Of Mice And Men From Connie of Urban Overalls

January 15, 2016

Connie of Urban Overalls is sharing what life with chickens and mice is all about. We look forward to what Connie has to share and if you haven’t go follow Urban Overalls on Facebook. Connie will keep you in the know on a daily basis when it comes to your chickens!

Chicken With Mice

Hatching eggs. Chicks. Or perhaps four-month old pullets. You spend time researching which stage of chicken-hood works best for you as a starting point. Maybe you are looking forward to hatching out eggs in your home-built incubator? What about your local farm & ranch or feed store that carries chicks? You can simply pick out the ones you want. Or if you are in a hurry, maybe you opt for something older and closer to laying age? However you start your flock, feeding them is an important part of their care.

You want them to thrive. Nutrition is important, starting with the finely ground chick starter (whether that is a supplement to their outdoor foraging with their mother or their sole source of food). Once they reach the point of laying eggs, you make the switch to layer mash and perhaps some scratch grains. Maybe you add in fresh greens or bits of squash, grapes, or melons All chickens need grit, calcium, vitamin A and D, salt, grains (such as oats, wheat, and even corn), and protein. But for all the grains, mash, greens, or free-range foraging, do you think of your chickens as being an omnivore? Or better stated, do you realize they are omnivores?

Given the chance and/or access to small animals, a chicken can become a predaotor. For example, on my urban homestead, mice don’t worry about the cats…it’s the chickens that control the roden population!

My hens are capable of more than just pecking at a mouse. With their keen eyesight, they can track one and catch it. Once caught, the neck is broken so death comes quickly. The rest…not so much. The hen who has the mouse, runs about showing off what she has. This results in the rest of the flock… continue here…..

We look forward to what Connie has to say. Do your chickens chase mice? If so, we’d love to hear about your experiences!

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