Mice eating feed and getting into coops

[CCsGarden]

Hello again,
I am having problems with mice. The other night I went out to lock up my chickens and saw this tiny thing run by. Well, I couldn't just let it be, I wanted to know what it is. Sure enough, I start moving stuff around ( such as the feed and objects by the coop) and more come out. Today I cleaned my dove coop ( which hasn't been used for a couple months) and I found two more under a piece of roof plastic. What can I use to keep them away? Should I try to trap them? They are mainly going after the dove seed and chicken feed. I did find a dead one in the waterer.


I also have a raccoon coming and would like to know how to keep him from wanting my chickens. My chickens are in a locked coop and I've put extra hardware cloth around and electric fencing. not sure if I should do anything else? Here is a picture of my coops and of the mice I found.

I do free range during the day only when I'm outside.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

If your coop is secure enough to keep predators out at night, then I wouldn't worry too much about the raccoon. The biggest thing to worry about is if there's any places (say, a window by the perches) that the raccoon could reach in and grab one. What do you have for locks? Racoons can open some locks.

On the mice, your best bet would be trapping them. I use the Victor traps that have the yellow cheese plate as those work best. You want to leave them along the wall as that's where they're going to be the most, and you can put a little peanut butter under the plate. (Under the plate works best.) If there's a risk of any birds getting into the trap, you can set up a small cardboard box that has holes on both ends up against the wall. Once you have found a spot (or several) that is working, keep setting the traps until they stop catching mice, then leave them for a few days to catch any that were missed.

You could also use a bucket trap, which supposedly works well, but I've never used one before so I don't know how to build one. Most I know is you set a rod through a five gallon bucket that rolls, put bait on the middle of the rod and water in the bucket. The mice will go after the peanut butter, the rod will spin, then the mice will land in the water and drown.

Last resort is poison, but I don't recommend it. I poison rats, but the rats typically die back in their hole, whereas a mouse will still go into the coop and risk giving the chickens second hand poison. (I lost a chicken after attempting to poison mice, that's why I'm saying this. I also use a very strong poison, so maybe a weaker poison wouldn't be such a risk?)

In the meantime, you want to be keeping all grain that isn't in feeders in totes. On your feeders, you want to hang those from chain. I like to keep my feeders high enough that it comes to the middle of my smallest hen's neck. (That's actually a waste prevention method for me, but it helps keep rodents out of my coop as well.)

 

[Debbie292d]

We live with farm fields and forests around us. We could trap until we're blue in the face, and it wouldn't do anything.

We have barn cats that help, but the best thing is to use deterrents so they don't come in there in the first place.

These work. Just be sure if you do this that you change them every two or three months.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/diy-mice-deterrent-pouches.79542/

 

[CCsGarden]

If your coop is secure enough to keep predators out at night, then I wouldn't worry too much about the raccoon. The biggest thing to worry about is if there's any places (say, a window by the perches) that the raccoon could reach in and grab one. What do you have for locks? Racoons can open some locks.

They are master locks that I use a key with. I can get pictures when I'm done making dinner.

On the mice, your best bet would be trapping them. I use the Victor traps that have the yellow cheese plate as those work best. You want to leave them along the wall as that's where they're going to be the most, and you can put a little peanut butter under the plate. (Under the plate works best.) If there's a risk of any birds getting into the trap, you can set up a small cardboard box that has holes on both ends up against the wall. Once you have found a spot (or several) that is working, keep setting the traps until they stop catching mice, then leave them for a few days to catch any that were missed.

You could also use a bucket trap, which supposedly works well, but I've never used one before so I don't know how to build one. Most I know is you set a rod through a five gallon bucket that rolls, put bait on the middle of the rod and water in the bucket. The mice will go after the peanut butter, the rod will spin, then the mice will land in the water and drown.

Last resort is poison, but I don't recommend it. I poison rats, but the rats typically die back in their hole, whereas a mouse will still go into the coop and risk giving the chickens second hand poison. (I lost a chicken after attempting to poison mice, that's why I'm saying this. I also use a very strong poison, so maybe a weaker poison wouldn't be such a risk?)

In the meantime, you want to be keeping all grain that isn't in feeders in totes. On your feeders, you want to hang those from chain. I like to keep my feeders high enough that it comes to the middle of my smallest hen's neck. (That's actually a waste prevention method for me, but it helps keep rodents out of my coop as well.)

Thank you! Very helpful!
Yeah, I don't want to use poison.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

If peanut butter doesn't work in your traps, try KFC. For some reason rodents around here sometimes ignore peanut butter but KFC never fails. We use the skin.

 

[BDutch]

Cats are purfect to eliminate mice.
I don’t even have a cat of my own, but several neighbours have them. And a few love to hunt mice .

Another possibility is to keep the feed away from the mice with a very good treadle feeder or second best to take away the feed at night.
If there are no feed resources, the mice cannot multiply.

 

[CCsGarden]

Cats are purfect to eliminate mice.
I don’t even have a cat of my own, but several neighbours have them. And a few love to hunt mice .

Another possibility is to keep the feed away from the mice with a very good treadle feeder or second best to take away the feed at night.
If there are no feed resources, the mice cannot multiply.

Yes, I put the feed away at night. I do want to get a cat at some point

 

[CCsGarden]

We live with farm fields and forests around us. We could trap until we're blue in the face, and it wouldn't do anything.

We have barn cats that help, but the best thing is to use deterrents so they don't come in there in the first place.

These work. Just be sure if you do this that you change them every two or three months.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/diy-mice-deterrent-pouches.79542/

I'll look into making those! Do you happen to know if those smells will bother the chickens/doves?