This is a REALLY GROSS question, but need an honest answer!!

[stanglover2001]

Just less than a half hour ago my DH was sitting at home alone playing a game on his ps3

(I was at a neighbors helping bake a b-day cake) when he found an opossum sitting in our cat cage

(mind you this is the first predator we've had) eating our cat food (btw the door to our coop had been left OPEN with the chickens sitting on the steps of the coop, but no chicken was harmed thank goodness!) so naturally DH stepped out and closed the cat cage on it, got the .38 special and shot it. Now its in an empty feed bag, dead... the grossest question is, (are you ready?) my DH knows chickens are omnivores and wishes to feed the opossum to the chickens (it was a young one) and we felt that it wouldn't hurt but wanted to know if anyone thinks there is anything wrong with it????? I KNOW SOOO GROSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[imtc]

I've never heard of anyone doing that....kinda odd IMO. I wouldn't do it.

 

[ekemily]

I personally wouldn't let them eat the oppossum. But then, I wouldn't kill a oppossum just for finding some cat food to eat either.

We have many coons, oppossums, foxes, coyotes, etc. I haven't had a problem (yet). Our run is secure, so I'm not that worried about it. We do have other hens that free range 24/7 with an open coop. However, their coop is in the same area as a buck goat. He smells so bad I guess nothing wants to eat around him. However, if i ever catch a predator in the act, I will not hesitate to pull out the .357

 

[stanglover2001]

Well, I know chickens naturally will kill small things like mice and eat them.. I've also heard of people finding dead animals in places they can't remove the carcass and the chickens going to eat it. I just hate to waste it if they'd enjoy eating it, trust me its gross to me too, but I've heard its extra protein and free. I'd prefer to bury it but the DH doesn't want to waste it.

 

[Yessur Ebob]

I don't think it would hurt them, but I would never feed anything like that to my birds.

But you could eat it.

I've heard that they taste pretty good.

 

[Lollipop]

Yup, I once read a post by a guy that had a real predator problem. He ended up cleaning and cooking all his kills and feeding them back to his chickens. Didn`t hurt a thing and was actually good for them...........Pop

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

If you feed it to them, I'd boil it first in case of illness or worms. You don't want your chickens eating that.

 

[corancher]

I guess if the chickens just found it laying dead somewhere they would likely peck at it and eat it. I know mine fight over a mouse if one happens to catch one. I don't think I would feed it to my chickens but I don't think it will hurt them.

 

[stanglover2001]

Good, I didn't think it'd hurt them (I wouldn't eat it) I don't eat small creatures like that, but I felt that if we went ahead and killed it not waste it... I know it hasn't hurt one of my chickens yet but that doesn't mean it wouldn't later! I just hate killing something and then burying it. Better eaten than thrown away.

 

[33yardbirds]

Just get rid of the thing in this heat it will get ripe before the birds can finish it and that odor will linger on your birds. There is a reason buzzards and vultures have bald heads and they stink to high heaven,