I have mice...HELP.

[Crazy4Chicks]

Me run at the sight of a mouse

now the other day I was a little freaked out when one jumped out of the cupboard and landed one my foot

glad to know the little booger had something soft to land on as it took off under the sink.

Mice dont bother me -- spiders on the other hand

- snakes are no big deal either I have to drag DH into the snake house at the local zoo when I want to visit them ( him kicking the whole way )

I even dont mind going fishing - bait my own hook, clean & gut my own fish, nothing makes me happier than cleaning a fish on a warm summer day and getting scales all over the place LOL ( as long as I dont break a nail lol )

I only use the glue boards because the thought of using poison bothers me - only because I have dogs - two of which are small puppy's and dont want them having a little nibble of poisoned mouse.

keep me posted on the plaster mice - sounds like a very good way to do it without the worry of poisons,glue,and smashed mice heads LOL

Julie

 

[Lunachick]

Wow, RepoBob, I could read your posts all day, very entertaining...I hope you find a way to get rid of your mice.

 

[HenHappy]

One day, I heard a strange thumping noise in my coop. I went in to investigate...there was my sweetest chicken, dead mouse hanging from her beak, beating it off the floor. Sometimes, the girls can take care of the problems themselves!!! NOW, if she could just catch those chipmunks we'll be in business!!! FEED STEALERS!!!

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
i]***JJ: Hi RepoBob :^) I appreciate your note and understand your concerns. They are shared by many, I'm sure, so I'm really glad you wrote. Happily, the cost at the buildings I've worked in actually became less, because I volunteered to hav-a-hart and remove whenever a mouse turned up. And I supplied the hav-a-harts. And helped educate about reducing enticements (food left out etc.) so the critters wouldn't show up in the first place (so the numbers ended up being very few). Even if the cost of kindness were higher (tho not the case in this case), as a taxpayer I would have been happy to pay more for less cruelty (so I suppose we disagree on that point :^)).

As to mice in with the chickens, I've never had more than a couple because I keep everything in sealed metal containers with weights on top, so there has been no financial loss worth calculating. Had there been, I would have found a way to keep the food inaccessible to them so they would move on, rather than glueing them to boards or otherwise torturing them. Every night I clean up so there is no food left out and I think at most I have one visiting mouse from time to time which does not bother me. I admit - it takes a bit of time - and not so easy to fit in with 3 jobs - some nights I want to skip it! - but I'd rather that than have to devise a murder plan. That's just me. If I have it in my power to manage things so I can avoid having to hurt a living thing (with the notable exception of fleas, ticks and mosquitos) I will do it. Any situation where there are enough mice that chicken food is being lost in large enough quantity to be considered a financial loss is a situation that needs examination because something is really awry with the setup. I understand about not wanting mouse poop and damage all over the place - I wouldn't either - but have found it doesn't happen when the enticements aren't there.

Since I've only had to relocate the occasional mouse, I think the earth's ecology is intact! By keeping the chicken food inaccessible to them I've never had more than a mouse or two now and then. As to Bambi, the only reason she is visiting our human backyards is because we've destroyed habitat right and left throughout this country and deer are forced to venture into people's yards, something that used to be a rare sight and is now an everyday sight. You don't want to get me started on my disdain for suburban sprawl! If in your forest 400 deer was the right number for the amount of food available in that forest, the number would not grow to 600. It would stay balanced at 400. Ecology knows how to do that. What's happening is half that forest becomes a shopping mall or yet another subdivison and the 200 deer that are displaced come calling at your door. Anyway, remind me not to take the train to San Francisco! Thanks for tolerating our somewhat divergent opinions - I am glad at least that glue traps are not real high on your list

JJ[/i]

 

[sgray136]

A Jack Russle Terrier desensitized to chickens is the perfect mouser, chipmunk destroyer and all around pest deterrant you can get. I have a mouseless barn and chicken coop all gratitude to Sparky my JR.

 

[RepoBob]

Julie: My kinda women.

Luna, Thank you very much. That made my day.

Happy: Thanks now you have given me something else to worry about

JJ: You should be applauded for savings the taxpayers money with a side benefit of happy mice.

