Mice are drowning in the chickens' water bucket

[saysfaa]

I don't like it much that they are being dispatched rather than excluded. Also, that the dispatching is not as quick as possible.

It is, however, very easy in every way and quite effective. I took nearly everything out of the storage end of the coop after I found the first evidence -two mice floating in the water bucket. I found only a tiny amount of droppings, and no signs of chewing. So, I think they weren't there very long.

There have been two mornings that I found one floating mixed into about ten or twelve when I found none. Then I found three this morning.

When our houseful of company goes home, I will look into what else I can do to exclude them and/or discourage them. I think they are getting in by the people door which doesn't fit as tight as it used to.

Edit to add. My son in law thinks they are coming in for the water, not for food or shelter. It fits the evidence. So far. They may move in as time goes on if I don't change something.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Can you give your chickens a hanging waterer instead? They sell them for a little over $20 at TSC. That would prevent the mice from getting into the waterer.

I suggest finding a way to get rid of all the mice, whether that's a barn cat, setting traps, or putting this waterer outside so the mice drown away from the chickens.

 

[saysfaa]

Well, the mice were definitely not just coming in for water. I did a more thorough clean of the shed yesterday. They had a big ball of feathers collected in one box of gardening supplies. I think the feathers were from the hens' molt and not taken off the hens' bodies. The mice also had a pantry started in a different box - the one that held the dry grass to replenish the nest boxes. It is interesting that they didn't store the pellets there. They hulled an ear of corn and that was it. I think they just hadn't gotten to the pellets yet. The pellets are in five gallon buckets with gamma lids but the mice could get to them in the feed dish. The mice hadn't gotten to the garden seeds yet either. The garden seeds were in paper so not remotely secure.

I didn't find any more bodies (live or dead) or evidence of recent activity. I didn't find any gaps in the floor, walls, or hardware cloth so I still think they came in through the cracks around the people door.

I haven't thought of a good fix for that. So, I rearranged the storage to be less attractive to them, will burn the boxes they were using to minimize the scent, brought the garden seeds to the basement, and will just monitor unless I see new evidence that there are more mice.

 

[Debbie292d]

Maybe a nipple waterer would be better, then getting a couple barn cats or traps. We have a 5-gallon DYI nipple waterer just so I don't have to haul water daily and so there is no open water in the coop.

Our two cats keep the mice and chipmunks at bay.

 

[saysfaa]

I even have the nipples and bucket. That is what I thought I was going to do as soon as they were old enough. Then the pail works so well, I just never switched.

I might switch if mice become more of a problem and the pail doesn't take care of them. It is interesting that all the mice have been found in the same pail; I have three. I usually alternate between two of them.