This afternoon, I was trying to put my 3 EEs into their coop because I was headed out to dinner and wouldn't be back till after dark. For some reason, they were terribly agitated about going into their coop to the point I had to chase them all down to lock them up. When I closed the coop door they were frantically trying to get out---I could see sheer panic in their eyes. I opened the back door to the Eglu to see if there was anything in there, and there was nothing......and then I saw the horrible monster....a tiny mouse the size of a 50 cent piece running out in the lawn next to the coop. I had seen a couple of mice running through the wire cage of the run to steal the crumbs of chicken feed before, but had no idea the pullets were deathly afraid of them. I do not store the feed outside, so what the mice are going after are the crumbs left from the chickens having their dinner. I didn't think the chickens would be so.....well....chicken! I'm hoping when they're older they might even go after and eat the mice! I felt so bad leaving the girls there in their panic, but I couldn't have them out of the coop after dark and I had to leave the house. Tomorrow I'm going to buy some mouse traps to put around the coop overnight.....or try the bucket trap or something. I'm gonna get these buggers for scaring my babies!
