Mouse living with chickens?!

[sdk]

It appears that there is a mouse living WITH my chickens! There are mouse droppings on a ledge inside the coop....right next to where the chickens sleep. Every night when I go out to check on my chickens a mouse jumps down off the perch, the same perch where the chickens are sleeping, and runs outside into the darkness. They have a portable coop and I have lifted it up and can see the tunnels the mouse is living in the ground. I have tried putting out traps as well as flooding the mouse's tunnels with the hose but he keeps coming back. Not once have I caught a mouse in any of the traps! And it amazes me that the chickens don't try and get the mouse every night. I keep their food stored in sealed containers in another area of the yard and those don't seem to be attracting any pests. I know it's crazy to think there is only one mouse (when there is one there are usually many) but it really seems like this one mouse is living in harmony with my chickens. I need help trying to find a way to get rid of this mouse because I really don't want to end up with a gross infestation.

 

[Indiana hens]

1 mouse = infestation

 

[sdk]

My thoughts exactly! It grosses me out because sometimes this mouse will run out of the coop and over our shoes. It seems to have no fear! At first I thought it might be sick and disorented and would die soon (maybe the neighbors put our poison or something?) but it seems to not be letting up. It continues to visit our chickens inside their coop and driving me crazy.

 

[swimmer]

If there's one, there are more. Many more. I just bought a ketch all trap from amazon and they work great. Can catch many at once. And the hens can't get their feet snapped in them. I wasn't able to catch some in the victor traps, but the mice are smart and usually could get the bait off without getting snapped. Plus I got my fingers snapped once and that was it for me. Anyway, find a good way to trap, don't use poisons as for the the chickens might eat the mice that comsume the poisons. The mice are probably eating food that has spilled. Might be helpful to bring food in during the night. If you get rid of the food supply, you will be able to control the mice population better.

 

[sdk]

I have put out about 3 different kinds of traps with so many different baits on them. I even tried peanut butter with some chicken scratch on it because I thought if the mouse was in the chicken coop it was most likely attracted by chicken food. The traps haven't even been touched though; as if the mice aren't even attracted to the traps. I of course am avoiding poisons because I dont want to risk hurting my chickens.

The weirdest thing I am noticing is that the mouse poo is on the perches, which is not anywhere near the food. And the mouse is sitting on the perch right next to the chickens when I look inside the coop at night. I know it sounds crazy but this mouse is not at all scared of the chickens and they seem to have no desire to attack the mouse. So weird!

 

[chickenology]

So if the coop is portable, can you wait until the mouse leaves in the morning and move the coop to the other side of the yard? I know the mouse would follow, but at least it would be a setback, having to rebuild all those tunnels! Might give you some time to work on a trap... I am imagining the mouse snuggling up to the nice big fluffy hens on the roost at night, staying toasty and feeling the love!!

 

[NYREDS]

That mouse [and his friends] on your roost is probably eating the feathers on your birds. Feathers are high in protein & mice seem to love them. Check on the backs of the birds & see if there are a lot of feathers that appear to be broken off. They're not, they've been chewed off.

 

[ladrholman]

Find yourself a Buckeye. They are apparently great mousers!!!

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

how many roos do you have ? some roosters love to kill and eat mice

 

[sdk]

So what are the chances of this....but I got the mouse in one of the traps!!!!! I've been dealing with this darn mouse for a month at least and as soon as I post something about it I catch him! Now I feel bad though because he is dead

I wish catching this mouse was the end of my problem but I like swimmer said, when there is one there are many. So off to the hardware store to grab some more traps and strategically place them around my coop.

That's a good idea to move my coop....it is technically portable but it is still pretty heavy (has the run attached to it). But maybe if these traps stop working I will ask for help to move it to the grass for awhile....plus my babies might like to run around on the grass...nice change of scenery for them.