mice

[stewy04]

how do i get rid of mice under the coop? we set traps but that diddnt get all of them and we are scarred to put the toxic blox out because the mice might die in the chicken run and kill are girls. so if anybody knew how to get rid of the mice that would be really nice.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
I honestly don;t think you can ever get rid of them all.
We have mice too!!!!! Under the coop and we do a trapping session every few weeks or so. You need to make sure you have the traps with the spring snap. It kills instantly.
Youcannot use poison because your girls will eat the dead mice and then injest poison and you certainly don;t want to hurt them or yourself or your kids if it goes through into the eggs!!!!!

I know mice are a real pain but I think it is part of having livestock. - Well actually I never had chickens in my last two houses and we still had mice. I am a bit of a softie though and have been known to protect a momma mouse and her young in the food store!!!!! Yeah I know - then the wee ones kept getting in the food bins to steel feed and they were too small to get out so I had to "rescue" them every morning!!!! Once they grew though they were fair game for the trap and the cat!!!!

I think as long as the mice that you see are healthy looking without any weeping eyes or sores chances are they are healthy and your chickens will eat them if they catch them anyhow. I know mine do!!!!!

DOn;t get tooo upset about mice - its RATS that are the big problem. Try to keep the mice out of the chicken feed though. ( I know !!!! I saved babies from the chicken feed!!!!)

You will need to continue to do a cull every so often under the coop. Please put the traps under well away fromt he girls. We did them at night once the girls were in their coop and locked inside and we cleared ALL the traps before we let them out. Thing is those traps can easily break a toe or foot of your chicken if they stood on it so please be careful!!!

Best of luck - you will never get them all as they breed like mad. But just keep at it. DOn;t use POISON it really could come back in the eggs or kill the girls or be in your food!!!!

Oesdog ( Mice are cute really when you get used to them!!!!)

 

[Fred's Hens]

There are lots of good mouse traps. Some, electrocute, others are the snap variety.
Keep at it. Use a dab of peanut butter on the snap traps. It's odor is an attractant.

I agree. Poisons are too risky. You'll have mice as long as you keep chickens, usually. Just have to slow the herd.

 

[oesdog]

Fred's Hens :

There are lots of good mouse traps. Some, electrocute, others are the snap variety.
Keep at it. Use a dab of peanut butter on the snap traps. It's odor is an attractant.

I agree. Poisons are too risky. You'll have mice as long as you keep chickens, usually. Just have to slow the herd.

Come to think of it some one said peppermint oil soaked cotton wool balls also repell the little darlings?
I wouldn;t put that anyplace the chickens could try to eat it. I was thinking of trying it in my feed store because I just don;t want them in there. Last time they were in it was really sad. The pregnant mom got stuck and gave birth in the feed store and the babies were all blue. I thought they were dead and put them in my pocket to feed to the hens. But when they warmed they started to move. Ok I am soft but I can;t kill babies!!!! NOT in me!!!!

So I took them back to the feed store and put a heat pad under them and momma came and got them. Then of course I had 4 tiny babies getting stuck in the feed store I had to pull out every morning.

They had a good life really - gave me a lot of pleasure when I caught them steeling food

Now I only have one left and he sleeps in the feed store in my boot. But I would rather not have them at all in there. Though I sure would miss the little fellow now as when he sees me he climbs up my long hair and sits on my shoulder NO FEAR OF ME NOW!! Only trouble is the babies got killed one by one by the cat because they didn;t develop a natural fear. oops!!!! Still they had a longer life than when I first found them nearly dead and cold.

I was worried that Peppermint might taint the chicken feed though? Worth a try I guess and maybe right under your coop??????? Though well away from the girls incase they tried to eat a wool ball.

Oesdog​