Mouse Droppings in FEEDER

[Bedste]

I have noticed mouse droppings in the chicken feeder almost every morning this week. I have been scooping them out before pouring in fresh food in the mornings. Will the chickens get sick if they accidently eat some mouse poop?

 

[Akane]

Unlikely but possible. Mice aren't the horrid disease carriers everyone fears. It is good to try to prevent such things though just in case. Is your feeder raised? That helps and a hanging feeder would be even better. During the day chickens will eat the mice but for night you might need some mouse traps. I prefer to avoid any type of poison since even if you find a spot your pets can't get to it you then have these mice full of lethal stuff running about leaving green droppings until they die and getting eaten by your chickens and pets. Or if you don't mind the time and effort you could remove the feeder to somewhere more mouse proof every night and return it every morning.

 

[gcst]

I put a locked mouse box in my coup. It has a small hole for mice to get in to get to the bait, but to small for the chickens. I bought it at the hard ware store.

 

[LynneP]

Do you have cats who can be allowed into the coop after you lock the birds out for a while? Not only may they catch some mice, but they will sniff and scratch at the spots where the mice gain access. The big problem in the long run is having the mice reproduce to an unacceptable level. Sealing off seams and such can make a huge difference- you don't want them in the walls.

 

[jhm47]

The chances of a chicken getting a lethal dose of poison from a secondary exposure are virtually nil. The lethal dose for a mouse is far less than the dose of a full-grown chicken. Add to this the tendency of sick and dying mice to go deep into their burrows to die, lessens the likelyhood even more. It actually takes a lot of the anticoagulant poisons (virtually the only ones being sold today) to kill. I've seen one of the poison control people eat d-con during his presentation. He stated that he would need to eat about 15 boxes of the stuff to get a lethal dose.

 

[Bedste]

awesome..... I will poison the mice asap and put the food bowls up every night..... Ya'll are great!

 

[Kathleen Stevens]

Thanks for the heads up on the mouse situation y'all, we have been besieged his year, lots of construction all around us and we have been battling moles and mice, we even have some deer living in our back yard, they have no place to go. I will definitely pick up some poison his weekend and fill in their entrance holes with it and then fill with rocks.Also thanks for the white vinegar for cleaning idea. Have a great week everyone.

 

[Kathleen Stevens]

Thanks for the heads up on the mouse situation y'all, we have been besieged his year, lots of construction all around us and we have been battling moles and mice, we even have some deer living in our back yard, they have no place to go. I will definitely pick up some poison his weekend and fill in their entrance holes with it and then fill with rocks.Also thanks for the white vinegar for cleaning idea. Have a great week everyone.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Yes, mice do spread disease though their droppings along with lice and mites. Most chickens are a stressful week away from any one of many dormant diseases from kicking in so anything you can do to keep the vermin down helps. Poison is good but without restricting the feed by using a good rat proof chicken feeder the mice usually are too smart to take the poison bait. Once they are starving after being cut off from the feed they will eat the bait. A spring loaded door is required to prevent mice from getting into treadle feeders. Do a search on this forum and you will find plenty of discussions on rat proof feeders.