Eeeeeekkkkk! Mice!

[gabby3535]

I seem to have field mice in the coop!
If it's dark out, and I turn the coop light on.............they scatter! I see them run out the door,
or along the wall, and then disappear into the shavings............so gross!
I do not have food in the coop, so I'm thinkin' they're looking for a warm place to settle in
for the cold weather.
I don't want to use any poison bait, as I'd be afraid the chickens might eat a poisoned mouse!
And the snap-traps won't work either............(I don't even want to 'think' about a chicken foot
caught in a snap-trap!!!!)
But now what do I do?
I need something that can be used 'in' the coop, that won't hurt the chickies.
Anyone???????

 

[Kittymomma]

Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

My cats like to hang out in the coop and barn both. I wouldn't trust them with chicks, but they don't bother the chickens and even though I'm bad and most of my feed is just in the bags I hardly ever see mice. The cats are indoor/outdoor so it's not like you have to have one live in your coop, just the general area.

 

[Chicksdigit]

Leave the light on and your Chickens may eat them.

 

[quailraisingMan]

chicken..eat mice? dang what are you raising? haha.

 

[pixie74943]

Quote:
Chickens LOVE mice!! I found a burrow in my pen, poured water down it, the mice came out one at a time, and the chickens were circling the hole like vultures!! Yummy yummy protein! and since mine swallowed them whole, bit of calcium in there too!

 

[Chicksdigit]

Quote:
Yeah Chickens are predators they will eat anything they can kill It s just that the killing tools
they have to work with (beaks) are not so great at tearing stuff up. Nor are their little feet
powerful enough to shred . So they make due with worms grubs and bugs..... and an occasional lizard
or mouse.

 

[chickon baby]

Im with you,EEEEEKKKS!!! I DO NOT LIKE MICE!!!! I keep the feed and treats in a sealed container.The front 1/4 section of the coop has all the food, the rest of the coop is for the girls.There is a wall divider;bottom 1/2 plywood, top 1/2 heavy guage 1in sq wire..I dont put feed outside in the play yard,only inside the coop.Had safflower seed shells in piles behind the feed tubs and on the floor..Wasnt sure if it was mice or squriells(sorry spelling) I put traps out and nothing.Cleaned up shells and no signs of anything.Went in the other AM and a empty cup I left up on the shelf in the corner was knocked over.Put glue traps out,nothing.Yesterday AM the box fan that was also on the corner shelf was on the floor.Shell piles on the shelf too...Could a mouse knock over a box fan??? I did find mice droppings,so it is mice...I also need some help and idea's...My cat does stay outside the coop,he hasnt brought me any mice...The lab pup did bring me a baby 1 the other day..Even though the girls cant get to the poisen if I put it out,I was worried they would eat a mouse that had eaten the poisen.Should I take the girls food away at night??? Even though it is in the coop..Not sure what else to do and really,I cant stand mice.Thanks for the ideas.

 

[chickenshagg]

Can you put the mouse trap inside a small box and secure that box so that the chickens can not get into it.... Maybe something like a shoe box. Put a small hole in the side near the bottom and then put a snap trap inside of that. Bait and set the trap, put the lid on the box , set the box in a corner or a long a wall and put a brick or some kind of weight on it to keep it secured from the chickens.

 

[muttly]

Be very careful whenever you use poison, it should only be put out in a bait station to prevent any possible mishaps. The rodents that eat the bait can and will usually roam quite far before they die. Most dogs waste no time in eating a poisoned mouse, which can make a pooch very sick! Now glue traps they can be one of the most inhuman methods of control, if you have a soft stomach you will have a hard time when you see what happens when multiple mice end up one glue trap. The best method of control is the time tested snap traps, although not as efficient as poison or glue traps, they are most certainly safer too your animals and more human. Just be sure to place the traps so no chickens, puppies, or other pets can get into them ouch! Milk crate, shoe box or your wife's favorite egg basket with a brick or something heavy on top.

 

[citrusdreams]

I put out those black boxes with the mice holes in them. They're about 10"x10", black durable plastic? I get the poison from my exterminator. He ASSURED me that if the dogs ate a mouse that was poisoned by this poison it would do them no harm. I don't know what kind of poison it is, I got it from him. They're blue rectangular chuncks that fit in the box. But the hole in the box is small enough for a mouse to get into, but the chickens can't get into them. I put them in the henhouse, in my sheds and in my garden and have had good success with it and am very pleased.