Shocked!

[elphabafalls]

I get a lot of garter snakes in my run, and I pity the poor things if the chickens happen to catch sight of them slithering through. They'll happily tear them apart if more than one happens to notice or slurp em back if they get the chance to consume them alone. It's also not odd to see them eat frogs, mice or young rats, so don't be shocked when you catch them with another gory prize!

I was just surprised that she didn't tear it to pieces - that she just inhaled it whole. We have some mice that live in the grassy area behind our back fence where there's no houses. When the chicks are out running around, the mice will sneak up and try to steal a little feed. If they think the chicks have spotted them, however, they haul ass through the small hole in the fence. I imagine that soon the only mice that will be left will be the mice that can resist the feed.

 

[elphabafalls]

Very normal.... I watched one of my hens eat a toad... swallowed it whole. She survived just perfectly fine!

Holy crap! When ours were smaller, we put a frog in the run with them just see what they'd do. The chicks gave it a wide berth. They didn't quite know what to do with it. The frog didn't move a muscle for a solid hour until we had mercy on it and let it go.

 

[Callender Girl]

I've been grossed out when I discover mine are playing keep away (and then eating) baby birds that fall out of the trees above their coops.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

We call them little raptors all the time. I guess that's closer to the truth than I realized lol

They ARE the closest living relative to the T Rex.

 

[BudgieKing15]

My hens have eaten 3 snakes in the past month!!

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I've been grossed out when I discover mine are playing keep away (and then eating) baby birds that fall out of the trees above their coops.

Terrible.

 

[3KillerBs]

I've seen them get hold of crickets and locust, etc. It's actually quite disturbing. They all surround the chick who found it and all fight to take a piece of the poor creature. Legs and wings everywhere lol

Mine were brooded in the coop and ganged up on a spider within 2 hours of arriving home from the farm store at a probable 2 days old.

 

[Avian Allie]

I hate dealing with mice so I call my giant rooster and he takes care of them for me lol. It is totally normal for chickens to eat snakes, but if it was a baby snake you saw watch out for any more nearby.

 

[Aapomp831]

Holy crap! When ours were smaller, we put a frog in the run with them just see what they'd do. The chicks gave it a wide berth. They didn't quite know what to do with it. The frog didn't move a muscle for a solid hour until we had mercy on it and let it go.

lol good idea for the frog; he knew better. My chickens will jump in front of the riding mower for a cricket.... you should have seen the day a little mouse ran out from under their feed container.... they went ape sh** trying to get it; lucky for the mouse it ran through the chain link and got away. Crazies

 

[HiEverybirdy]

One morning I went down to let the flock out before coffee. One of the pullets was off to the side acting funny. I walked over just in time to see her swallow a good sized garter snake, spaghetti-style like you described.

It was the first time I'd seen a chicken catch a snake, and she looked so happy. As I was thinking, "Way to go, supplementing your protein!" and "Welp, probably going to have to worm you birds soon," I suddenly realized there was a copperhead a foot away.

I was so terrified the pullet would go for that delicious danger noodle next, I froze up. Finally found my voice to tell her to back off (and she did!) and yell for DH, who swooped in to save us, like he always does. Not my finest moment.

These days I always drink coffee before heading to the coops.