I'm Tired of Feeding Mice

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Barry Natchitoches

Barry Natchitoches

Songster
11 Years
Sep 4, 2008
649
47
194
Tennessee
I live near a drainage ditch and also a large field.


The mice in the area have all moved into my henhouse, and night time in that henhouse has turned into a popular mouse hangout. I can't just pull up the food at night, because it is often noon or later before my wife or I can get out to the henhouse the next day. The chickens can't go without food that long.


What can we do to get this mouse problem under control?


Do they make rodent proof feeders for chickens?


Thanks in advance for your help.
 
I would seriously think about getting some silkies!! All my chickens learned to kill mice from my silkie, maggie!
smile.png
 
Maybe hanging a feeder from the top of the coop and put some sort of cover over the top of the feeder so even if the mice climb down the rope or chain, they would just slide off of the cover.. I'll see if I can find a picture of what im talking about!
 
I cant find the photo but this is what I seen someone take off of a bird feeder, Thread it over the chain that the chicken feeder was attached to and hung it from the roof of the coop.. Its a squirrle guard for bird feeders. Put that on top of your chicken feeder and hang it, the mice would just slide off!

squirrel_guard_below_feeder_01.jpg
 
I'd start trapping mice and cutting back on the amount I feed the cat.

p.s.: Natchitoches? I been there before.
 
I use a cat and a coop on legs (so there is no cozy space under the coop for the mice to take up residence). Those treadle feeders are pretty great, too!

FWIW, mice (and other rodents) can JUMP. You can't hang a feeder high enough to keep a mouse out and still have the chickens able to eat.
 
Actually, the chickens CAN go without food that long. They are more flexible that one would think. Feeding around noon and again at 5pm? They would be just fine As long as they have water available. Is it ideal? Perhaps not, but better than feeding the rodents. Trying to slow a rodent herd is tough. Kill all you want, but nature fills the void and more and more keep coming, especially if they are gorging at your expense. The rodent poo everywhere, thick, in your henhouse isn't a pleasant thought either. Just sayin'.
,
Old time farmer only fed their chickens at night for decades. You'd be doing far better than that.
 
Self serving post here! Look at the bottom of the individual forum index pages for my ad for a rodent resistant feeder. The door swings forward and backward rather than up and down like the treadle feeder, safer for the birds. Or do a search in the forum for rat proof chicken feeder and a thread will pop up.
 
Al's feeder is great, and there's plans for a home made one of a little different type here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-building-a-treadle-feeder There's also a type on eBay of treadle feeder made of metal.

I'd still look into some of the poisons like Tom Cat in addition. The Tom Cat line uses a poison that poses little to no risk to animals eating the dead mouse. I have neighbors with cats that do eat mice and rats and have used that poison with no damage to kitties. Naturally you'll want to put it where the chickens can't get to it.
 

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