Mice getting in coop and bedding

[Show Sebright]

There are mice in my storage container and now they got into the coop. I have small birds so I am worried about them. How to ethically get rid of them. Together a moving to another school next school year, they have huge rats... how can I get rid of those too?

 

[Callender Girl]

My chickens tend to get rid of mice on their own. It's a great game for them when one hen finds a mouse and plays keep away with the others chasing her for their chance to eat a mousy. That's one of the reasons I LOVE ads that say producers raise their chickens as vegetarians. Chickens have no ethical problem with meat eating.

I store feed in metal garbage cans to keep mice out and try to never leave feed in the coops overnight. If you don't want to kill the invaders, you can use one of the small no-kill traps and relocate the mice. Kness Mfg. in Albia, IA, makes a metal trap that doesn't need bait. The smaller Ketch-Alls rarely kill the mouse. Sometimes, because of the way they are manufactured, the larger Ketch-All will assassinate a mouse that gets hurt in the mechanism, although they are not supposed to.

Rats are much harder to deal with. Much.

 

[Show Sebright]

My chickens tend to get rid of mice on their own. It's a great game for them when one hen finds a mouse and plays keep away with the others chasing her for their chance to eat a mousy. That's one of the reasons I LOVE ads that say producers raise their chickens as vegetarians. Chickens have no ethical problem with meat eating.

I store feed in metal garbage cans to keep mice out and try to never leave feed in the coops overnight. If you don't want to kill the invaders, you can use one of the small no-kill traps and relocate the mice. Kness Mfg. in Albia, IA, makes a metal trap that doesn't need bait. The smaller Ketch-Alls rarely kill the mouse. Sometimes, because of the way they are manufactured, the larger Ketch-All will assassinate a mouse that gets hurt in the mechanism, although they are not supposed to.

Rats are much harder to deal with. Much.

Ok

 

[Show Sebright]

I have a sebright and a polish in the coop. They like to fight other birds but I don’t know if they can fight and kill mice. Is there something on Amazon I can get? I have to be very ethical because they stay at the school.

 

[Callender Girl]

I've never had a sebright or a Polish, so I can't speak to that.

The small Ketch-Alls are metal boxes with a mechanism kind of like a Hav-A-Hart's, in that it lets mice in but not out. There is a window on one side so you can see if anything is inside the trap. As long as someone checks the traps daily, the mice should be unharmed. HOWEVER, if multiple mice are left in the traps too long, mice will cannibalize other mice.

I don't know of any other method that will not harm the mice, but that doesn't mean someone else won't offer a solution. I would be surprised if Amazon doesn't sell the Ketch-All -- or at least something very similar.

When I live trap a little mouse, I transport them a long, long way from my property and release them, usually into a field where I think they can find food and shelter.

 

[Lumley Farm]

I have a sebright and a polish in the coop. They like to fight other birds but I don’t know if they can fight and kill mice. Is there something on Amazon I can get? I have to be very ethical because they stay at the school.

I made this, and it worked but, only once. I did buy this as well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SL6KJ29/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stay with Rinne, as it is made in the USA and gets delivered in just 3 days. Or make one for yourself.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Almost any poison or trap will work a few times then the rodents figure out what is killing their buddies. If you want not to have rats or mice you have to stop feeding them so they leave. Buy a treadle feeder but do your research online. Watch the negative reviews very carefully. Avoid advice from sites that review feeders but admit they have affiliate links or that just have links back to Amazon unless they say it is a crappy feeder.

Good luck!