how far to release caught mice?

[Capvin]

This forum runs the gamut of those who would shoot anything that crosses their chckens path to some very kind people who catch and release mice. I must admit that other then my wife, I have never heard of anyone catching and releasing mice. Where we live the Florida mouse is considered a rare and endangered species and every mouse that we find in our garage or our trailer seems to be ( at least from my wife's perspective) that rare and endangered mouse and she gently catches them and carries them off onto the adjoining field where they regroup and head back to our garage. To me most mice are just considered pests, sort of like mosquitos, to be eliminated or, at the very least, kept out of my living quarters. I would suspect that if a mouse was unfortunate enough to end up in our chicken run that it would quickly become lunch.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I agree with you, mice should be eliminated, not released to mate and multiply. They carry diseases and parasites.

 

[lleighmay]

Years ago my small son and I lived in a house that was a mouse magnet at the edge of the woods. The brazen little buggers would actually sit inside my cockatiel's cage and eat out of his dish, much to his confusion. Since the kid was a junior scientist he wanted to do a "mouse study" so we bought a catch and release trap. Each mouse caught was marked with nail polish in a unique way and released at some distance away. marking and re-catch results were kept in a notebook (what can I say- that's what happens when your mom worked as a naturalist). We started with about 100 yards away; nearly all of the mice were re-caught within 2 days. We went further afield, up to 1/4 mile and then 1/2 mile away- most of them still came back. Darn little homing pigeons..... Done with the apparently insurmountable battle we just started kill trapping. Nowadays I keep my outbuildings and yard stocked with black snakes and my jack russells capture a lot of the survivors, but I've given up on the live trapping thing for good. Any killed ones I get go in the chickens' treat pan the following morning. I've kept mice and rats as pets and enjoyed them very much but free-ranging vermin in the house will not be allowed to stay. And trust me, if they've found your coop it's only a matter of time before they decide to move into your house for the winter!

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Most chickens will eat mice, how about just tossing it into the run?

 

[vfem]

Yeah, my chickens eat mice and voles... I don't worry about them! lol

 

[woodmort]

The summer after I graduated from HS I worked in a mouse farm--where they raised white mice for lab use. (Understand these mice are just a mutant of the common field mouse.) In the course of approximately 2 months at the farm I was working with third generations of mice that were born when I started and, given that a female produces 10+ young at a time, that is a bunch of mice. From that experience there I can safely say that we are never going to run our of mice so trap and release need not be an option. Remember too that one reason they use these mice in the lab is because many of the diseases common to humans can also effect mice--something to think about if you're thinking kindly toward them. Around here, with 4 cats, mice aren't released.

 

[Kudzu]

Quote:
Good info, I was going to suggest she paint their tails before releasing to see if they came back, appears as if you have answered that question.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you take them away and release them, you are passing on your problem to someone else.

They do damage. They chew electrical wires which can start fires, they carry diseases, they destroy insulation. It is not right for you to pass your vermin on to someone else to deal with.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

They chew electrical wires which can start fires

I just had a $500 repair bill because they thought the control unit on my ari conditioner was a good place to nest and eat the wiring​

 

[gale65]

Quote:
How do you know you never see them again? It might be the same few mice coming back over and over.