Mice and squirrels in the run.

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Gundawg

Gundawg

Chirping
May 21, 2016
97
32
86
Ridgefield, WA
I am having an issue with mice and squirrels getting in the run eating food. I use a hanging feeder so the mice eat what the chickens spill on the ground each night while the hens are roosting. I saw a squirrel in the run the other morning in the feeder with the hens present. I would have thought the hens would have attacked the squirrel but they didn't. I plan to add chicken wire to the welded wire to hopefully keep out the squirrels but that will not stop the mice. I am considering building a bucket trap for the mice and burying it in the run then covering it during the day when the chickens are out. A better designed feeder that doesn't allow the hens to spill so much feed would also be helpful. I have 15 hens now so I need a feeder or feeders capable of feeding 15-25 birds.

Chicken Challenged Mike.
 
400
 
Use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, and make an apron around the run. The mice won't go through the much smaller openings and the overall set up will be far more predator safe.
 
rosemarythyme said:
Use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, and make an apron around the run. The mice won't go through the much smaller openings and the overall set up will be far more predator safe.
Click to expand...

Hardware cloth for a 25' x 16' run would be really expensive I have the strength with the welded wire the chicken wire is just for making the openings smaller.
 
If mice can fit through then to me, the openings aren't small enough. You can try doubling up the chicken wire to see if you can shrink down the holes enough, but that might end up costing more than hardware cloth, not sure?

Alternatively you can just do the bottom few feet + an apron with hardware cloth and do chicken wire above 2 or 3 feet or so.

My run is 20x27 so I know how ridiculously expensive these things can get.
 
rosemarythyme said:
Use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, and make an apron around the run. The mice won't go through the much smaller openings and the overall set up will be far more predator safe.
Click to expand...

+3

Chicken wire is ONLY good for keeping chickens in, worthless for keeping anything out.

Without utilizing 1/2' hardware cloth (IMHO) all you will be doing is raising food for the local predators.
 

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