Meat eating RIR

[Cetawin]

Quote:
You obviously have never met my SLW, Speckles. I caught her stalking a young deer and had I not intervened the stupid hen would have probably flown onto the deer.

 

[jeremy]

Quote:
You obviously have never met my SLW, Speckles. I caught her stalking a young deer and had I not intervened the stupid hen would have probably flown onto the deer.

there's something very wrong with that image...

 

[3KillerBs]

Quote:
I'm sure that in their native jungle chickens were among the scavengers once the tigers and other top predators had eaten their fill of their kills.

Its impossible to know, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if the domestication of chickens included a period where wild chickens lived among human habitations and scavenged from their trash -- much as pigeons and seagulls do. Hunters' gut piles and household midden heaps would have to have been irresistible to any omnivore.

In fact, the semi-feral farmyard chickens of the past, given little attention and expected to forage for themselves off the waste of the large stock, weren't far removed from that situation.

 

[jeremy]

Quote:
I'm sure that in their native jungle chickens were among the scavengers once the tigers and other top predators had eaten their fill of their kills.

Its impossible to know, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if the domestication of chickens included a period where wild chickens lived among human habitations and scavenged from their trash -- much as pigeons and seagulls do. Hunters' gut piles and household midden heaps would have to have been irresistible to any omnivore.

In fact, the semi-feral farmyard chickens of the past, given little attention and expected to forage for themselves off the waste of the large stock, weren't far removed from that situation.

To me it still seems wrong (and even a bit unhealthy) for a chicken to be chewing on cow intestine. It isn't natural. I understand your concept of feral chickens and wild game, however I'm not one to think that random carcasses would be a large part of their diet. The meat of smaller animals, frogs, bugs, etc. I can understand though.

Eh, but that's just me.

 

[zoomia]

Quote:
And so layer crumble comes from a ... tree? You don't think all the our agricultural practices both directly and indirectly "mess with the food chain"?

 

[ging3rhoffman]

I have to many cats to have a mouse. I have read where chickens do eat mice and are good at keeping a place mouse free. I take a raw hotdog out to the girls every now and then and they just go nuts over it. One hotdog for 13 girls to share. I just tear it in half and hold them and let the girls take turns at devouring it.

 

[Q9]

Quote:
You obviously have never met my SLW, Speckles. I caught her stalking a young deer and had I not intervened the stupid hen would have probably flown onto the deer.

there's something very wrong with that image...

Not if you give the chicken scales, a larger head, teeth, 6 foot long body, mid-size arms in place of wings, an enormous claw on each foot, and a long tail.

 

[FaereChicken]

My hens think dog food is fantastic! The training treats are among their favorite things ever.

Think of it as a larger insect...

 

[Chickens n' more]

I went out to collect eggs the other afternoon and 5 of my hens were playing keep away with a HUGE rat that was still alive enough to be squeeling at the top of its little lungs! I feel sorry for my cat if he ever gets too close to the chickens!

They also LOVE mice and snakes!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

So really, rats are an okay thing? What about disease they carry? I found a hairy pile of funk under a few logs where my girls roam and still don't know if they killed/ate a rat or if it died there on its own but my first thought was indeed about rat poison in it and about disease. I definitely havent had a second thought where I help them eat rats, just me.... Plenty of protein in the non-diseased stuff I feed them....