ok for girls to catch mice?

[mschazz]

Just saw the darnedest thing while gathering eggs,,one of my girls caught a mouse in the coop!! The chase was on! After playing with it, they ate it!! I use no chemicals so it shouldn't be toxic,,I'm sure the mouse is well fed,,,eating chicken feed and grain!! Was funny to watch! Should be OK,,right??

 

[nakedneckmom]

I just wanted to second this story to say that a rat was bringing things (from the compost) into the girls nesting boxes and one day it was dead-flat out on the area in front of the boxes! His eyes and other body parts completely gone. The day before one of the eggs was broken in the nest, which has never happened before but I assumed one of the younger hens (who just starting laying) maybe stepped on them wrong or something. But once I saw the dead rat, I think it was the rat that broke/tried to eat the egg and that was final straw! I think they were protecting their eggs

Anyway, my girls didn't really eat much of the rat, just mutilated it. But I have seen them catch small lizards and eat them. They are fine so far

 

[sumi]

I've seen my chickens catch and eat birds, mice, frogs and at least two small snakes. Little dinosaurs! LOL

 

[redsoxs]

I moved some old planks one day - the chickens were ever-present, of course, waiting for crickets or bugs. Well, there were two mouse nest under the planks - didn't see the full grown mice but the chickens, much to my horror, gobbled down the pink, hairless baby mice. Pretty freaky but like sumi posted above....little dinosaurs!

 

[7&8]

Look familiar? LOL!

http://www.palaeocritti.com/by-group/dinosauria/deinynochosauria/hesperonychus

 

[aoxa]

yes. swallow mice.

Proof they can. From a friend of mine

I've seen my own do it, but never had a camera ready to capture the madness. Mine were fine. Mice are good protein!

 

[mtnviewfarms]

Ditto what others have experienced with the 'mouse frenzy'. My flock's fav summer treat is tomatoes which they toss around and play tag with and when they catch a mouse it is the same thing with the result at the end - devouring it in total. Chickens are omnivores and eat meat as well as plants, etc.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

My flock will catch and eat mice, too. We don't have any mouse problems in the hen house. Bags of feed stored there stay vermin-free.