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

[centrarchid]

Health reason for the chickens, I see no issue. Feed conversion will be terrible in terms of what you start with actually getting to chickens. Culturing insects I think would be much more efficient on the conversion end but for you would likely require yet another management headache.

 

[Birdinhand]

... Feed conversion will be terrible in terms of what you start with actually getting to chickens. ...

that is probably the bottom line, just not worth it unless you just randomly end up with extras as a byproduct of production for other purposes periodically. no doubt, chickens will eat them with glee. I raise feeder rats (for our reptiles) and pet rats (some of the best pocket pets ever), I raise laying hens and meat birds, and when I was young I had a trap line, so our family is not a stranger to these kinds of considerations. most folks nowadays don't seem to have the stomach for being this practical, they'd rather have someone else do the dirty work and have their feeder rodents come in neatly packed frozen form but if you can work your mind around it and are mindful to avoid undue suffering, I don't see a problem with it. if it gets to be too gruesome to feed them live, make a co2 chamber and euthanize first.

 

[aart]

Feed conversion will be terrible in terms of what you start with actually getting to chickens

Not really a consideration as....

am thinking of feeding them just day old mice as a protein snack

Main objective is.....

a small operation to raise mice for feeders/coyote lure

 

[itsasmallfarm]

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

from my guess it would cost around 100-200 to run a small breeding system per year, and again am looking at the potential profit's.

for example say you make a good lure that works with coyotes again at 100 dollars that is just two coyotes to pay for your year of supplies. and everything after that is potential profit.

 

[Acre4Me]

Sounds fine since you are planning to make lures, and will occasionally have extra “pinkies”. Also assume you’ll be humanely euthanizing the lure mice anyway, so when you process into bait, they were already euthanized. Seems like a pretty practical cycle, just decide if you want to do that process.

 

[Molpet]

i throw any mice i catch or find to the chickens alive... the problem is unless i hand them to one hen, they get away when the girls are trying to push each other out of the way

 

[aart]

from my guess it would cost around 100-200 to run a small breeding system per year, and again am looking at the potential profit's.

That much...or are you guessing that 2 coyote hides would cover your costs?
Start up costs for cages and such might be that much?
I would think you should determine what, if there is one, the market for selling mice as lure material and reptile feed in your area might be.

 

[Killer Tomato]

then grind them up through a blender,
.

Remind me that I'm never having margaritas or smoothies at your house!

 

[aart]

Remind me that I'm never having margaritas or smoothies at your house!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

… 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... is there anything that would be an issue with this idea. am thinking of feeding them just day old mice as a protein snack...

Run your Idea by the two major animal rights organizations and see what they think about it. My feelings is that they would think that feeding day old mice to chickens is worse than feeding day old humans to crocodiles.

Remember this. There is already a requirement that you purchase a Federal permit to get into the rodent growing business with mandatory testing and inspections to make sure that you are not abusing your tame rodents or poorly carrying for them.