.
Good Point. Sanitation is of course the first defence. But my chickens have feed available 24/7 and I give them scratch daily. I also turn the chopped straw on the floor weekly so I am sure there is gonna be feed available for mice. You said (with the notable exception of fleas, ticks and mosquitos) Isn't it a bit of a contradiction to say we have to be humane to mice but not to other living creatures. You should gently pull the misqueto's stinger out of you arm, take it down the road an release it in the woods. Where's the factual difference?. I beg to differ with you about the deer if 400 were living happily in a stand of timber, they would mate. I figured two deer equal one baby. Ecological (Natural) laws would not kick in until those 600 started getting hungry. I so agree with urban sprawl, but thats the engine that drives our society. As much as we don't like it that is the price of the lifestyle we want. (JJ I'm not including you or me in the previous we)
You said and italisized "Any situation where there are enough mice that chicken food is being lost in large enough quantity to be considered a financial loss is a situation that needs examination because something is really awry with the setup." Let me assure you I have a very clean coop. Probably spend two hours a day putzing in there. The amount of money is not the issue. Given a choice of two cents or a dead mouse. Bye mouse. I feel this way because I do not see a mouse giving me 2 cents worth of anything. I also don't like their droppings around when kids come to visit.
Hey, its divergent opinions that help find the right answer. It's a pleasure talking with you.

sgray, I have a Rottie and Prenessa Canario (sp). Don't think they would tolerate a Jack Russel as well as they do the chickens and thats not well. JackRussels are a nice dog, a lot of personality.

Thanks everyone,
Bob

 

[jjthink]

Hiya Repo!
The mosquitos, fleas and ticks lost privileges because they take blood from my human, furry or feathered family without permission

So much as I don't actually enjoy killing anything, they are in their own league with that kind of behavior. When they settle in for a meal, they're toast if I catch them in the act.
I don't have anything against my now and then mouse - he's cute - and he doesn't eat much.

My saying that anyone who is losing serious amounts of food (i.e. money) from mouse appetites has a problem with their setup was directed broadly at anyone it might apply to. Though if you are drawing the line at 2 tiny little cents, maybe just maybe we could negotiate a little bit more leeway for the little mouseketeer!

(okay, so maybe not!)
Mice are not able to get in my coop so I am able to leave food in there 24/7. The coop is critter proof at night when it's closed up and during the day no one seems to venture in. The food and water that I place in other places during the daytime when the feathered ones are about and about, including the larger building the coop resides in, gets taken up at night when the mouse or mice might consider coming out to play so I hardly ever see mouse poop as there is little incentive for them to hang around. (That said, I'm going to give that nontoxic repellent Mouse Magic a trial and see if it works as well as I've been hearing..I'll see if my one little mouse hits the road ...and then I can report back! I know other setups are different and its harder to keep food inaccessible to them.)
As to the deer, you got stuck with an ecology major and now professional in me and the truth is that the 400 deer in our hypothetical forest would not generally bloom to 600 if food was there to support only 400, because as some were born, others would die. Nature generally knows how to stay in balance when we're not messing with it. Of course, we have messed with it, so that's a horse of a different color. As to the sprawl you join me in lamenting, we all have the power to change that. I work on it every day for work (and on volunteer boards). By and large, the "math" shows that virtually every new development raises taxes rather than bringing in enough dollars to lower taxes, as was once thought. So it is a drain on municipal budgets, not an economic engine that actually helps (except for the short term contracting jobs). As more and more towns have been learning this, and doing the math before saying "YES" to development proposals they are choosing to preserve the land instead, thus ultimately saving countless tax dollars (the cost to preserve the land is far less than the the cost to service a new development year after year after year). Tourism dollars from parks etc. are quickly becoming a much more sustainable economic engine than "housing starts", one of the old typical economic indicators.
Anyway, you have been very nice during out banter back and forth and I appreciate that! And you. I'll shush up for now and go back to work! My apologies everyone - don't want to hijack this thread away from it's prime subject - mice!
JJ

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Wow, jj! I'd like to see a hen house/coop that a mouse or rat could not get into. Please show us photos so we can all mouse and rat proof. What kind of set up do you have?

