Mouse for peafowls

[Maron]

The question may seem silly, but it is still quite important. Well, sometimes I find dead mice (most likely a cat brings them), and as you know, cats have bacteria that cause infections in wounds e.g. mice or small birds, but if I give them to peacocks to eat, will they hurt them? It's a pity that they go to waste, because peacocks love such snacks, but I don't want them to have any problems later.

 

[sourland]

Given the possibility that they may have been poisoned or be loaded with e coli, I would be reluctant to feed them.

 

[Maron]

Given the possibility that they may have been poisoned or be loaded with e coli, I would be reluctant to feed them.

Why poisoned?

According to the description on the Internet, the main cat bacterium is Pasteurella multocida, apparently it causes skin and subcutaneous infections, so it may not be able to cause infections in the digestive system... Unfortunately, I do not know. Maybe I just don't give these mice to the birds unnecessarily, they just go to waste.

 

[sourland]

Why poisoned?

Because people frequently poison rodents. Rodenticide poisoning is a relatively common occurrence in urban raptors and mammals - even mountain lions have died from rodenticide poisoning from eating rats/mice.

 

[Maron]

Now, hardly anyone is poisoning rodents, because there are almost no grain crops in the villages... They would probably have to poison these mice in their homes, because few people have farm buildings. In cities, there are even fewer mice, because they will not feed on concrete.

 

[KsKingBee]

My peas will not touch a dead mouse. We find them in the water buckets and have taken them from a cat, fresh kill, and they completely ignore the mice. Chickens on the other hand are all over the mice especially when we find pinkies. No, the peas are not interested in pinkies either.

 

[Maron]

Your peacocks must be a bit strange because all birds such as chickens, peacocks and guinea fowl love vertebrates. The chickens will eat any frog they find. It is known that if my peacock had access to live mice it would prefer them to dead mice, but there is none.
For peacocks, rodents are a much more natural meal than, for example, wheat or corn ...

 

[DukesDucks]

Now, hardly anyone is poisoning rodents, because there are almost no grain crops in the villages... They would probably have to poison these mice in their homes, because few people have farm buildings. In cities, there are even fewer mice, because they will not feed on concrete.

You haven't added your location so I don't know where you are. Rats and mice are very common in most areas and poison is a common approach for their control. There is one type of poison that would kill the rat but not affect another animal that eats it after. Here you require a special license to buy it.
I believe that many cities are having problems with rats because they are very adaptable, and we humans provide them with a ready source of food through our garbage.
I would not feed any of my animals or poultry something I found dead without knowing how it died.

 

[Waterfaery]

I lost several chickens a few years ago from what I now suspect was botulism. They became paralysed and died. I discovered afterwards that they had been pecking at a dead hedgehog they had come across when free ranging the day before.

My peafowl are very sensible and cautious about what they eat. They are suspicious of any new foods I bring them and seem to really know what they are doing when foraging, even ignoring certain invertebrates they come across. My chickens, on the other hand, will eat absolutely anything.

I think it's a case of how they are raised. I've read before that peafowl raised by peahens rather than humans are better at knowing what to eat and what not to eat.

In any case, if I found anything dead, there is no way in the world I'd let any of my birds near it.