My babies ate and killed a mouse?

[Ladyturtle]

We have 10 baby chicks in a bin inside right now, along with 2 ducks.

We spent all day outside yesterday working on the yard, and the kids (older teens and young adults) kept using the babies as an excuse to take breaks.

I went in with them about 2-3 hours after the last "check " and there was a mouse skull, and a couple of bones in with the birds.

We know we have mice in the yard,and that they occasionally get into the unfinished basement. I was a little worried about it, but I've seen chickens and ducks decimate mice and snakes plenty, so my hope was that if one got in, they'd gang up on it and kill it. I did not think they would eat the whole thing.

I posted about it on FB, and once of my friends, who honestly seems to think I know nothing about what I'm doing, said someone is pranking me. Several other chicken owning friends were not the least bit surprised.

What is your experience? Wr don't know exactly how old they are. At least 1 week. About half of the chick were 2-3 days older than the other half when we got them a week ago, and the ducks looked about 5 days old, but they are HUGE now, compared to the chicks.

Max, I think some of them could be 3 weeks old, but most are about 1.5 weeks old.

What do you think? Could my flock have done this damage if they were threatened by a rogue mouse?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Vicious little peepers! I'm impressed!

Mine kill all kinds of things. But I've never had babies do that.

What breeds do you have in there? Velociraptor?

 

[3KillerBs]

Go tiny dinosaurs!

 

[LAYAM]

Aaaand, we found another skull this morning, so that decides. The room they are in must be the mouse entry point, so now we can figure out how to keep them out.

Bait the room with more chickens!

 

[Silexian]

Mine were scratching through the loose hay on the floor of the barn. They discovered a mouse nest. They snapped up the babies like a kid finding their favorite flavor jelly belly. As others were playing a morbid version of kill the man with the ball. With the mother mouse. Little snakes, frogs,toads and lizards are on the menu also.

 

[Isadora]

I think your chicks are too young to debone a mouse. Typically chickens will eat things whole since they don't have teeth. Rip off small pieces if necessary and swallow it, or swallow the whole thing whole if it's small enough. Your chicks are awfully young and wouldn't be able to do that but to have a couple of mouse skull bones that are perfectly clean? I don't see it happening.

 

[Ladyturtle]

Aaaand, we found another skull this morning, so that decides. The room they are in must be the mouse entry point, so now we can figure out how to keep them out.

 

[Ladyturtle]

Bait the room with more chickens!

Right? I was like....maybe this should be the coop.

 

[MGG]

I think one of your kids is playing a joke on you, they probably found them while working in the yard. Those are old skulls. Your chicks never would have done that.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Those skulls dont look very fresh. Look like theyve neen there for a little bit