mice in the henhouse

[nuthatched]

Hi there, my friend is struggling with mice living in her Coop, there's always been a mouse or two but since I wrapped the coop for winter, they've moved in and are tunneling in the run. Snap traps don't seem to be cutting it, they've learned not to trigger them. I don't want to put poison in the Coop, but I'm almost certain the mice never leave to put it outside. I'm not against using poison, I've never seen them eat the mice and this needs nipped in the bud.

Thank you

 

[azygous]

 

[Wezdin]

Look up Shawn woods on Youtube, You'll find more mousetraps than you ever knew existed.

 

[QuailFreak]

Hello! I have had the same problems with rats. My advice is to get a plastic trap, usually only 8 bucks for 2. I wouldn’t use poison either especially if it’s inside the coop, and I wouldn’t use glue neither. If they aren’t harming the chickens and are just annoying, then you should probably get a plastic trap. Unless of course you want to make your own. Sorry if this isn’t much help, I have just found the plastic traps working for me better!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

We have a huge mouse problem on our property and I contest that this trap works very well. Use peanut butter or reeses cups as bait and then wait.

 

[azygous]

I made a rinky dink roller trap out of spare parts, but it's becoming sluggish. I plan on splurging on the log roller pictured in the video and upgrading my trap. The bucket trap has been the only trap that has worked consistently and mice haven't become wise to.

I am having a problem with the water freezing in the bucket, though. My trap is catching them but they are able to hop out from the frozen ice. I plan to try salt water tonight. These mice are getting criminally bold. Last night they managed to get up to the high shelf where I had a little jar of peanut butter and they knocked off the lid and ate all the peanut butter. Unforgivable!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Traps aren't going to solve the problem. The problem is that the feed is attracting the rats and mice and soon the predators that prey on them like hawks, owls, snakes, and furry predators. Shut off access to the feed and you have won 99% of the battle as there is little for large populations of rats and mice to live on in most areas. There will be natural foods but you are forcing them to forage constantly instead of coming to the buffet every night and day. Plus the foraging puts them at risk to predators that naturally keep their numbers down. And when there is plentiful food, rats and mice breed faster with larger litters.

You need to first secure all feed in a metal trash can, second get a good treadle feeder, inward swinging door, spring loaded door, and with a big counterweight to stop the mice from just pushing the door open. Just google rat proof chicken feeder or treadle feeder and read the reviews carefully especially the negative reviews. Nearly any feeder will work at first when the mice and rat population is low but so many of the pretty feeders can be pushed open by the smaller rats and larger mice. Do a search on the Feeding and Watering your Flock forum too.

This is an old problem that has been completely solved years ago if you spend the $100 it takes to buy a large feeder and get it shipped to you. A plus is that shutting off access to the feed makes poison ten times more likely to be eaten. But you don't need to poison, wait a week and the rats and mice will be gone.

 

[aart]

I am having a problem with the water freezing in the bucket, though. My trap is catching them but they are able to hop out from the frozen ice. I plan to try salt water tonight.

Could use antifreeze.....or RV antifreeze which is non-toxic.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Could use antifreeze.....or RV antifreeze which is non-toxic.

Or he could use just a high viscosity oil instead of water all around the inside of the bucket. They might not be dead when you find them though. But they won't be able to climb out

 

[aart]

Or he could use just a high viscosity oil instead of water all around the inside of the bucket. They might not be dead when you find them though. But they won't be able to climb out

Ehhhh...I'd want to use a liquid that can be chucked into the woods along with the carcasses.

Windshield washer fluid is another option.