Mousers?

[Chickassan]

This is why I like this place and chickens in general.
No shame in the weirdo game.

When you live with these little dinosaurs you develop a different sense of humor!!! Love it!!

 

[Alicia Manolas]

Old English Game BANTAMS are fantastic mousers, my lot tear apart anything meaty that gets in near their pens. No mouse stands a chance, and I can always tell who got the rear end, because quite often there will be a tail hanging out a hens beak!!! The amount they can unhinge their beak open to get stuff down is astonishing for a bantam, however they don't usually get a chance to, as all the others fight to get a beakful or pull out some guts

Apparently Old English Game Standard size, big ones can be terrors too, and I know Malay, Australian and Indian game are great hunters as well.

Any of the hard feathered big game birds will do in large rats too. I don't know how big vole are.

But I still love my beautiful little feathered jewels the best, OEG Bantams, even when they do disembowel things and wander around with the evidence sticking out!!!

 

[Chickassan]

You have convinced me to purchase a bug lamp which will probably be know as the popcorn popper.
Food is getting expensive, those bugs are free.

Oh heck yeah they'll hang around the bug lamp.
I in fact think it might actually cause a health issue.
I have one she will stand out there until like 2 am at that friggin lamp, every time it zaps she pecks at it to knock whatever hit the grid, onto the ground so she can eat it. The rest are sleeping, not her. They will love that lamp

Aaron

 

[Ascholten]

That's my thinking too. I have a few lamps around the house, I modified them slightly and put a jar on the bottom, mostly they get beetles and the occasional lizard that thought it was going to get a free treat. Moths tend to burn up so not many of them in the snack jar but beetles a plenty. I will go around every day or so and empty out the jars, they know when im doing a 'bug run' they will follow me very closely. Often times the beatles are stunned, not dead so still alive in the jar so will try to get away when you dump them onto a plate. Not with 4 eager mouths to feed.

a lot of protein and other stuff in bugs so I know it's good for them. Between that and letting them free range, I let my bahia get tall and they LOVE the fronds !!. Im finding they are eatinv significantly less of the store bought feed. In fact, I feed them about 9 am now, they have had a few hours to rummage, and instead of attacking me, they generally just kind of politely take their places in the circle and peck at it.

Anything that saves a buck for the cluck is worth it !

Aaron

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Wow thats crazy. Yah, I watch mine when they get lizards and such.
Step 1, try to run away from the other girls with it... good luck.
If successful Step 2, as you mentioned, tear it apart, smash it and eat it OR.. Step2a, get in a tug o war with another bird and rip it in half and each gets some.
Vicious isn't the word, and I find myself feeling sorry for the poor lizard and thinking god couldn't you just swallow it whole?

Im curious if there are any breeds that would actually kind of be on the lookout for mice, and if so, go after moles too, or just as a target of opportunity if one happened to pop in front of it? I have a mole problem, had for years, would love a way to help rid them.

aaron

Chickens will eat moles!!! I have a mole problem and a stray cat adopted me this winter and has caught 2 so far this summer in CT. One i found before the chickens and threw it away. This morning, one hen did tell me something was going on.... and i do a head count and see Patient with a mole. I tried to catch her, but, yea well, you know how that goes. Witnessing a human try to catch a chicken is a funny thing no matter what! Anyway, she took off with it and there was nothing I can do! I think she'll be ok. 3 weeks ago i watched her swallow a whole dead mouse . As soon as i confronted her while she had it, we chased her (me as well as the other hens) she stopped and if she didnt swallow that whole mouse! Well, shes still pokin' around so this time with the mole I didnt go as crazy trying to catch her. Besides, moles are small like baby mice. I am thrilled when the kitty catches a mole! We have such an issue with them, and this cat has been great. I shall call her kitty slayer! Shes like 5 pounds, sweet as can be but destroys all the critters! This is our first spring/summer with this cat pokin' around. She believed she was part of flock.......until Patient decided 'Wait! Thats not a chicken'! Patient has caught the cat twice biting her and walking away with a mouthfull of fur! The cat takes off and sulks 50 feet away licking her wounds(her wounds being her pride). Now kitty keeps her distance but if patient sees her while kitty is not lookin', kitty is in trouble! How is this chicken not top of pecking order! She has eaten 2 full rodents as well as catches snakes, and is always the one to find all the good buggies first. She refuses to peck another chicken. I have never ever witnessed it. Therefore, she bows her head to any of the other 4 hens no matter what! Even to miss Big who is this big ol' chicken that waddles around never too excited, never pushy, never loud. A chicken that seems content with her low pecking order status. The pictured chicken is Patient. See that comb? She managed to rip 75% of it off, in the run. I think she was digging along hardware cloth. It was a clean rip too. Now a days no comb can be ripped in this matter because the 1/2 inch hardware cloth squares are too small for comb to get aligned with. I better head over to the appropriate forum if i am going to babble on and on about chicken behavior, lol. Have a nice day chicken friends!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

This m

That's my thinking too. I have a few lamps around the house, I modified them slightly and put a jar on the bottom, mostly they get beetles and the occasional lizard that thought it was going to get a free treat. Moths tend to burn up so not many of them in the snack jar but beetles a plenty. I will go around every day or so and empty out the jars, they know when im doing a 'bug run' they will follow me very closely. Often times the beatles are stunned, not dead so still alive in the jar so will try to get away when you dump them onto a plate. Not with 4 eager mouths to feed.

a lot of protein and other stuff in bugs so I know it's good for them. Between that and letting them free range, I let my bahia get tall and they LOVE the fronds !!. Im finding they are eatinv significantly less of the store bought feed. In fact, I feed them about 9 am now, they have had a few hours to rummage, and instead of attacking me, they generally just kind of politely take their places in the circle and peck at it.

Anything that saves a buck for the cluck is worth it !

Aaron

This morning I was out looking for grubs to offer my limping chicken. Looking under rocks and everything. I found her 2. I think they love grubs the best.

 

[Ascholten]

I got rid of my moles almost, one time... then the neighbors bitched ... had a tesla coil, a pole pig and was shooting lightning down into the ground. bitchy neighbor called the cops on me. was going to just backfeed the pole pig thru my inverter for current limiting, police said NO, put the transformer away... so much for that. just like a worm shocker only.... bigger and it DOES work !

For some reason the moles were really bad this year, and still now in the summer they are still tearing things up, generally you don't see their mess in the summer. I am going to have to try that propane method here soon.

Aaron

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I got rid of my moles almost, one time... then the neighbors bitched ... had a tesla coil, a pole pig and was shooting lightning down into the ground. bitchy neighbor called the cops on me. was going to just backfeed the pole pig thru my inverter for current limiting, police said NO, put the transformer away... so much for that. just like a worm shocker only.... bigger and it DOES work !

For some reason the moles were really bad this year, and still now in the summer they are still tearing things up, generally you don't see their mess in the summer. I am going to have to try that propane method here soon.

Aaron

Get a cat! She caught 2 already this week!!

 

[Penpal]

I've seen my chickens attack mice and snakes. Haven't seen them eat one, but they probably did.

 

[Ascholten]

I've seen my chickens attack mice and snakes. Haven't seen them eat one, but they probably did.

If they managed to get a hold onto it and actually hold onto it, they ate it. They tore it apart and ate it. Unlike a cat I don't believe a chicken will kill just for the fun of it, if they catch it, and can squeeze it in, they will squeeze it out at a later time

Aaron