Welcome to BYC, GardenNut! After you get your feet wet with chicken stuff, you must join us on some of the gardening threads. I am still in awe that there are other women who think like me! For nearly 60 years, I thought I was one of a kind, till I met BYC!!!
Now, Ralph. Your mouses may be big, but, me thinks you boast too much. We have black flies that easily double that size. The proof of that matter is this: Last spring, I saw a black fly taking flight with one of those giant mouses gripped with his feet. It was not a pretty sight, with that mouse writhing around, trying to get loose. His tail whipping around did some damage to my lilac hedge. But the most awesome part of this sighting was that this black fly had an other one of your giant mouses gripped in his jaws. During black fly season, it's imperative that we wear clothing with huge pockets, and that we fill all of those pockets with boulders. I've made good progress on a stone wall at the back border of my property: Every evening, when it cools down enough that the black flies go dormant, I can then take those boulders out of my pocket and put them in the stone wall. I thank God that He gave us an abundant supply of boulders here in Maine. Without them, the population of hale and hardy Maine people would dwindle to the weak, white pasty souls who don't venture outside into the spring sunshine. And we all know that that would be "survival of the fittest" in reverse.
I'll post a pic of the brooder some other time. Too busy chillaxin. Long day. 
