Mice

[Kim95037]

So I have some mice in my chicken coop. I have set up some traps so my chickens cant get to them and so far nothing is working! I've tried cheese peanut butter and wet cat food. They will actually leave turds right by the trap. Any ideas ? Never had such picky mice before its driving me nuts. I really want to get rid of these guys.

 

[cavemanrich]

I have outdoor cats,, and no mice problems. Not an option for everyone.
I believe the odor/presence of cats sends the mice elsewhere.

 

[saysfaa]

Have you placed the traps in a natural mouse runway? Something like a space between a wall and a row of boxes along that wall between a feed source and the nearest nesting spot.?

 

[Egg Blues]

I have been using live traps (the small rectangular cage things--hereafter "box trap") baited with bread. The mice here really go for that bread. Just plain bread! We've sometimes gotten them with a piece of corn on the cob, and even a tomato did the trick once...but the bread seems to have been the most reliable.

I use live traps because I can't deal with the gross factor of the traditional variety. But the rodents do not survive--they get euthanized in a matter of some seconds in a bucket of water (trap and all). No returnees! (And I don't have to touch them, just open the door of the trap and toss them out.)

I think peanut butter works well in the traditional trap because it is sticky and the rat has to put a little more pressure into trying to lap at it. With the box trap, most anything can work as long as the trigger is set sensitively and at the proper angle.

The box trap has its disadvantages. If left too long, rats can sometimes have enough time to chew their way out. Furthermore, rats learn. If other rats see the trapped one, they might be less likely to approach the trap themselves. So it is best to empty it promptly. One advantage, though, is that more than one can enter at a time. We have sometimes caught two at once.

 

[DobieLover]

So I have some mice in my chicken coop. I have set up some traps so my chickens cant get to them and so far nothing is working! I've tried cheese peanut butter and wet cat food. They will actually leave turds right by the trap. Any ideas ? Never had such picky mice before its driving me nuts. I really want to get rid of these guys.

After you put PB on the trip lever, push a small piece of bread down into it tightly, then set the hammer. I've caught lots of mice this way. Without something to wedge the PB in they just lick it off the trip without triggering it. You could also wedge a peanut in it.

 

[Callender Girl]

The Kness Catch-All mouse traps are made of metal, so no one chews through those. The smaller traps do, indeed, live trap the mice. Some mice are killed by the larger traps; I've read that their necks get broken by the mechanism. There's a little window so you can see if there are mice inside, and to release the critters, you lift the lid and left them go. Or not.

These traps don't require bait; if you place them along a wall where the mice naturally run, they seem attracted to the entry hole. I originally baited them, which only resulted in a messy trap that needed to be cleaned. I have these in my coops and in my house.

BTW, the Kness factory is directly across from the property where I grew up in southern Iowa. It is family-owned, and I went to school with some of the -- at that time -- kids. At least at one time, Kness traps were used in the White House.

 

[Krugerrand]

We've had great luck with chocolate. If you can get something like a nutella to take the place of peanut butter, that can work magic.

 

[aart]

After you put PB on the trip lever, push a small piece of bread down into it tightly, then set the hammer. I've caught lots of mice this way. Without something to wedge the PB in they just lick it off the trip without triggering it. You could also wedge a peanut in it.

This^^^
I don't even bother with pnut butter any more, just jam a piece of corn or peanut tight into the trigger.
Best to put the bait end of snap traps next to a wall where they travel, or at least put it against something hard and flat and at least 6" tall.
Doing both these thing increased my catch numbers 3 fold.

 

[DobieLover]

I don't even bother with pnut butter any more,

What? No delicious last meal before the execution?
Brutal. Just brutal.

 

[Shadrach]

You could try killing a mouse, cutting it open and leaving it for the chickens to discover. They may start killing them and eating them.

Don't look at me like that you lot. I've know quite a few mouse killing chickens