Mousers? Really? LOL, I think not!

[ThePolishPrincess]

I went out tonight to make sure our banty Plymouth Rock pair had enough food and water for the morning. I opened the coop door and found them both huddled in the hay in their dog crate, keeping warm. When I went to go lift up the hen and see if she had any eggs for me, I got a huge surprise!

Under her scattered at least 2 mice! They were actually UNDER her tummy! She seemed a little grumpy that I scared her warm little friends away (guess Roo-roo just wasn't doing it for her

). I cannot believe for the life of me that both of them didn't try out the easily-caught meals. I guess I feed them enough....

Little field-mouse types are common around here, even this time of year. Not much I can (or would like) to do about them. But I guess I'll be relocating the Mr. and Mrs.. We could do without the squeaky little guests.

Just wanted to share...

 

[wood&feathers]

You sure wouldn't want your little guests leaving even smaller guests behind with your chicken!

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

wood&feathers :

You sure wouldn't want your little guests leaving even smaller guests behind with your chicken!

Babies? Honestly, the mice's 'plundering' in my chicken's living space will catch up with them...these particular birds seem not to care about their houseguests (the reasoning for my post) but my layers are vicious with mice. If the layer flock were to catch one scurrying across the coop...well...that would be one less 'guest'. Not tonight though...​

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I have mice living in my silkie coop. They would be long gone in the other pens, but the silkies clearly do not have a warrior's heart. I moved the milkcrate nest that two silkies were brooding in and discovered two mouse nests underneath with pinkies. ACK! I guess it was a toasty warm and dry place to birth mouslings. The pinkies went down the LF gullets, but the grown mice are still in the coop. I keep trying to encourage the barn cat to get in there and clean house, but he apparently has signed a peace treaty with them.

 

[gryeyes]

Delilah Delaware appears to be a mouser, but nobody else in the flock is (that I can tell, anyway). I haven't seen her catch one, mind you, but she makes a dash for any she sees.

The mice are moving into my house, as well. Patch used to take care of those, but she crossed over into Kitty Heaven a while ago. Smudge, the handsome fella, is too pretty to catch mice. Until this last Sunday night, when he brought me a live one. I have to get that picture uploaded some day soon.... Yeah, live. Patch was smarter than that, she only brought me her kills, and then just for presentation value and kudos. Smudge wanted to get into my lap with this one!

It got away twice and he recaptured it before the sleeping dachshunds became aware of the drama. Then he took it elsewhere, in a huff.

 

[Sphinx]

My chickens sure don't seem to be mousers. Irritates me.


I put some insulation in my henhouse, and some particle board over it, since the chickens were pecking at it. $@(&% mice are burrowing through the insulation.

I put a trap in there (the no-see trap, that was it couldn't possibly hurt the chickens), but evidently, the mice are smarter than I thought.