Illinois...

[SnootyHen]

I wish I could send you mine. I'm buttoning down my garden for the winter so I no longer need rain. A little for the grass and trees is good but the downpours are just making a mess in my run (and apparently now in my coop too).

 

[BReeder!]

Mice... They are beginning to really annoy me.

I cleaned out the coop and the garage this week. I found mice dropping in both. The garage is connected to the house. A little searching turned up more mice droppings in the sub-basement and a few in the pantry. I went all out with bate stations. 4 in the garage, one in the den (pantry is off the den and it connects the garage to the sub-basement door, 2 in the sunroom, and 3 in the sub-basement. The coop and run are at the back of the yard, so I'm hopeful that a poisoned mouse shouldn't make it to the chickens. In the coop I placed a live trap with poison bate inside it (I'm not interested in relocating a live mouse). I am trying the same live trap with poison bate in the garage as an extra station that will allow me to see how much activity there is. I might start deploying snap traps too, but I've been so busy (work is ramping up) and worry I'll forget to check them often. A used snap trap does no good in killing the next mouse that comes by...

Anybody try something like this ever? This is exactly what I put in the coop. It's where the chickens cannot get to, although I doubt they'd get into it anyway.

 

[SnootyHen]

They're crazy here too! I put out baits but they aren't touching them because between my garden and the chicken feed they filled their bellies and aren't interested in the baits. Every morning I find a little tunnel into the chicken run too and the dumb thing is they could walk right in but they have to tunnel just to piss me off. I'd use snap traps but I'm worried my dogs will mess with them. I already caught one of them running around the yard holding a bait station in her mouth.

 

[BReeder!]

They're crazy here too! I put out baits but they aren't touching them because between my garden and the chicken feed they filled their bellies and aren't interested in the baits. Every morning I find a little tunnel into the chicken run too and the dumb thing is they could walk right in but they have to tunnel just to piss me off. I'd use snap traps but I'm worried my dogs will mess with them. I already caught one of them running around the yard holding a bait station in her mouth.

I was tempted to put chicken feed in the live traps as bait instead of the bait blocks. If the bait blocks don't get much attention, that will be the plan. I'll need to dispatch the mice then though. Not impossible, but not fun. I feel like a monster shaking or drowning a live trap. I'm certainly not opening it before dispatching though and risking them getting away.

Edit: I wonder if my brother would be interested in feeding his snake some grain fed mice... Afterall, the chicken feed is just a bunch of grain.

 

[SnootyHen]

I was tempted to put chicken feed in the live traps as bait instead of the bait blocks. If the bait blocks don't get much attention, that will be the plan. I'll need to dispatch the mice then though. Not impossible, but not fun. I feel like a monster shaking or drowning a live trap. I'm certainly not opening it before dispatching though and risking them getting away.

Edit: I wonder if my brother would be interested in feeding his snake some grain fed mice... Afterall, the chicken feed is just a bunch of grain.

There ya go! And then it doesn't go to waste and you don't have to worry about it again. I bet the feed would go over better than the baits and then you don't have to worry about chickens or other pets going near it since it can't hurt them.

 

[Molpet]

I was tempted to put chicken feed in the live traps as bait instead of the bait blocks. If the bait blocks don't get much attention, that will be the plan. I'll need to dispatch the mice then though. Not impossible, but not fun. I feel like a monster shaking or drowning a live trap. I'm certainly not opening it before dispatching though and risking them getting away.

Edit: I wonder if my brother would be interested in feeding his snake some grain fed mice... Afterall, the chicken feed is just a bunch of grain.

I put the live trap under something. They wouldn't use it otherwise.
Bucket trap works , unless you have a ton of mice

 

[cavemanrich]

I have mousers, and had no mice out of hand/control issues. A mouse once in a while is much easier to tolerate than a gang of them. I do try my best to store chicken feed in steel containers. Cat food and dog food in plastic buckets, but well sealed covers.

 

[Molpet]

I have mousers, and had no mice out of hand/control issues. A mouse once in a while is much easier to tolerate than a gang of them. I do try my best to store chicken feed in steel containers. Cat food and dog food in plastic buckets, but well sealed covers.

My mouser is old. I had tomatoes on the counter. Found some chewed up on the side against the microwave, and the cat doesn't like tomatoes... she would have troubles getting up on the counter anyway

 

[cavemanrich]

My mouser is old.

You need to find young stock. These guys do at least scare off mice...

 

[SnootyHen]

These little thugs are eating feed right out of the chicken's feeder when they go to roost at night!! The stuff in the shed is secure but they don't care. They wait for it. And eat my tomatoes. And my DooKashi!!!!