Has anybody tried ultrasonic mouse/rat control in their coops?

I am having a problem with small rats or large mice. We have poison (Just One Bite) down in tubes where the chickens can't get to them, but the rats/mice don't seem interested, either. Has anybody out there tried those electronic plug-in rat repeller things?

We have never had a problem like this before. Our coops are old with dirt floors and it wouldn't be possible to seal them. The spaces in the walls are too small for large preditors, but these rodents seem to come and go as they please. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I've tried them in the house and they made not the blindest bit of difference to my rodent issues.

I have one plugged in the socket in the kitchen where the little field mice get in from under the house and play in the bin.

I have not seen mice in there or mouse poo since.

Mine works a charm

Scientifically, there really doesn't seem to be any real mechanism by with those devices will work. I'm always surprised to hear that it does for some people.

Don`t waste your money. Get some peppermint oil from a healthfood store and soak a cotton ball in it. Throw the cotton ball back in the area where the mice are...........Pop

I have had luck with cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil too. I have read in a guide to raising chickens that the electronic devices are useless.

in my work as a nuisance wildlife control operator, i see these frequently. It's pretty funny when I'm doing a rodent inspection or similar and the customer points out this gadget which keeps critters at bay. But all the while I'm thinking to myself; "If this darn thing works so well, why am I here and you're paying me to rid you home of these uninvited guests!"

I don't believe in them.

Hi, there is a herbal remedy out called Fresh Cab. Its a repellant, and works pretty good. It's
specifically made for rodents. It actually looks like potpourri.

make some plaster of paris/peanutbutter/oatmeal/olive oil balls. Equal part PP/PB/OM with just enough oil to make cookie dough consistancy (no water as this will activated and harden the PP). Then roll into a ball then in whatever they are eating like sunflower seed, layer crumble, bird seed......works wonders and no secondary poisoning. Last fall we wad a huge population explosion of field mice. Every night I would mix up a batch and drop little balls all over and they devoured it. Within a week we had the mouse population in our area under control.

Anoter intersting trap my neighbor made was a 5 gallon bucket, drill 2 holes through the side near the top and put a round dowel through the hole. Take a small plastic water bottle cut a hole in the bottom and thread the dowel through the bottle. Smear peanut butter on middle of bottle. Fill the bucket 1/4 full with water. mouse walks out on dowel, reaches out for the peanutbutter, bottle spins and mouse falls in bucket and drowns, trap is reset automatically for the next mouse. I kid you not my neighbor wat catching 15-20 mice each night in his bucket. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jezQKOl5q-w&NR=1

Good luck, with these 2 proven methods you should have them under control is just a couple days.

Cory

But don't put the balls where the chickens can get them or they will die.