Free choice or not

[junkman56]

I do plan on going to pick some up at the hardware store.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I free feed with a hanging galvanized feeder in the coop. It stays there 24/7. .
My Rocks are good about cleaning up any spelt feed. Comets not so much.
Both coops are raised and inside pens. .
When I close the pop door both coops are mouse proof.
My chickens are kept in their pen most of the day. I only let them out to Free Range an hour before sunset daily, weather permitting.
I've seen my Comets eat toads that hopped into their pen.
I've seen 3 Comets attack and kill a mole, but they wouldn't eat it.
My Barred Rocks attacked a snake that crawled partway into their pen last weekend. The snake backed out and got away. I looked for it but couldn't find it.
What's amazing is they work together to kill or scare off small critters.
I believe any mouse that venture into their pens would be devoured.
I am so lucky to have little T rex around. GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

I free feed during the day (dry feed inside coop, fermented feed out in run) and put away all feed at night as a precaution. We know there's rodents all around, don't need to give them reason to come inside the run/coop.

 

[Duck_life]

my coop is off ground so.. mice are not a problem for me, and for my other coops I had 1 layer of wood for inside, in the middle was fencing and then outside wood, the whole thing was covered with fencing and buried in something, so mice weren't a problem, I agree with caps on the pipes

 

[aart]

my coop is off ground so.. mice are not a problem for me

It has legs tho, right?.....mice are excellent climbers.

 

[Duck_life]

It has legs tho, right?.....mice are excellent climbers.

yes, i don't have any holes or openings though, besides ventilation

 

[gtaus]

Hello all,
I would like to know how you all feed your chickens. I have a large tote with 8 ports around it, I take it out of the coop at night, and return it in the morning, ( free choice ) . My problem is mice, I dont know if I should feed them in the morning before I let them out to free range, or continue to let them eat when they want to. So I would like to know your thoughts, and see some pictures of your feeders.
Thank you in advance.

I have a DIY 5 gallon bucket feeder with the PVC elbows like your tote. I keep my feeder in the coop suspended on a chain. I have not noticed any mice problem. I think it would be very difficult for a mouse to get up to the feeder.

As to your feeder, I second the thought of buying and/or making some plugs for the PVC elbow so you don't have to move it every night. During the day, I suspect a mouse might end up on the chickens' menu if they are in your coop. If you need a mouse trap, I have successfully used those box metal live traps where they wander in (smelling bait), but cannot get out. I won't say they work better than a simple snap trap, but at least you could leave the live trap in the coop and you would not have to worry about the chickens tripping the trap and getting hurt themselves.

 

[gtaus]

I see the chickens every now and then catching a mice

Chickens like mice.

 

[junkman56]

I have a DIY 5 gallon bucket feeder with the PVC elbows like your tote. I keep my feeder in the coop suspended on a chain. I have not noticed any mice problem. I think it would be very difficult for a mouse to get up to the feeder.

I have a 5 gal bucket feeder also, but I dont use it since I made the tote, I have 12 chickens now, had 15, and the tote feeds 8 at a time versus 3 in the bucket.
I need to figure out how to hang the tote, I like the idea
Thank you everyone for your responses

 

[Folly's place]

Chickens will kill and eat mice, or whatever, during the day, NOT at night in the dark. Then the mice come out and have a good time! Set traps where the chickens can't get them, and I think the best traps are the old wood with wire springs, not the newer plastic things. You want them dead, not half dead!
By the time you are seeing them, you may have MANY, and it may take poison in bait boxes. Rats will eat eggs and kill chickens at night, it happened here! Only poison bait will get all the rats...
Mary