my feed room is infested with MICE!!!

[proudchickenmom]

the title says it all... how do I get rid of them?! they are everywhere! I see them even during the day! they are chewing through the feed bags and are totally grossing me out. thank goodness they are not rats. I have used snap traps but it hasn't affected the population much. would mouse poisoning hurt my chickens or contaminate their feed? they are living in the straw bales and me and my faithful dog cant seem to catch them.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The first thing I would suggest is keeping the feed in mouse-proof containers like metal trash cans with lids. And avoid poison, because of the danger to your chickens. Some people have posted very clever traps, hopefully they will post them here. One involves a bucket of water and a ramp. Good luck!

Edit:spelling

 

[ColoradoPip]

Search the forum for: mouse trap bucket

Nothing appears faster, cheaper, or better from what I can tell. I'm not sure it's the most humane but you can decide that

 

[proudchickenmom]

what kind of containers should I buy?

 

[Ebony Rose]

Agree with metal containers with lids for your feed. Use snap-trap type mouse traps where pets and birds cannot get to them, but mice can. Put the BAITED side towards the wall. Gather your traps to re-bait them. Feed the nightly catch to your chickens. Within a week or two, your chickens will start hunting them for you.
As many will tell you, when you see mice in the daytime, your problem is profound. You're going to need your chickens (or cats if you have, or can have them) to help you thin out the mouse population.
Poisoning is a bad option. Period.

 

[proudchickenmom]

are you sure that it is OK to feed the mice to the chickens???

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Something like this. They can chew through plastic.

 

[proudchickenmom]

NICE!

 

[nuthatched]

You can borrow my cats or get some Mouse X, a 'poison' that safe around anything except rodents.

 

[proudchickenmom]

I used to have a cat... only problem was that my dog chased him up a tree so much at he ran away. I don't blame him++. I will look into the Mouse X, but I don't think I can borrow your cats... I am in the carolinas