Not seeing them doesn't mean they are not there. Not eating doesn't really mean not nesting. Mice and rats can chew through almost anything.

 

[RepoBob]

Oh sure, just cause they take a little thing like blood. Whats a little blood, its free. Don't have to go to the feed store to buy it.

Who gets to draw the line for what is serious money, for me 2 cents is an entire year chicken profit, and I'm doing better than most.

OK, you hit a soft spot you mentioned mouseketeer. Anett Funichello, on the Mickey Mouse Show, was my first love, she had the most beautiful ... um... ears yea ears.

Tell you what, you send me feed for the mouse and he can stay and even raise a family. :aww
Now were getting somewhere. How did you make your coop mouse proof. I have a traditional style coop, you know rectangular foot print higher in the front than back. It is on a concrete pad that is about four inches above grade. It must be on footings because there is not a crack in the entire floor. At present it has an old wood exterior, but in the spring I plan to side it with Hardie Board (a cement based siding product). I have the board, just need to put it up. I'll be putting in some sort of sealed door (don't want my babies getting a draft). Now if you can tell me how to seal that well enough to keep the little cute mousies out I would be very greatful. Please let me know how that Mouse Magic works, so far it looks like MsPrissys Plaster of Paris stuff is working. At least, I haven't seen any today.
Eeekkks, guess I can't bs you. Ok let's change it to 600 widgets.

I do see your point. I'm glad the tide is turning on development. Right now we are in a houseing slow down which in this respect is good. Not good for people trying to sell property though. Thats the best way to get a politician to see your point, show him how he won't have to raise taxes and still have money to spend so he can have a road named after him. Tourism is helping the area I live in, we have several state parks very close. But then, people from the city come here, like the place, move in, and make rules to change our way of life. They can sleep through gun shots at night, but if a rooster crows it disturbs them. So its kind of a double edge sword.
JJ I too enjoyed our bantor, you made some very good points. How can we ever solve a problem if we don't investigate all possible solutions. Hope to talk to you again.
Bob

 

[jjthink]

Miss Prissy, One of the things on my "To Do" list is to figure out how to post pics here - did it a long time ago but now I've forgotten how! Once I get the hang of it again, would be happy to post photos.

MP and RB, re: how I keep 4-legged interlopers out, in my case it's perhaps easier than for some other set ups because I've only ever had a few chickens at a time so the coop is not large, maybe 4 x 6 x 8 foot tall - small so pretty easy to make it tight enough that nobody gets in at night. The vents at the top are screened so that's not an access point either. Nobody seems to try to get in in broad daylight (in the daytime I move their food and water to the larger building the coop resides in). I know I have nobody but chickens in the coop.

However, once when I was caring for chickens in a different coop about the same size (on another property), I did have rats chew their way in from the bottom (wood floor maybe 5 inches above the ground) and they nested in the insulation. They partied at night, drinking, eating...What a mess. Cleaned and cleaned everyday but the only solution ended up being to completely remove and replace the insulation and then put in a new subfloor and cover it with hardware cloth and then straw. No rats ever got in again. They couldn't chew through the hardware cloth so they got out of dodge. My current coop is inside a larger building that has a cement floor so it's inpenetrable from below.

Repo, the cheese for little resident Annette is in the mail

And boy do I hear you - people will tolerate gunshots or a dog barking 24/7 but then get bent out of shape when a roo crows. A roo crowing makes me smile every single time I hear it - I figure if my BJ roo is crowing he's probably feeling reasonably well and that is such a source of joy for me because I love him (he's very gentle and a brilliant caretaker of his lady friends).

The true cost of development is becoming more widely known, but still it seems every time there is a proposal, the decisionmakers need to be educated, so the work is never done. E.g.: A town near me was going to approve -without question - a 500 unit subdivision - more ostentatious McMansions. We were able to provide them with the "math" on this development, showing that it would end up raising taxes mightily for exisiting residents (an increase of about $1,000 per household) and after lots of back and forth the development is now on hold. These things will slip through in many cases unless residents ask the crucial questions about costs - the math will be on their side.

Have a good day all - your feathered friends too!!!!!!!!

JJ