Arizona Chickens

[cactusrota]

I just keep a pellet gun happy. I haven't had a dove in my coop in months. If a dove lands, the hens run it off. I think they will kill it if they could catch it. No pigeons thank goodness. I trapped about 6 or 7 rats and haven't had any back for a couple of months now.

Lucky you! My birds won't run off any wild birds. The roos make the growl sound at them and that's it. If I can I try to go after the doves with my bb gun, but it's a pump and the amount of time it takes to pump it up their doing circles around me...

 

[FeatherPugs]

I cannot fight the doves, the birds don't care - they invite them to happy hour at the water bowls! I run them off, but doesn't matter to the doves - they just come back!! NOW I have 3 broody girls at once!! I put two in the broody break and one in our large live trap. I so want them broke by the time heat starts hitting. One broody is going to take forever!

 

[BlueBaby]

I cannot fight the doves, the birds don't care - they invite them to happy hour at the water bowls! I run them off, but doesn't matter to the doves - they just come back!! NOW I have 3 broody girls at once!! I put two in the broody break and one in our large live trap. I so want them broke by the time heat starts hitting. One broody is going to take forever!

That's why I gave my insistent broody those 3 plastic egg's to sit on. I'm hoping it will help to get it out of her system before the high heat strikes us. The dove's can't get into mine, but the smaller tweety bird's still manage to.

 

[Michelle Guynn]

Use blue cheese for rats and mice. The mold in the cheese kills them and it won’t hurt your chickens.

As for doves I have them here. The same 4 come every evening when we are out and help themselves to the scratch I put out.

 

[FeatherPugs]

@Michelle Guynn Dang - I didn't know that. I learn something new everyday! I have feral cats that I feed and they do their job for the rats and mice, the birds (but who can keep up with that!!) and the ground squirrels. I will pass that information on to other folks who have rats or mice.

 

[Michelle Guynn]

And if the chickens eat any dead mice they won’t get sick or die too.

 

[igorsMistress]

And if the chickens eat any dead mice they won’t get sick or die too.

I bought blue cheese today at Frys. Thanks much for the tip!

PS I also told my neighbors about it. Their rat issues are worse than mine because they live behind the neighbors who have all the fruit.

 

[cavemanrich]

Stuff is kind of pricey,,,, I rather save it for myself

A reality with RATS,,,, is they will avoid things that cause their comrades to die. Sure,,,,, you will get a few initially, but the word get out in the rat community.
My solution is what can be seen in my Avatar. Yes, you need outdoor barn cats, not FINICKY MORRIS. I feed them what they ask by name

And if you still see rodents present,,, decrease the amount of MEOW

 

[BlueBaby]

Use blue cheese for rats and mice. The mold in the cheese kills them and it won’t hurt your chickens.

As for doves I have them here. The same 4 come every evening when we are out and help themselves to the scratch I put out.

Have you tried this on them yourself to know if this actually work's or not? If it does, I wonder if it would work on those little tiny gopher thing's that keep digging around the yard? Some do it near my chicken run too.

 

[Michelle Guynn]

I have not as I don’t have a mouse problem but the Facebook page I go to it was discussed and the one person has a camera in her coop. The first shot there must have been 30 mice. She put the blue cheese out and the next shot maybe 10 mice seen. I’m going to use it when I get real coops for the chickens.

I would think it would it would work on any rodent. Buy some of the crumbles and test it out.