Why was there a dead rat in my nest box

[fat brown hen]

There's a rain barrel nest box in my turkey pen. The turkey hens have never used it, but I leave it there so they can't complain about not having a nest.

Today I noticed some chicken eggs in the barrel. Chickens sometimes sneak into the turkey hut. I got on all fours, crawled into the barrel and grabbed the eggs. They were covered with yolk and shell bits, so I crawled back in the barrel for the soiled nesting material. It was all at the back; I hugged as much bedding as I could in my arms and carried it into the yard. The chickens scratched through the bedding for leftover egg yolk, and as they pulled it apart I noticed a large fuzzy thing. At first I thought it was a dead bird; upon closer inspection it was a flattened rodent, belly up. Either a small rat or a large mouse, not sure because it was fully flat.

How did a dead rodent get into my nest box?

 

[Callender Girl]

Well, that's more than a little horrifying. I was upset yesterday when I found a partially eaten bunny in the hay shed nest where my ducks like to lay eggs, but your discovery tops mine.

Although I know it's a bad idea to speculate on topics without solid facts to back up assertions, here are a couple of my thoughts -- please take with a grain of salt.

IF it was a mouse, I might think the chickens killed it -- although mine would have eaten it, if that was the case. Maybe the rodent had been injured or poisoned elsewhere and crawled into a "safe" place to die? A rat once tripped one of my spring traps, managed to free itself but then wandered a good distance away before dying.

In any case, sorry for your experience.

 

[Folly's place]

Agree. Do you have poison out there for rodents? Ask you neighbors too, because it does matter.
And wear gloves! Rodents can carry several interesting diseases, which vary a bit depending on your location, and none of them are good for you!
One of your birds might have killed this critter, either a mouse or small rat, and good for whoever it was! But setting trap out (that won't trap your birds) would be a good idea.
Mary

 

[fat brown hen]

Well, that's more than a little horrifying. I was upset yesterday when I found a partially eaten bunny in the hay shed nest where my ducks like to lay eggs, but your discovery tops mine.

Thank you for your words of sympathy. so... who ate the bunny?

IF it was a mouse, I might think the chickens killed it -- although mine would have eaten it, if that was the case. Maybe the rodent had been injured or poisoned elsewhere and crawled into a "safe" place to die? A rat once tripped one of my spring traps, managed to free itself but then wandered a good distance away before dying.

Injury or poison is a possibility, although the back of a blue barrel seems like a weird place to die since they would have had to climb over an 8" lip...?

I also wonder if a chicken killed the rat because it was trying to steal some eggs? The broken egg(s) seem odd to me because none of my hens are eggpeckers.

And wear gloves! Rodents can carry several interesting diseases, which vary a bit depending on your location, and none of them are good for you!

If I had known there was a dead rat in the bedding, of course I would have worn gloves!! Believe me, I was as grossed out as you are

One of your birds might have killed this critter, either a mouse or small rat, and good for whoever it was! But setting trap out (that won't trap your birds) would be a good idea.
Mary

I wonder if I should remove the nest box. The turkeys don't use it, and I don't want anything that attracts pests. Trapping would be an endless battle; the pen is right next to a dense wooded area.