Does anyone know of a way to safey exterminate mice??

[Tala]

I have 2 cats (indoor/outdoor, spayed/neutered)
therefore I don't have mice.

They don't bother the adult birds at all, and they have never hurt a chick either even though they occasionally chase them some.

 

[drumstick diva]

I heard that you can kill them by putting out those instant potato flakes and a nearby dish of water. The flakes expand when they drink water. Allegedly mice/rats can't vomit and their stomachs bloat or something like that. I've never tried it - but used the regular snap traps . We had so many go off one time it sounded like castanets. Also some luck with the glue traps. I never had one chew off a leg or anything. I found one all dehydrated stuck to the trap, he must have been there some time. It wasn't intentional, I tried to check them a few times a day. I can't say they went nuts for the glue traps tho, I mostly caught spiders and other bugs crawling by.

I guess as long as you have just the dirt floor you're gonna have alot of visiting rodents. Is there any way you could put real small mesh wire down for the floor or cement.

 

[the lone rhubarb]

Well I guess that there isn't much that I can do!!!! But thank you all for giving me suggestions!!!!

I will try some more live trapping, and maybe some pepsi, or oatmeal in water. I really appreciate
that you are helping me and answering my crazy questions!!!! All the ideas that you have had
sounded good, so I think I'll try them! I will write more on here (and possibly my page if you can't
find this thread) about how things are going with my vicious mouse murdering!!!!

(I mean,
they are cute, but not when they are eating all my expensive feed).

 

[the lone rhubarb]

Quote:
Oops I mean't potatoe flakes in water!!!

 

[purpletree23]

Solution 1

5 gallon bucket of death

5 gallon bucket 3/4 filled with water
sprinkle the top of the water with sunflower seeds so they float. Make sure there aren't any empty places.
lean a board against the bucket so the mice can climb up
put another board across the top of the bucket
the mice climb to the top and think they can stand on the sunflower seeds but can't and drown
you can kill a lot in one night

Solution 2

1 part peanut butter
1 part plaster of paris (cheap...get it at any craft store)
mix with just enough vegetable oil to make a thick paste (do not use water)
roll mixture into balls and place on the outside of coop away from chickens or scoop on to a paper plate. The mice will eat it, they can't digest it and will die
This method works just as well as the one above but usually you don't see dead mice.

Good luck....let me know how it goes

 

[Tannubyky]

Quote:
I think they mean put out potato flakes in one dish and water nearby so that the mice fill up on the potato flakes first and then when they drink the water the flakes expand. If the flakes are put in the water they'll expand before the mice eat them...

 

[NGaMountainChicken]

Try this link out it has several ways to control mice. http://www.stretcher.com/stories/971125b.cfm

I have always just gotten the brick posion our co-op has 5 gal buckets of it you can buy it by the pound. I get the kind that is suppose to dry them up so they don't stink if they make it into the house. I put it down the holes have never had any problems with the chickens getting to it. I have them cooped up and some loose on the yard along with guineas and once i push the posion down there little holes i usually never see the brick again.

 

[chickbird]

Quote:
owls will kill chickens, i lost two recently to an owl. snakes will eat small chicks, i would take up the feeders at night...you could use the electric traps that will sap them and kill multiple mice .

 

[Miss Red]

With six perm cats around I really don't have a mouse problem. But my dad does, they get into his corn ALL the time. He puts out Borax or Boram or something like that... It's a people made indegestion powder, and it causes gas. They can't burp, they die but beware it works on roaches too only the roaches explode. I'm tired, forgive my spelling... not even going to try.

 

[Mattemma]

My dogs love to catch mice and moles. T rex traps work well but can be pricey.Atleast they are reusable.