I bought a book

I bought a new book and it came today. It is called Range Free Chicken Gardens. Wow! What a book. CynthiaM, I noticed that you have Buckeyes. They are one of the chickens that are recommended for the Urban Gardner. It says that the Buckeyes go after mice and aare as good as any cat at catching them. Have you noticed this?

I keep hoping this is true but have never seen it - I even toss my Buckeyes dead mice I find in traps but they aren't interested - maybe if they were moving? Hope someone else can confirm this....

Love my Buckeyes all the same!

oh gosh we cant toss mice out of the traps anywhere near the chickens, they go crazy for them, Buckeyes and all...
If I dont see it happen its ok i guess but mouse fed chicken doesnt appeal to me at all!!

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I know this doesn't answer your question, but the bird that goes after dead mice that I toss in is my rescued battery farm white Leghorn. She goes CRAZY for the mice!! I think it's like rescued animals of any species. They just live large once they're freed from whatever hell they came from.

Having said that, I have lots of live mice in my coop and the only thing I see chasing them is the cat.

You should see my bantam Cornish hunt mice! They are like little tigers. Once one has a mouse, none of the flock is satisfied until the hapless creature is torn limb from limb.

Schipperkesue wrote:You should see my bantam Cornish hunt mice! They are like little tigers. Once one has a mouse, none of the flock is satisfied until the hapless creature is torn limb from limb.

Yes thats kind of the scene that ensues alright,a little too carnal for me to watch.....

i have never ever actually seen any mice around here, just the stuff that shows they are here, like their feces. Probably the chickens eat them up and that is why I don't see them. I know I surely did catch enough in the traps last late summer. If the buckeyes were after them, they did not do a very good job. I guess if you sat and watched really closely for hours, you might see the mice and see if anyone goes after them. I've never given the chickens the mice from the traps, maybe I should, then see if they like them or not. Buckeyes are really good for the outside stuff because they like to forage so much. They live for foraging, also are good with confinement though. When I open the buckeye gate to get out to the outside world, they run as fast as they can, my other breeds just meander out slowly and head off then to the wild blue yonder. Not the buckeyes they can't get to wherever they are heading to fast enough, full dead running. They are a good farm chicken I think too, kind of biased to how much I like the breed, smiling. As other breeds with the small combs and tight feathers, they sure can withstand cold and heat well. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

mirycreek wrote:

Schipperkesue wrote:You should see my bantam Cornish hunt mice! They are like little tigers. Once one has a mouse, none of the flock is satisfied until the hapless creature is torn limb from limb.

Yes thats kind of the scene that ensues alright,a little too carnal for me to watch.....

My polish do that too. One will grab the mouse and run like the wind until another catches up and snatches it. It goes on until each hen has a piece of mouse of their own.

I believe men on horseback in Khazakstan play this same game with a dead goat.

Heda, gotta hand it to you. THAT sentence is hard to follow!

Oh ya, when Tara was talking about picking up the nest boxes and the mice hiding below, I should make something like that, cause I know what you mean. The mice make nest below the water containers holder, which is a red, in most cases, upside down coke pop bottle crate, it is quite flat and good for allowing water to not gather below, as it drips through. I have seen the mice make nests below that, when I pick it up and move around the shavings, there are baby mice. Now I can attest that chickens, all of them, love baby pinkies . I bet this would be an awesome mice control thing, maybe gonna make some big mice-hiding-under things so I don't have to trap with traps so much. Like two 2 X 4s on the ground about 18 inches long and a piece of plywood or particle board on top. Bet mice would LOVE to build nest below that....hmmmm...mice control, saw some mice poops in the chicken entry part yesterday, they are there, they are there. No use for mice at all, can't stand them, they are not cute and what a mess they make, everywhere!! Beautiful days, CynthiaM.