Mice in the coop. They have a lot of tunnels but how will I catch them?

[thlayli]

I use these traps. I have mice in my coop, too, and I had to clear out my garage last fall. I caught a dozen of them and had to kill two babies, as well. This week when I was cleaning out the deep litter in my coop I ended up sweeping out a whole litter onto the floor, but the chickens took care of them pretty quickly, but the parents are still hanging around and eating my chicken feed at night.

 

[Krugerrand]

I tried peanut butter, and the mice preferred chicken scratch instead.
Mary

When mice have made their way into the house, they always seem to go for chocolate. So, I started using nutella for bait and it has always worked nicely.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Trapping rodents is dealing with the symptoms and not the cause. They are coming for the chicken feed and without that huge amount of food they cannot sustain a colony. Once they go back to their natural food predators will pick them off as they hustle for food.

I like to copy and paste an old post from Howard E. who has done probably the most research on BYC on dealing with rats and at the bottom my short version of his info.

Here is Howard E.'s past post:

"To the OP (and others like them), if you will spend the time, everything you need to know about rats and how to get rid of them will be found in the links below......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-the-video-series.1337456/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-proof-feeder-review.1180514/#post-18610285

This last one is a review of a rat proof chicken feeder built and sold by a BYC member, who is a staunch advocate for the plan of getting rid of rats by starving them out. Remove all sources of feed and they will be forced to move on or starve to death. If you are firmly against the use of poison bait blocks......for whatever reason.......then this is one of the best actions you can take. Bulk food in metal trash cans.....chicken feed in metal rat proof feeders. Can't get to the feed and birds do not spill and waste feed that the rats can survive on."

End of Howard E.'s post

And the short version of Howard's advice? Sanitation, exclusion, elimination.

Sanitation, bulk feed in metal cans or barrels with tight fitting lids, a well designed treadle feeder, clean up the avenues of movement so the rodents have no cover to protect them from their natural predators. In my opinion and experience this is the quickest, surest, and cheapest way to solve a rodent problem.

Exclusion, plugging the holes and building a Fort Knox chicken coop and not leaving an opening for free range. Tough to do and expensive but it could work for rats.

Elimination, poison and traps. Problem is that rats are smart and will quickly learn to avoid both traps and poison bait. Were you to clean them out, the lack of sanitation would mean a new population of rodents would move right in. And there is risk and no end to the process, keeping fresh bait out. However, if you have done your sanitation using poison becomes effective as the rats are starving and will likely try the poison bait. Not needed though, they will leave in a few days as long as you are not feeding the rodents with a compost pile or other animal feed. Not all will leave, your area will have a natural carrying capacity for rodents, natural feed, but that natural ability to sustain rodents is quite small and the natural predators keep them in check and under cover as the rodents hustle to find this natural food.

Do a forum search on "rats chickens" and you will find most of the old wives tales exposed and read of long epic battles against the rodents. Sanitation, exclusion, or elimination all have associated costs but you are already paying for the feed and will recover the initial costs quickly with the first method.

 

[Mary Poopins Love]

Chickens don't eat dead mice and lizards. I once tossed a dead lizard in my coop. My chickens saw it, but didn't go after it like normal.