Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[MayhemMarr]

I've been seeing aLOT about fowl fest, WHAT is it? And where?

I second this question, if it last all weekend I might be able to get the hubby to take me

 

[aart]

Quote: Quick google on 'Michigan Fowl Fest' found this...http://www.fowlfest.org/

 

[ladyrsanti]

Does anyone buy this brand of chicken feed? I think it's from Walmart. I don't shop there and have never heard of it but I have a customer that would love a tote made from one. If you happen to buy this brand and could save a few bags, let me know. PM is fine.

 

[taprock]

I'm looking for some input on a rodent problem. I have never seen a mouse population like this year. After talking to local biologist it seems this year is a record year thanks to last fall's weed seeds and warm winter. So I have mice everywhere, all my coops are infested. All our feed is in metal cans and we have done the snap traps, box traps, water bucket trap and all have worked to a point but never even close to controlling the problem. To give you an idea how bad, one night in three hours time I caught 56. So I gave up and talked to Dr. Fulton. He said at this point to use poison. Now my chickens play mouse football as soon as they see a mouse so that is a huge concern. So here is what I am thinking of doing. I am going to build bait traps the chickens can't access and use Terad 3 blocks as bait. It contains cholecalciferol which seems to be less toxic in secondary poisoning. I have one extra coop so the smaller birds I can relocate while I bait their coop. I'll do a rodent search each morning before I let birds out. If you see anything I may have missed I want to keep my birds as safe as I possibly can. If you know of something safer.... I'm not looking for a big debate on poison, I don't like it but if I have to use it I want to do it wisely. I'm feeling I don't have much choice at this point the mice have chewed through the interior paneling and are tearing out insulation, I have 2" diameter tunnels coming out of the ground and it's a horror movie when you open the coop after dark. They are going to make the chickens sick if it continues.

 

[1muttsfan]

Not sure where that food is sold, but I have read some bad reviews here on BYC - two crows and others had bad experienced with it.

 

[aart]

I'm looking for some input on a rodent problem. I have never seen a mouse population like this year. After talking to local biologist it seems this year is a record year thanks to last fall's weed seeds and warm winter. So I have mice everywhere, all my coops are infested. All our feed is in metal cans and we have done the snap traps, box traps, water bucket trap and all have worked to a point but never even close to controlling the problem. To give you an idea how bad, one night in three hours time I caught 56. So I gave up and talked to Dr. Fulton. He said at this point to use poison. Now my chickens play mouse football as soon as they see a mouse so that is a huge concern. So here is what I am thinking of doing. I am going to build bait traps the chickens can't access and use Terad 3 blocks as bait. It contains cholecalciferol which seems to be less toxic in secondary poisoning. I have one extra coop so the smaller birds I can relocate while I bait their coop. I'll do a rodent search each morning before I let birds out. If you see anything I may have missed I want to keep my birds as safe as I possibly can. If you know of something safer.... I'm not looking for a big debate on poison, I don't like it but if I have to use it I want to do it wisely. I'm feeling I don't have much choice at this point the mice have chewed through the interior paneling and are tearing out insulation, I have 2" diameter tunnels coming out of the ground and it's a horror movie when you open the coop after dark. They are going to make the chickens sick if it continues.

Don't have any advice, never dealt with that bad of an infestation, but offer you my empathy....it does sound like a horror story.
Rotating coops sounds like a great idea.
Did Dr. Fulton offer any suggestions as to the type of product and/or techniques to reduce the risks for low secondary poisoning?

 

[1muttsfan]

Tap, that is a very toxic pesticide with no reversal agent available. At least the anticoagulant rodenticides can be treated if caught early enough. And since animals do not sicken for 12-36 hours, they can travel quite a long distance away from the poisoning site, potentially leading to poisoning of other animals or wildlife (owls are particularly likely to be poisoned by rodents sick from rodenticides). Sounds like you have an enormous problem, but can you try adding more traps? Maybe several more, or larger, bucket traps? I would be very concerned about your birds (or your other animals) getting hold of dying mice.

 

[lovechicks1293]

Quick google on 'Michigan Fowl Fest' found this...http://www.fowlfest.org/

Thank you aart

 

[taprock]

Did Dr. Fulton offer any suggestions as to the type of product and/or techniques to reduce the risks for low secondary poisoning?

He went over how to build a bait station and said to use a wax block 1st generation pesticide rather than a second.

Sounds like you have an enormous problem, but can you try adding more traps?  Maybe several more, or larger, bucket traps?  I would be very concerned about your birds (or your other animals) getting hold of dying mice.

The crazy thing is it they are in every coop. 6 in use and 2 empty. I only keep the feed in one location and not in a coop and I've been emptying feed dishes at night. My old box traps worked great 3 nights. I thought the springs had worn out so I bought all new. They worked three nights and now nothing. Either the mice ar getting smarter or they are just too small to trap. The bucket traps didn't catch a thing. The snap traps work but I just got tired of setting them every couple hours, they just didn't make a dent. I'd even consider a coop cat at this point but I think the turkeys would terrorize a cat. I don't want to use poison but I'm not sure what else to do. is there one that's "safer"?

 

[1muttsfan]

Well, not really. They are all a potential risk to your animals and to wildlife as well.

What are your bucket traps like? Picture? And what are you using as bait? - Mary