4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Suzanne]

I could hardly believe what I was seeing late yesterday afternoon. Clara was running round the garden with something large in her beak closely followed by Juliet who was trying to pull it from her.

 

I dashed out to see what it was then saw grey feathers and 2 legs protruding from her mouth, a little bird.

 

I grabbed Clara and tried to prize the bird free, with difficulty, she had her beak firmly shut.

 

The bird was very dead, only a small one. I was so upset. I could never have imagined a chicken would do this.

 

In the area where they graze small birds often hop around them and I have never seen either chicken bothered, they just graze together.

 

Clara and Juliet have a lot of attention.

They have a fenced off area where they are free to roam, they have the run of the entire garden when they are cleaned out in the afternoons. They have porridge for breakfast, enjoy a supper of broccoli, spaghetti etc. and a constant supply of layers pellets and fresh water so why would they want to go for a small bird?

 

I feel slightly different about my chickens this morning. They are not the gentle creatures I always thought them to be. Has anyone else experienecd anything like this?

[BeckyBoo]

Not personally, but I've read various other reports on here, frogs seem to be a particular delicacy of chickens. In fact, I hate to disillusion you but hens are actually horrible. They are cannabalistic, they will actually eat another hen alive if it's too poorly to get away or fight back, I know because I've seen that happen

 

Little darling ladies aren't they

 

Mrs B

[Hen Watch]

That's just the way they are.

 

My chooks are vegetarian apart from the odd frog, slug, snail, flying ant, millipede and the worst of all and I just can't bear to see it are stag beatles. Watching them run around the garden with it, horrid legs flailing about and then listening to them tap tap to break the shell is disgusting.

[Egluntyne]

It does happen.

[Suzanne]

Ah well, I guess that is just how they are and I will have to forgive her if it is in her nature. I think I will not be quite as worried about them from now on as they are clearly a lot tougher than I thought. They have a good life and reward us with lovely eggs and the family love them.

[Guest]

My son maintains that chickens are direct descendants of the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

[Mrs Frugal]

They certainly are and behave just like dinosaurs sometimes. I caught Pandora with a little mouse in her beak the other night and had to remove her from the run quickly before a tug of war began! Luckily she dropped the little thing and it ran away and hid but they will grab anything which is unfortunate enough to get in the way of their beaks, I'm afraid. The first day I had Jenny and Clarry, they shocked me by playing tug of war with a frog. Fortunately for the frog, I managed to get it free without injuring it but I learned early on that they aren't cute and fluffy .

[dancing cloud]

I usually think of mine more as velociraptors, particularly when all six are pursuing me up the garden if they think I might have something for them. The hunting skills and the ability of the pack to split up and ambush me are quite sophisticated for feathery things with brains not much bigger than peas

 

As far as I'm aware my lot haven't eaten anything bigger than worms yet, but Fat Puddy should clearly give them a wide berth when they're hungry

[Snowy]

They will definitely eat anything that sits still long enough! When a pigeon flew into one of our windows and landed on the path, concussed, they all dived on it and started trying to shred it Luckily I grabbed it in time, but not before it had lost all it's tail feathers to the mob.