Can I feed dead mice/rats to chickens?

[PiGE0N]

Recently I've been seeing mice crawling around my aviary, and possibly rats, which is on the opposite side of our chicken coop. At first I didn't really mind the critters eating the left over seeds but today I found one of my doves with blood all over her. None of my other birds could've done this much damage so I'm thinking it was a rat or mouse, I've already tried home made humane traps but none do the job so I'm thinking of setting up those regular Victor primed traps. I don't like wasting and I'd feel bad just throwing the dead rodent away, so would I be able to feed them to my chickens? What're the chances of a chicken getting sick if the rodent carried diseases?

 

[Bullitt]

Recently I've been seeing mice crawling around my aviary, and possibly rats, which is on the opposite side of our chicken coop. At first I didn't really mind the critters eating the left over seeds but today I found one of my doves with blood all over her. None of my other birds could've done this much damage so I'm thinking it was a rat or mouse, I've already tried home made humane traps but none do the job so I'm thinking of setting up those regular Victor primed traps. I don't like wasting and I'd feel bad just throwing the dead rodent away, so would I be able to feed them to my chickens? What're the chances of a chicken getting sick if the rodent carried diseases?

Chickens kill and eat mice, so I think it is fine. Rats are usually too large for chickens to kill, but the chickens will eat rats if you give them dead ones.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Mine eat them as well, if they are alive. I've tried giving them dead ones I've trapped and they'd have none of it.

If you have rats, I'd bet that's what went after your dove. They'll kill good size chicks and chew toes off of adult birds, a dove probably wouldn't be a problem. Good luck!

 

[PiGE0N]

Thanks guys! The critters will be great protein for my chickens if I'll ever be able to trap them.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I had great success with a bucket trap, but I didn't mention it bc you said you'd prefer a humane method of getting rid of them. They drown once they get stuck inside, but you don't have to replace traps, they're easy to bait and put away and they can catch gobs of rodents while a snap or sticky trap is limited in that area. I set it when I close the coop in the evening and remove it before I open the door in the morning. Good luck!

 

[PiGE0N]

I had great success with a bucket trap, but I didn't mention it bc you said you'd prefer a humane method of getting rid of them. They drown once they get stuck inside, but you don't have to replace traps, they're easy to bait and put away and they can catch gobs of rodents while a snap or sticky trap is limited in that area. I set it when I close the coop in the evening and remove it before I open the door in the morning. Good luck!

Oh actually, I did try that bucket trap, with wire going through a bottle/can, baited with peanut butter and seeds, hanging in the middle of the bucket, but without the water... instead it only attracted ants.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I've never bothered with a wire or can. I simply leaned a piece of wood against the bucket. Then I covered the water surface with sunflower seeds, no peanut butter= no ants
They jump in and can't get back out. I'd imagine you could just put seed in the bottom and nix the water, but I didn't want to have to kill them.