison it might have been a blood thinner called warfarin you may need to counter act that with help from a vet or she could bleed too much!!!

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
I would imagine that if a chicken ate a mouse that had eaten warfarin based poison, and already had internal bleeding from it, there would be too much damage already to do anything about it, and the chicken would have died fairly quickly. However, antidote to warfarin/coumadin is Vitamin K, which is found in abundance in leafy greens, broccoli, and other green vegetables. If damage is not too bad to the internal organs, then feeding large amounts of these types of foods will help stop the excess bleeding. I've been on blood thinner therapy for over 15 years and it's a constant battle between my love of greens and trying to keep my meds within therapeutic levels. I've been forced to learn a lot about blood thinners.