OMG! Lucy Caught a Mouse!

[Ma]

Well caught isn't exactly the right word, nailed it is more appropriate. It was dead I'm sure instantly. I just happened to be in the coop doing some morning house cleaning and it happened before my very eyes!

Then of course all 8 others were chasing her and running around like chickens with their heads................., er, running around like crazy. They all had a go of it, then all walked away like it never happened.

Well, so much for thinking I didn't have any mice. But, its nice to know I've got plenty of "traps"!

Anyone else ever seen this happen?

 

[LynnGrigg]

My husband frantically called me to come and get a small snake away from my flock once. I had to quiet him because I couldn't just snatch up a snake without determining if it was poisonous first. It was a baby black snake and it took me a few minutes to run the hen down to get it away from her.

 

[blue90292]

i was cleaning out the feed room and putting in new sand. as i moved things out, my beagle would start digging and catch mice, play with it a little, kill it and then go in search of another. then the hens would come and snatch that dead mouse. at first i was in shock. this was before i realized what "omnivore" meant. but the thought of my chickens eating mice didn't sit well. thoughts of rabies and the plague kept going through my head and i couldn't eat eggs from them for a couple of weeks.

 

[Ma]

You mean that they would actually EAT the mouse?? Ewwwwwwwwwwww.....

With my girls, once the chase game was over, they were done with the poor dead thing. I got rid of it of course. I didn't realize that they would eat it though. I'm just grateful I was there when it happened, otherwise I'd have a dead, stinking, rodent in my coop.

Now, as my husband will tell you, I have something else to stress on........

Do they have 12 step programs for chicken people?

 

[featherfooted]

Our English Setter and my hens have a deal where lady can come in the coop and kill the mice but she has to let the hens eat them. This is fine with Lady as she just loves the hunt and catch part. Its like a flag football game when one has a mouse and the others want it. A couple of my hens have caught their own mice.

 

[TucsonFrizzled]

Howdy ~

When I was preparing a speech about Chickens as Pets, I came across a story about hens that were so enthusiastic about the live mouse they had caught, they actually tore it in two halves.

Erk! (Barfy Smiley with tongue out).

Wendy and Fancie

 

[2mnypets]

Well then I guess my chickens are going to be on cloud 9 all winter long. Living out here in the country we have a ton of field mice. I acutally get more mice by them going into my little decorative pond by my back door. Nothing like letting the dogs out in the morning to find 3 or 4 floating there or in the case of winter, frozen in limbo. I've also got 2 more kittens to help with population control. Guess I'll have to keep my camcorder ready and charged for any great mouse capers in the coop.

 

[ChickieDee]

As I was sitting with the girls just yesterday I watched my Roo kill a mouse. It was pretty violent. I kinda felt bad for the mouse for a few minutes cause it was so trusting and unafraid of the chickens. It was just going out to share the scratch I threw down. It had no clue what was about to happen. The Roo ran with it for a while then brought it in the barn. I searched for it later but he must have eaten it. I'm over it now because who wants rodents in their coops (even if they are cute). I had a mouse destroying my horse saddle with it's nest, but let it stay there to raise it's five babies. My husband thinks I'm insane. I just couldn't kill them.

 

[Blisschick]

I've had my chickens go on a free-for-all over a mouse and a leopard frog. I had to take it away both times because they were starting to beat each up over the poor critters.

I've also had them accidentally break eggs before while incubating, and the flock would go nuts eating the chick embryo. They really aren't too picky about where they get their protein.

 

[Rebel Chicken]

I've never heard of a chicken killing a mouse before! hahaha! Kinda gross though!