Mice & rats

[Eric 2016]

I don't necessarily agree that the birds would show signs of the mouse was poisoned. Now I'm deffinatly not saying that the mouse was or wasn't poisoned but if it was then the chickens would be secondary poisoned. I did a quick Google search of that and found that secondary poisoning is unlikely to kill an animal because of the very very low dose they would be ingesting. That being said I'll put it this way, on my farm I see chickens eat ALL kinds of stuff and I've never thought twice about eating the eggs.

 

[1cock2hens]

I couldn't tell you, hopefully someone else will chime in. We don't use poison. With all the cats we have mice are not an issue

 

[Sheeze98512]

We don't have any cats so I don't worry about that. We only put it in the garage. We have an office in there with electronics. And keep burnable bags of garbage in there too till we make a dump run. Don't want rodents getting into either! Im trying to be as responsible as possible. Can be trying!

 

[redsoxs]

The possibility also exists that your chickens killed the rodent. Or maybe a cat caught and killed and then left it...mine do that.

 

[waddles99]

I heard stories of someones chickens chasing and killing mice....

 

[drumstick diva]

You might want to consider making your area less hospitable to rodents. Keep feed stored in tightly covered metal containers. Maybe feed chickens inside the coop, so no feed laying around outside. Put out traps after the chickens are locked up for the night, and pick traps up before they are let out in the morning.

Rodents can be carrying disease, and other icky stuff.

 

[Sheeze98512]

Happy to say: All is well with my girls! Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[1cock2hens]

Happy to say: All is well with my girls! Thanks for your help everyone!

^_^ you're very welcome! glad to hear all is well

 

[Sheeze98512]

New question! Any ideas on how to stop my hens from ganging up on a single hen? Just starred happening 2 days ago. They've been chasing her, biting & pulling out her feathers. Every time she jumps down to eat, they chase her back up the perch. I don't have anyway to separate them in the house or yard. Worried she's not getting enough to eat.

 

[waddles99]

New question! Any ideas on how to stop my hens from ganging up on a single hen? Just starred happening 2 days ago. They've been chasing her, biting & pulling out her feathers. Every time she jumps down to eat, they chase her back up the perch. I don't have anyway to separate them in the house or yard. Worried she's not getting enough to eat.

Hens should never be introduced singly to a flock. I introduced one of my girls singly only once when I was stupid and had no other option. It took her 5 months for them to stop picking on her. Here is what I would do. Take that hen and 1 of your other hens and put them together in a cage in the barn. Being introduced to a different environment that is unfamiliar to either of them will level the playing field so that neither hen is established and dominant. They will get used to each other and wont fight after a couple days. After a week of being together, integrate them back in together in the main flock. The hens wont remember either of them and see them both as new. When you are integrating hens, there is strength in numbers and having 2 being introduced at the same time definitely helps so much. After 2 weeks picking should stop.