Do I need to worry about mole/vole Burrowers?

[RenoChix]

Greetings from Reno, NV! Have a solid coop and pen, with mesh and wire all around to prevent diggers. Came out today and traced a mole or vole Trail Burrowing right under all that "security" to get into the pen. Like a prisoner trying to get INTO prison! Do I need to be worried for my ladies? The hole that made it into the pain could not have been more than 2 in 3 in maybe in diameter. So thinking it was more like a mole. What are they after--the food?

 

[cavemanrich]

Lil creature dig in earth all thru their life. They are not after your chickens or eggs.
I would not worry about them at all.
WISHING YOU BEST.......................... and

 

[goslingluv]

I agree they rarely go to far from the edge of their holes they will get into the chicken food but thats it

 

[Folly's place]

If there's a tunnel, rats and weasels can come in too, and they are NOT harmless!
Fix this before it's a disaster.
Mary

 

[cavemanrich]

Rats and weasels are not likely to fit thru a small hole by a vole. If there are rats and weasels, they can make efforts to create their own entrance.....

 

[Folly's place]

Right, and if a vole can dig in, so can they.
Mary

 

[Olivekat07]

Right, and if a vole can dig in, so can they.
Mary

Even if they dig in, they won’t harm the chickens or eat the eggs, they’ll just eat the food a little bit, trust me, it happened before to me.

 

[Aerliss]

Having owned rats, and currently putting up with them trying to use my compost heap as a highway (the only food in it is old teabags), I can definitely tell you that 2-3 inches is plenty big enough for rats, and that they most definitely burrow if the soil is light enough for them. They'll steal food, and if they can get into the coop they'll steal eggs, but they shouldn't bother full size chickens if the roosts are high enough.

 

[Folly's place]

I had some rats in my coop last year, and lost three nice bantam pullets to them. Beheaded at night off their roost, four feet high.
Mary

 

[Sara Ranch]

I saw vole tracks way too close to one of my animal houses. So I put the dogs on their leashes and walked them to the area when it was dusk. My dogs eat voles. My dogs dig up voles.

That was the ONLY time I saw vole tracks near the animal house.

Harmless or not, I don't want any other animal(s) near my animal houses or their pastures.