Mouse? what mouse?

[perkin]

I don't think I would have believed it had I not seen it happen. I was cleaning the girls out and when I pulled the tray out from beneath the Eglu there was a teeny little mouse sitting there. The second it made a move, Chicken Licken struck like a viper and it in her beak swinging it vigorously side to side until it stopped moving. Then she put it down and started pecking at it. Scholes (yes, really) then joined in and the two of them did a Benny Hill comedy routine in and out of the bushes grabbing said mouse from each other's beaks. The poor thing got disembowelled during one particularly well-matched session of tug-of-mouse, though it was certainly past knowing anything at that stage. Between them they finished it off within about 7 minutes!

[dogsbody]

Seen that behaviour before myself, what was upsetting was I had put the mouse into the run to protect it from the cats!!

Frogs get the same treatment.

[rustylady]

Reminds me of the time I was house sitting for my sister and had to catch the next bus into town cos I had to wait for her bladdy dog to finish eating the rabbit she'd caught cos she wouldn't come into the house. I had had strict instructions not to leave the house unless all the animals were where they were supposed to be, but Sis just said when I finally met up with her "I would have just left her outside"

[julesapple]

Our girls have even pinched dead chicks, mice, quail and rats from the Harris Hawk. They used to love rooting out frogs from around the pond too. Last year a little House Martin chick suffered a terrible fate when it fell from the nest - we saw it fall from the livingroom window below but there was nothing left by the time the BH got there less than two minutes later. Quite horrendous the first time you see something like that.

Jules

[RichmondHens]

Hens love mice, frogs, anything like that really. It's a good way of disposing of the ones the cats bring in and leave on the kitchen floor!

[OverWyreGrower]

I dug out a rats nest - ParentRat legged it and I just left the chickens to enjoy the spoils.....

[Corris]

blimey - mental note: don't allow chickens free rein around planned 'natural pond'.

[Flummery]

Seen it done. They are basically little dinosaurs. By the time I got into the grassy area they play in (opened fence gate) there was just a little tail sticking pathetically out of one beak. No point pulling it out at that stage.

[chris]

Hope you offered them some greens, like kids these chickens. All meat, no greens!