mice in coop

[hjkr1130]

I have a very clean coop, 10 pullets, and 2 roos, umm I seem to have field mice coming in, I'm not sure if it is due to the cold or what, how do I handle this?? I'm very worried !!! we have very fine wire all around, so I don't know how they are getting in.... any adivce please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dave_Cash69]

mouse traps
get cats?
but poision should be a last resort.

 

[Imp]

Think of them as free food for your chickens. And don't leave hiding places for them. They'll be gone soon.

Imp-Chickens are good mousers

 

[lovemychix]

I've noticed some mouse dropping myself. I have traps set but nothing yet. I don't want to use poison around my birds. I'll get the little bugger(s).

 

[MoodyChicken]

Yuck, rodents are nasty. My neighbor "graciously" decided to share her rats with us when her rat infested barn couldn't hold any more disgusting pests. We had them for about 3 months before I went ape and killed every single one I could catch. Best get that problem under control before it grows out of hand. Rodents are very hard to eliminate. They spread disease. Easy way is to bait around the coop. Try to find their nests and destroy them. Eventually they'll get tired of it and leave.

 

[Badlatitude]

In general field mice seek shelter in winter months. Unlike house mice they dont seem to cause much trouble. RATS are w total different story tho!!!! Either way its the same soloution wooden kill traps in mouse size for the lil guys and rat size for the big guys. We almost bait with penut butter. Its by far the best bait around.

If you find that after your 1st string you still have a noticible problem but they are no going in the traps discard them and buy more. Doing nuisance wildlife for the last 15/16 years I've found that the catch rate of a dirty trap ( prior kill) reduces the catch rate alot. Many times if you have a really large problem you wount notice it untill you wipe out the younger and dumber ones. This is especially true with rats!

Ive tried boiling traps like we do with legholds but it seems one the smell of death is on one its always the same result.


We try to never use poison unless its a purely outdoor problem as rats will go to water. THe poison makes them thirsty and if their only source is inside pipes ( the dew that forms on cold water pipes draws them) A mouse or rat can stink as bad as a road kill deer! Infact ive smelled single mice that were so bad it was incredible. Im unsure why but thats the way it is lol.

Make sure feed and bedding materials are securly stored in bins with lids , the area is kept clean and you should have good results along with trapping. Id keep the birds away from the traps im aure a rat trap could end a chickens day pretty easy.

As far as setting traps for success. always set the trap along a wall .. with the baited trigger end towards the wall and baited with penut butter. Rodents travel the edges of walls. ( Foxes like to travel edges alot also but thats a whole different can of worms haha)

If you have pics of your coop and problem areas id clagly take the time to look them over and possibly help you with trap locations ect if its feasible


Ive been lurking on this forum for several days just reading but I could not resist registering to help somone with a rodent problem. I know how tiring it can be

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Mice can fit through any hole a pencil can fit into. They can squeeze pretty tiny! Anyway, we had mice for about an hour

My old welsummer hen who I got from a friend ate them all up! It was hilarious! She was a great mouser! She didn't even want to share!

 

[hjkr1130]

Thank you for the replies !! I have only seen one little mouse and that was last night while the girls were on the roost. I'm hoping that it was just due to cold and the little thing left, but who knows !! there coop is out in the woods, so I guess that is bound to happen, I haven't seen any close to the house . I would totally freak out !! I have left the girls a little longer inside today, so if he's in there, he should be a nice warm breakfast for my ladies If I see him again tonight, then traps will go down, I just don't want the traps to get my girls toes

 

[jjthink]

Please don't get worried about a little mouse or two. It's just no big deal. They likely will leave as soon as the weather gets nicer. Keep food off the floor at night and keep the food supplies in containers they can't get into (I use metal containers with weights on top).
If you want to take it a step further try Mouse Magic by Bonide (some of the Ace hardware stores carry it - you can check on line for other sources)- it is an all natural mouse repellent consisting of peppermint and spearmint. I've used it sometimes tho I keep the little packets a distance from where my birds sleep in case they don't like the smell as much as we do. Birds can be adverse to certain aromas.
Just speaking for myself, I don't use poison or kill traps - too much chance of unintended victims (and I personally don't need to kill them, but that's just me).
Don't worry - it'll be fine. Having had feathered friends for something like 14 years now, the intermittent visits by mice never turn into a real problem with a clean coop, food stored well - a few sometimes make an appearance if it's really cold or whatever but it never gets out of hand.
JJ

 

[ZooMummzy]

I have been dealing with the same problem due to the extreme cold weather we had a few months ago (and the stupidity of me bringing in hay bales to keep the cold out). I was pretty upset too since I keep my coop really clean and food securely stored but I have learned it is just a part of keeping chickens. My husband has been trapping the ones that are not in the coop and my girls are taking care of the ones in the coop. It's great entertainment for them every morning as they go on what I call "mouse patrol" along the fence the mice have been coming in. Now I'm just dealing with a stupid neighbor (who has a wood shed and pile and no cat) blaming me for his mouse problem because I have chickens. I told him I'd be happy to let my girls free range in his beautifully lush green yard for a few days to take care of that problem for him