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

[The good lifers]

Eating my tea the other day watching the chickens roaming around the garden, when suddenly there was a comotion and a bit of a s"Ooops, word censored!" over something that one of the girls had found. went outside and discovered Dolly trying to eat a dead mouse!! She did not want to let go and I had to get the mouse out of her mouth . She had the whole of its head in her mouth!!! Caught them trying to eat a frog the other day, but it got away.... carnivors or what!!??Anyone else's chickens eaten anything unusual? (by the way could not finish my tea after that!!)

[Headchicken]

I've watched mine eat lizards

[kitbag]

I have never seen my chooks eat anything too disgusting!!!

[The good lifers]

They also had a go at a slow worm, but it just up ended and burrowed itself in the ground it was about a foot long! so much for being vegetarian!

[simon_blackwell1]

I don't think chickens could be described as vegetarian, all they do all day is scratch for worms!

[The good lifers]

good point!

[Chickvic]

Mine have had frogs - Pearl managed to get one down whole they have also had mice and even birds that the cat has left for me Didn't want to eat the eggs laid after that and passed them on

[Ros]

I found one of my girls stalking off to find a quiet corner in the garden with a very decomposing dead baby blackbird clutched in her beak.......she was off to enjoy this little 'treasure' on her own

Yuk

[Guest]

my broth in law was telling me as a boy his father would deliberately allow the chickens into the barn when they were moving hay around and crops(grain) . The chickens apparently use to wait for the mice! They did it deliberately for the chickens as apparently they will kill mice no probs! The chickens loved it

 

urgh one way of pest control I suppose!

indie

[Hens@HalfMoonLane]

One of my new ex bats chases flies and butterflies around the WIR. She spots one and runs over as fast as she can - it's really comical.

[Olly]

There have been reports on here of chickens catching mice. My cat sometimes leaves a dead mouse on the lawn and if I don't spot it first, the chooks will fight over it, it's obviously a real delicacy! they've been known to gulp it down more or less whole.

[The good lifers]

yuk, the thought of the mouses head in the mouth was enough!!they also have tried to eat a manky bit of potato peeling from out of the drain and some maggots, as we had a bin strike and the food bin wasn't collected..... It's wierd I supose owls do the same?!!

[Raina]

My girls have eaten:

 

 

Worms

Snails

Slugs

Butterflies

Moths

Flies

Spiders

Ants

 

and a couple of Maggots ( bin got emptied on the Monday and by Wednesday there were some crawling out of the bin )

 

and some Polystyrene (sp?) about 4 weeks ago Not sure how they got it but by the time i managed to get to them they had eaten it (it looked quite large too)

 

 

They have even tried to eat my sisters Border Terrier,Nuna,well they pecked her ear and she tried to have a go back

[Henhathnofury]

I was feeling quite hungry but....

 

My girls have fought over a stag beetle. I managed to pry it off them and save it but later I heard squealing and my little Gingernut was running down the garden with another beetle.

 

Yuk!

[Saronne]

My lot mobbed a large frog the other day...

[Sara-W]

My Bluebelle Esme found a dead sparrow and tried to run off with it the other day I still have the image in my head

 

Endora Sally Henny Penny Esme

Sybil Enid Evelyn Mildred Queenie Agatha

Jemimah Lola Delilah

[Lydia]

Annie caught a mouse and devoured it whole on Friday. She's a good mouser that one, much better than my 2 aging moggies

 

Bartel was the dead baby bird expert. She'd let Hatpin have the other leg and the both of them would run round the garden Benny Hill Style with their booty.

 

Numerous frogs have met their makers in beaks and Trilby got a newt last week. Punk, the new ex-batt was clearly taking notes

 

But the best one was Ping who, in her younger days, would go fishing for water snails. She'd position herself on the little bridge between the big pond and the little one, then pick a snail that took her fancy, give it a good whack or two on the stones to break the shell and then eat the squashy bit inside!

 

Ping's fishing days are gone now and she's content to spend her time sitting under the large Rheum leaves like some grand old duchess under her parasol.

[Olly]

What a lovely image!

[Saronne]

Okay, don't read this if you're about to eat...

 

This morning, one of my cats ate a starling he'd caught AND his cat food...then vomited in the area where the hens free range (you know what's coming..) the hens chased him off and devoured the mess..now there's a hot meal for you

 

 

Saronne

[Olly]

I bet they loved it ...

 

OK, so who have you decided to give the eggs away to!

[Saronne]

Hmmm, maybe I'll pass them onto a neighbour who keeps expecting me to 'give' him eggs and looks shocked when I mention that I 'sell' them to recoup the cost of the feed (in this case, starling ala whiskas! )

 

 

Saronne x