Mice!!!.....How do you control them!?!?

[MRW]

We have 3 outdoor cats... have had chickens for 2 years with no mice problems yet. The cats don't bother the chickens....even the bantams. The only problem is hearing the cats eating a mouse in front of us on the screened in porch

And they will try to bring the mouse inside yuk!!!

 

[Chickensrock10110]

Wow!,alot of you have cats, I could possibly consider getting one or two.Is it OK for them to live outdoors or is it best for them to live indoors.My dog goes crazy when she sees a cat so I was thinking of a outdoor cat?Is it safe for them outdoors?

 

[chickens4me]

An outdoor cat is perfect!

My neighbor's young cat got rid of all the mice, moles, etc. around here.....I love that cat!

 

[wishful suburbanite]

Quote:
There are always additional risks for a cat living outside but I think cats are still a good solution to all the extra rodents feasting and multiplying off agriculture. The average life expectancy of a cat outside does go down somewhat from one kept exclusively inside and it probably has a lot to do with accidents.

The humane society in a neighboring county to mine will actually adopt out cats for use as barn cats. They're seperate from the cats they adopt for house cats. Many animal shelters won't give you a cat at all if you say you're going to let them outside, but I suppose this more rural county recognized a niche.

 

[JessaLynn]

We have 4 cats, NO mice.My cats bring them to our back step and I give them a nice treat for a job well done

 

[Nostalchic]

We once had so many mice in our barn that as soon as I fed the horses their grain, a little parade of young mice would form and run along the stall wall, ready to jump in the grain buckets as soon as the horses' noses were out of them. (It was really cute! - but...) I once caught six in one night in a Tin Cat (live trap, which work great by the way!) We had to kick our inside cats out of the house - long story involving urine - but they aren't suffering, have heated beds, heated water, and a little elevated entry to the tack room that only they can fit through. I haven't seen a mouse or any sign of a mouse in the barn for over a year. These were house cats, mind you. Cats are amazing, and even feral cats that are re-homed as kittens can be friendly and wonderful barn companions as well as major mice killers. There are issues regarding songbirds etc, but if you have lots of mice, I think that keeps the cats pretty busy. Our cats even keep the rabbit population down some, surprisingly.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Mice are chicken food. Rats are a real problem.

I caught yet another one in the trap today. Last night I saw its big ol' butt walking down the side walls and thought tonight is the night and sure enough.

I am getting so tired of this game that I bought some water insoluble solid block rat poison. I am hoping that I can throw it down one of the prized rat holes and put a rock in it like I have been doing.


I will keep the trap going, but I think the chickens are forming a welcome party for some of them !!

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

Remove food at night. Get a cat. ours sleeps in a nestbox. Really can't say she is ours though as she just showed up and never left. I wouldn't trust her with chicks but, she gets along with the adult chickens.

 

[jacca5]

I have used poison because we had so many mice. One day I went into where I keep my feed and I could trap them under a broom. So I trapped them while I made my husband kick them.........and I screamed the whole time. I hated doing it but I hate them to.