Teaching chickens to catch mice???

[Guitartists]

I know that some chickens will naturally go after mice, but has anyone purposfully tried to train their chickens to catch and eat mice?? If you were to buy little mice when they get older and work your way up to small adult mice.... do you think it would make the mice less apt to come in if they were getting jumped on by a bunch of hungry mice-huntin chickens???

Just wondering...................

 

[M.J]

i don't think you need to teach your chickens to hunt mice i think it is just a natural instinct that my guys just do it on their own

 

[CoyoteMagic]

No idea. Mind just dig them out of the litter in the bottom of the coop. They caught a garter snake yesterday out free-ranging. You should have heard the ruckus they put up!! Hoodini(RIR) had to broadcast it to the entire neighborhood.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

You wouldn't 'need' to, but I think it would certainly condition them for it. Like with any other treat, first time they aren't too sure about it, second time it's every chicken for itself.

I think giving them mice would kinda 'tune' them in and they would be on the look out for their new favorite treat.

-Kim

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

My ducks eat mice on their own....I'm not sure about the "trainability" of chicken mouse-hunting, though?

 

[panner123]

What happens to the ones that gets away?

You know they are fast breeders.

The chickens will naturally go after the nice, if you have any.

 

[kaacres]

It is so funny that I came across this thread tonight.
Just today we were working on revamping our pens and uncovered a mouse and Chrissi(standard Cochin) was on it in no time. I was stupidly not aware that they would do this. In no time everyone was chasing her around the pen. She killed it but we were worried about what would happen if she ate it so we took it away from her. Is it okay for them to eat it? Will the bones hurt them? That is what we were concerned about. But if it won't hurt them, the next time we will just let them have it.

 

[SoccerMomof7]

Couldn't they get disease from the mice?

 

[southernsibe]

This is probably not the nicest side of my personality, but I really really really do not like mice. Outside mice are ok, but this spring has been very bad with the mice coming into the garage, and I have mounted a full scale WAR against these bothersome little buggers. Mice are normal in the country, I know that, and normal in a barn, but not in my garage. Nope, not havin' it. So if someone can figure out how to go about training the chickens, I will gladly invest in the DIY DVD, lol, because I would love to have my chickens take care of the problem.

Rachel

 

[SoccerMomof7]