Chicken ate a field mouse whole. Should I be worried?

[FireGurl26]

Hello all. Been awhiel since i posted. We had a nice day here today....30 degrees...heatwave. Anyways, i know my girls eat mice and such...seen em' tear apart mice, snakes, baby turtles. But my Buff Orpington (Bucket) caught a mouse and started tearing it up, playing keep away from the other chickens. I guess she got tired of running away from the others and just swallowed the darn thing whole. I mean...it was a good size mouse too. I watched her and made sure she finished swallowing it down..then just walked around like nothing happened. I was outside cleaning the run anyways...so i had time to observe her for a bit. I mean, months ago i gave my girls grapes cut in half (They love them!) and my Silver Laced Wyandotte actually started choking before...Frothing at the mouth and all. I grabbed her and rubbed her neck and it went down. Scared me half to death. Now I chop the grapes up more. But that is why i am worried. Can a whole mouse pass from crop to gizzard. I know owls do it but chickens? Any input would be great. Thanks.

 

[N F C]

I've seen my chickens eat whole mice, toads, lizards and such...they never had a problem. Kind of gross to me, but they were fine, lol.

I guess I'd worry if the mouse could have been in something like rat poison, but otherwise, I wouldn't be too concerned.

 

[FireGurl26]

I've seen my chickens eat whole mice, toads, lizards and such...they never had a problem. Kind of gross to me, but they were fine, lol.

I guess I'd worry if the mouse could have been in something like rat poison, but otherwise, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Yah, no rat poison. So I guess we're all good lol. Amazing they can fit something that big down whole. lol

 

[N F C]

Yah, no rat poison. So I guess we're all good lol. Amazing they can fit something that big down whole. lol

I know!

 

[Shezadandy]

Haven't seen it myself, but I have a good friend whose hen gulps down big mice as a hobby and is just fine. She watches while the cat and dog play with it then runs in for her snack.

 

[RPClark]

Our birds caught a live mouse last weekend; it was the first time I'd seen that. I watched as they played with it, then finally killing and consuming it.

I toss trap-caught mice out in the field. The rooster will forage those if he finds the carcass. No reason to believe the hens won't do the same if they get there first.

 

[microchick]

My Welsummer hens are better mousers than our cats. One of them scratched up an underground nest near their coop. Next thing I know they are running by me two with adults in their mouths and three more with babies. I'm sure the mice weren't amused but it was just morbidly funny watching them doing that funny waddle/run that they can do with their neck feathers fluffed up and singing their hearts out. Even funnier to see a row of Buff Orpington hens chasing after them trying to steal the mouse.

It stops being funny and makes me flinch when they start pounding them against the ground until they are dead and then down them with a single gulp.

On the bright side: Extra protein for the day and less feed!

 

[Trollmother]

Our chicken died tonight with a whole mouse stuck in her beak. I didn't anticipate this to occur and that's how I found this post.

 

[gtaus]

Can a whole mouse pass from crop to gizzard. I know owls do it but chickens? Any input would be great.

A full grown chicken should be able to eat a mouse without any problems. Chickens are omnivores, and can eat just about anything they can catch and kill. Good for her.

 

[Sierra G]

There's not much to worry about. Mice aren't big into revenge, probably because they don't watch The Princess Bride. Even if they were, your chicken has disposed of all the evidence. And the other comments have addressed all the other options.