raising mice to feed chickens? bad idea? okay its a bad idea.

[itsasmallfarm]

hello everyone,

am thinking about maybe starting a small operation to raise mice for feeders/coyote lure and am wondering is there any way my chickens could not benefit from this.

so would it be okay to feed chickens mice? i know they can eat them and mine love worms and bugs, but what about mice? i know these tame mice are not nearly as bad wild mice when it comes to germs. is there anything that would be an issue with this idea. am thinking of feeding them just day old mice as a protein snack . not full grown live mice.

thanks itsasmallfarm out.

 

[chickens really]

Hmmm?..I guess if you feel it's not an issue do it. I definitely couldn't raise babies to feed to my Birds. ..

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Hmmm?..I guess if you feel it's not an issue do it. I definitely couldn't raise babies to feed to my Birds. ..

i understand your view. i do think they deserve the most humane death possible, and i guess its no different from a hatchery who kills the male chicks when they hatch.

 

[Abriana]

My chickens eat mice that they find (which I would prefer them not to), but I personally woudn’t raise them to feed to my chickens.

 

[aart]

raise mice for feeders/coyote lure

Feeders for...snakes?
Never heard of the coyote lure..what's that about?
I suppose pinkies could be a good chicken diet supplement...
...kind of macabre for many folks, so expect some kickback on that.

 

[chickens really]

Yes..Mine found a nest of pinkies and ate them although I wouldn't raise babies for them to eat..... Totally your decision and what your comfortable doing..

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Feeders for...snakes?
Never heard of the coyote lure..what's that about?
I suppose pinkies could be a good chicken diet supplement...
...kind of macabre for many folks, so expect some kickback on that.

ah for the coyote lure its kind of funny story.

so right now am a part time fur trapper, mainly just raccoons and i attempt to go after coyotes, doing some reading found out about using mice as bait and lure,

now coyotes eat mice all the time, in fact i have been told they have no fear of mice, so using them as bait in theory should remove some fear of the set you made, so i looked into raising mice. (as coyotes around here bring in well over 100 dollars) so like catching 1 or 2 coyotes would pay a full year in mouse supplies.

now for the gross part. um no polite way of saying this, but told by my friend (who is a pro trapper) you kill the mice and then grind them up through a meat grinder or blender, through in some beaver castor and you have a great bait/lure for coyote, also been told dead mice make great weasel bait

tough part is catching enough wild mice for a decent supply to run a trap line for a few months.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

okay thank you every one, after thinking about it they might make a good emergency food source (in case of any event where i would lack food) but in the long run i think it would not be worth it, as one its gross to many (including me) and two i think there worth more as lure or as feeders to reptile owners.

 

[BigATC]

I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, especially if you have a surplus in your other uses for them. I'd have an easier time raising cockroaches or worms for chicken feed but have used mice for plenty of reptiles in the past. Just have to keep the diet balanced I suppose. Best of luck!

 

[aart]

I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, especially if you have a surplus in your other uses for them.

Exactly...if you're going to raise mice to sell as lure bait and reptile feed, could always toss a few to the chooks.

i think there worth more as lure or as feeders to reptile owners.

Thinking too much here....if you kept a few as breeders, then managed the litters per demand....not sure what the cost of keeping a breeding population would be like......and is it worth the cost and effort?