How to keep mice and rats out of my chicken house!?!

[Donnigan]

Mice and rats keep getting in the chicken house! They eat the chicken feed and snip the roosters tails off! How can I get rid of them? Thanks

 

[Chicken Bff]

set mice traps outside of the coop and put mice poison around the coop where the chickens cant get it and if you can put peppermint in and around the coop because they hate the smell of it

 

[3 chicks farm]

I had same problem I got rid of food at night put rat poison out. Get rid of food you get rid of rats. Keep poison out of run so chickens can't eat.

 

[bigredshaverhen]

Sprinkle mint leaves and peppercorns around the coop, this shrivels up their lungs.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I have mice in my coop and rats in the run. I've had two different kind of chicken proof mouse traps in the coop, a live rat trap in the run, and a secured rat poison bait station under the coop with no luck even though I have been putting the feeders up every night. Last night I put some regular mouse snap traps under a small (8 or 10 inch I think) milk crate with a large rock (just in case the chickens messed with it before I got out there in the morning) in the coop. I had a pregnant mouse caught dead which is great so I'm trying it again tonight. I also borrowed a trail cam and put it down in my run last night; this morning I was able to see the routine of the rat(s) and I have a couple rat snap traps set up along their path. Fingers crossed for those. I am finding that regular snap traps are the best. You have to wait until everyone is put up to set them, and then pick them up before letting everyone out, so they are a pain, but they're worth it. I've read good things about electronic ones too, though they are harder to use in the run since they can't get wet. You could also try the bucket traps. If my snap traps start to fail I will give that a shot.

Really, mice and rats don't bother me, but I don't want them eating my eggs or chicks, chewing up my coop, or making tunnels for snakes to get into the run or coop. I know for a fact that the mice eat the eggs. The rats don't seem to care about them, oddly enough.

 

[jools2014]

You just need to keep the food out of their reach. Keep bags of food in a metal dustbin/ container and buy one of those metal feeders that only chickens can operate. I had a big rat problem and they disappeared virtually overnight as soon as they could not get to the food anymore.

Killing them wont help because I believe that they are territorial and more will just move in when you kill some (I can't remember where I read this so don't quote me on it). You just have to stop them being able to get to the food!

I am facing a bit of a problem now as I have ducklings and will be keeping food out for them separately, so I expect to get problems again. but if you only have adult birds-buy a metal feeder for them! Quite expensive but so worth it! There won't be one pellet of food on the floor for rats/mice/birds etc to eat and they will go elsewhere.

 

[Donna R Raybon]

Poison is what works best for me. Chickens get fed all they can clean up in 30 minutes twice a day. Feed kept in metal cans with tight lids. Keeping a feeder out over night just feeds the rats and mice.

I use old stovepipe or the flexible plastic drain pipe to bait poison out of reach of non target animals. Lay pipe along wall. Drill a hole at half way point on pipe and feed long wire through it. Wire bait bar to end of wire and pull wire up short and secure. Keep bait replenished until they quit eating it.

It is a constant challenge to keep rats and mice at manageable level. If you know anyone who raises ferrets you could get used ferret bedding to spread around. Rats and mice will leave as ferret is predator of rodents (and chickens).