Is it possible to mouse-proof a run?

[Lady Henevere]

The mice have discovered my chicken food. They seem to be coming out at dusk after the chickens have gone to bed in the coop, and hop up (or climb down?) to the hanging feeder. It's not a big problem yet, but I don't want the mousie-word to get out that my yard is the place to be for a free nighttime snack, so I'm hoping to stop this before it becomes a real problem.

I have no interest in trying to kill all the mice in the neighborhood. I don't care if they run around in the bushes, etc. -- I just don't want to attract them unnecessarily with the chicken food. I also don't want to bring the food in each night and take it out the next morning. (I tried that last night, and then got up about an hour after the chickens and took their food out to them -- who knew you could get such a stink-eye from a chicken! But mostly I don't want to have to run out into the yard first thing each morning, risk the chickens attempting their typical break for freedom, and have to engage in a chicken chase before I even have coffee or a shower. I'm sure the neighbors would be thoroughly entertained by it, but I'd rather not indulge them.)

Anyway, here's my question: Is is possible to mouse-proof a run? Can I get half-inch hardware cloth and enclose the whole thing, including the skirt at the bottom? (I currently have about 1x4 wire in the run - see below.) Will the mice find a way in anyway? Any other ideas on mouse prevention? (Not trapping/killing, which I will do if I have to but I'd rather not.) Thanks very much for any comments or advice.

Here's the run. The feeder is on a brick in the picture, but it's hanging now:

(Mods, if this would be better in the predator/pest forum please feel free to move it. Thanks!)

 

[jus1jack]

Nice setup, I really like your coop!

Where did you get it? It would be hard to moues proof the run but you could try with some hardware cloth I'm sure it would help some.
Maby try some electric fence webbing. It will help to control all predators, just a matter of time and the coons will be giving it a go. http://www.geocities.com/midwestsource/pages/polyfence.html
Good Luck

 

[LynneP]

If you buy hardware cloth it needs to be 1/2" gauge. The other solution is a few cats on the property. When you bring your birds in let them patrol the run for a while.

 

[patandchickens]

I don't think 1/2" hardwarecloth is going to be reliably mouseproof (not against young mice anyhow). In principle you could mouseproof a run by making an absolutely unbroken perfect envelope of 1/4" hardwarecloth. Realistically though they will find (or make) some way in, and I wouldn't give you great odds.

Can't you put the feeder in the coop? I know the coop is quite small but there's gotta be some way of doing it, perhaps an externally-mounted feeder on the 'front' (enclosed by run) side, with a hole cut thru that wall to a feed cup on the inside of the coop.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Monk]

Maybe hanging the feeder would help or better yet taking it in for the night???

BTW, Awesome setup!

 

[SpunkyTheMonkey]

a mouse can fit through any hole you can fit a pencil through.

 

[swedishfish]

No way Spunky! That's way cool. Random, but did you know that an octopus can fit through the hole the size of a quarter, and a cat can get through any hole big enough for it's head since cats don't have collar bones? Speaking of cats, they will help a lot! I have two kitty patrollers.

 

[SpunkyTheMonkey]

dude! i'm totally gonna octopus-proof my coop first thing tomorrow...

 

[Lady Henevere]

DD and I wish we could get a kitty (especially one as adorable as LynneP's) but DH is allergic, so no kitty for us. Outdoor cats become coyote food here in a matter of days, so that's not an option either. I think the neighbor's cats have stopped coming in the yard now that the chickens are grown and are often wandering the yard, which could also be contributing to the mouse issue.

I knew mice could squeeze through small spaces, but the size of a pencil?!? Wow. So much for the hardware cloth theory. (The hardware cloth probably wouldn't protect against the backyard octopuses anyway....)

I could put the food in the coop (the inside is plenty big enough for a smaller food container and my five hens), but the chickens never go in there during the day. I suppose they would if the food was in there and they were hungry.

Thanks for the nice comments on the setup -- the coop is an Eglu Cube and I love it. More importantly, the chickens seem very happy and healthy in it.

Actually, in thinking this issue through, I may be better off using the "grub" container that came with the coop. It would be easier to take in at night and put back out in the morning. I had gotten a big hanging feeder for when we went on vacation, and now that we're home I could switch to the smaller one. (Less chance of a chicken escape in the mornings if I use the small one.) It would also easily fit inside the coop if I made it so I could attach it to the wall. Something to think about.

Thanks to each of you for your feedback -- I really appreciate it!

 

[Sitka]

I think you will have better luck with somehow making the feeder hard for mice to jump or climb onto than keeping them out entirely (almost impossible).

A couple of ideas:

Make a stand for the feeder from a pole that is smooth metal or plastic: something that it would be difficult for the mice to climb.

OR

Hang the coop but run the wire through a piece of PVC pipe---again, something that would be slick and hard for them to crawl down.

Good luck.