Mice in chicken coop

[pnwoldie]

Starting about a month ago, I would go out to check that all the chickens were on their roost at dusk; they would be -- and the mice would be having a rave down on the floor. My coop is a repurposed pole barn type shed that has the posts, 2x4s going horizontally, with metal siding on the outside and hardware cloth around the bottom. The mice would be running along the boards, heads popping up all over the place, just feasting and partying. They would run back and forth on the outside of the hardware cloth until they got to their entry hole in the corner. They were basically swarming everywhere.

One night my daughter drove home late and saw a huge owl hanging around the chicken coop. Probably it was after the mice, but after losing two hens to a red tail hawk, I am nervous. Plus the possibility of attracting snakes as well as various diseases that mice pass around.

A couple of people have mentioned the Ketchall traps. I got something similar at the feed store -- a Victor trap called a "Tin Cat." It's a live trap -- a metal box with little ramps that once the mice go in, they can't get out. I bait it with home processed peanut butter from organic peanuts. They are Oregon foodie mice; they do care. The first night it got 5 mice and is now up to a total of 20. I put it right in the coop with the chickens, they don't even notice it. Totally recommend the Tin Cat.

 

[bobbi-j]

Just curious - how do you kill the mice caught in the trap? Do they just hang out until they starve to death, or does the trap kill them when it catches them?

 

[aart]

Just curious - how do you kill the mice caught in the trap? Do they just hang out until they starve to death, or does the trap kill them when it catches them?

I think most folks let them go

It's a live trap.

I've used a live mouse trap, was fun to let mouse go in the HC lined coop so the chooks could catch it.
Next time mouse chewed it's way out of plastic live trap, didn't empty it soon enough.
Plugged the hole got another for chooks, then forgot again and it chewed the rubber stopper out.
I gave up on live traps after that. Have snap traps set where i can check the everyday, they like fresh kill as well as live.

 

[bobbi-j]

I think most folks let them go

It's a live trap.

I've used a live mouse trap, was fun to let mouse go in the HC lined coop so the chooks could catch it.
Next time mouse chewed it's way out of plastic live trap, didn't empty it soon enough.
Plugged the hole got another for chooks, then forgot again and it chewed the rubber stopper out.
I gave up on live traps after that. Have snap traps set where i can check the everyday, they like fresh kill as well as live.

I have a trap line in my camper right now with the snap traps. I have caught several mice, but I've also found several snapped traps with no mice. If I set them with a hair-trigger, they go off just by me setting them down, no matter how careful I am (and scare the bejeebers out of my every time!). If I set them to be not quite so sensitive, they get snapped and don't catch anything.

You're probably right about the live-trappers setting them loose. Can't do that here, as I also have poison in the camper. I was just looking at some electronic traps, thinking one for the camper and one for each coop, but don't know how the batteries would last in our super cold temps right now.

 

[aart]

Quote: Snap traps are tricky, triggers all vary......I've found putting the bait end against a wall, or something flat and at least 6x6", increases my success.
Have been using those easy set/empty......they are pretty slick, success varies.

 

[pnwoldie]

Just curious - how do you kill the mice caught in the trap? Do they just hang out until they starve to death, or does the trap kill them when it catches them? 

I do a version of Little Bunny Foo Foo: scoopin' up the field mice, boppin' 'em in the head. I put them in a container they can't jump out of and dispatch them. My husband did it at first but he was gone one day when I picked up the trap so I discovered I could do it. Fastest most humane way I think. They will die if left in the trap too long. But that seems cruel

 

[bobbi-j]

I do a version of Little Bunny Foo Foo: scoopin' up the field mice, boppin' 'em in the head. I put them in a container they can't jump out of and dispatch them. My husband did it at first but he was gone one day when I picked up the trap so I discovered I could do it. Fastest most humane way I think. They will die if left in the trap too long. But that seems cruel

Great... now I have the song stuck in my head!

I agree that it's cruel to leave them in the trap until they die.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

My Nephew went out to the coop one night and found some rats in the run, so we went and bought a BB rifle. He sat on top of the roof last night and watched, they came pretty early after dark. He shot two before freezing and had to come inside.

 

[luebscknshack]

I got the Tomcat Rat & Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistance, Refillable Station. Can this be a problem if the chickens come into contact with the dead mice? I want to get the steel traps when I get the chance to order them but for now I have this. I'm afraid the chickens will get sick since it does say it is extremely toxic if they feed upon animals who have eaten this bait!? Will the chickens eat the dead mice?

 

[SueT]

YES chickens definitely will eat mice!!!!! My SS pullet caught a mouse in the coop or run this weekend....and swallowed it whole! I made this little video: