Wild hunter chicken

5chickenmutts

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jul 8, 2012
18
0
22
Graniteville, Vermont
So our 3 month old Barred Rock/Brahma mix hunted down and ate a grown mouse out in the yard this morning. Is that normal?
I've read they'll eat "pinkies" but a fully haired mouse?
I've also seen them try to eat a garden snake, about 6 inches or so, but that one fought back and slithered away!
A fellow chicken raising friend of mine jokingly says I'm not feeding them enough. They free range 2-6 hours a day. Could this be true? I also feed them (5 of them) a cup of finisher feed a day too, but they don't finish it.
They seem to eat ANYTHING!
 
Greetings from Kansas and
welcome-byc.gif
! I think there are few things chicken will NOT eat! I read on BYC somewhere last year, "If it doesn't eat chickens, chickens will eat it." Good luck to you!
 
Hi and :welcome from Ohio. So glad to have you aboard. Chickens love mice. Mine will fight over them. I even lost a chicken to a mouse. She tried to swallow a large mouse and choked to death on it. I keep traps set all the time now to keep the numbers of them down. :thumbsup
 
Hello and welcome to BYC
frow.gif
My chickens ate 2 small snakes so far and a few mice. And I feed them enough!
 
Thanks so much for all the great feedback and replies! I'm excited to be able to let them hunt for themselves. Friends who don't free range are telling me I should get them to eat more traditional feed, but they're looking mighty healthy!

You guys rock! Anybody from up my way? Vermont.
 
Greetings from Nebraska!

Our hens will definitely eat ANYTHING that won't eat them!

A mouse or mole is a wonderful excuse to play chicken-tag! With treats!
 

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