I noticed some small holes dug under the wire around the run last night. so we pointed the camera at the run and sure enough they came like the pie piper himself was playing. I built my coop right on the soil. Big Mistake! Now food and water being put away nightly. And I got the joy of digging/laying pavers under the whole frame of the coop, something i should have done from the start. so when they come digging tonight they'll headbut a cement paver. And closing up every gap bigger than a 1/4". Anything I'm missing. Arrrrrrrg.
The mice have arrived
- Thread starter Axlhoss
- Start date
bigt447
Chirping
- Jul 10, 2015
- 170
- 15
- 50
Yep....some mouse traps.
- Thread starter
- #3
Those will work ... But, I like these better ...
They have to reach over the trigger plate to get the food ... I use dog food!
Set in the front, at rest (or tripped) behind ... I like the 90 degree swing instead of the more normal 180 degree ... Besides my wife doesn't have to get as close to the caught mouse to release it ...
These have a better hidey hole, that they have to lift up ...
They have to reach over the trigger plate to get the food ... I use dog food!
Set in the front, at rest (or tripped) behind ... I like the 90 degree swing instead of the more normal 180 degree ... Besides my wife doesn't have to get as close to the caught mouse to release it ...
These have a better hidey hole, that they have to lift up ...
Last edited:
I use tamper proof rat bait boxes and chunx bait. You can find a deal on two boxes on eBay ($35) and Tomcat bait ($23). I put a box right in the run. The other box I put on side of the house closest to coop. It's a simple solution and one time relatively low cost. Once the colony is gone you barley go through poison as it stops random pests from setting up house. I think this 4 lbs of chunx is going to last 6 years.
With chunx you don't get posion pellets scattered all about and it's very infrequent to have a rodent (mouse, chipmunk, squirrel or rat) dead on the ground. 99.9% of the time they go back to nests and don't come back out, feed their brood and all die. In three years of using chunx bait I've only found one chipmunk on the lawn when going to let the chickens out in morning, got rid of it and no worries.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Protecta-Si...r-Proof-Box-/110468555271?hash=item19b8706207
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tomcat-All-...-Killer-NEW-/121693752799?hash=item1c55834ddf
With chunx you don't get posion pellets scattered all about and it's very infrequent to have a rodent (mouse, chipmunk, squirrel or rat) dead on the ground. 99.9% of the time they go back to nests and don't come back out, feed their brood and all die. In three years of using chunx bait I've only found one chipmunk on the lawn when going to let the chickens out in morning, got rid of it and no worries.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Protecta-Si...r-Proof-Box-/110468555271?hash=item19b8706207
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tomcat-All-...-Killer-NEW-/121693752799?hash=item1c55834ddf
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- Thread starter
- #6
The ol snap traps worked last night but, I see why you use the easy release or box traps. I'll be purchasing those next. I just finished laying in the wrest of the pavers. Glad that's over. And I think I covered just about every entrance with 1/4" wire mesh and wood pieces.
- Thread starter
- #7
Posted to another query.
Hope it helps.:
My understanding is that rats/mice are everywhere.
They will congregate and breed where there is available food, water, and shelter.
Look closely around any fast food restaurant and you will see rat bait stations.
They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.
Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.
Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.
That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.
My run has food scraps 24/7.
My coop has food access 24/7.
Water access 24/7.
7 years, no sign of rats or mice...
Hope this helps.
Hope it helps.:
My understanding is that rats/mice are everywhere.
They will congregate and breed where there is available food, water, and shelter.
Look closely around any fast food restaurant and you will see rat bait stations.
They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.
Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.
Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.
That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.
My run has food scraps 24/7.
My coop has food access 24/7.
Water access 24/7.
7 years, no sign of rats or mice...
Hope this helps.
- Thread starter
- #10
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