my feed room is infested with MICE!!!

[leslielbk]

what kind of containers should I buy?

 

[Debbi H]

Something like this. They can chew through plastic.
View attachment 2043229

This is exactly what I have....one for layer feed, one for scratch, and then a couple of smaller ones for oyster shell and other supplements.
One thing you need to make sure of is to put away all feed from the feeders at night so that there is not a ready supply of food for the mice during the night. Besides eating it, they contaminate your feeders.
Definitely get the big metal trash cans with good-fitting lids.
Also wanted to add...never put any kind of poison around your chickens (or pets, or kids) because you don't want them getting into it. Additionally, once poisoned, the mouse carcass can poison whatever eats it, so you'd have to make sure they get thrown into the garbage where no other critter can eat it because they will die. But I'd say don't use poison at all.

 

[jspeese]

Keeping your feed in mouse-proof containers as already suggested is a good idea. I do it. But I only have a dozen chickens. Avoiding spilled feed as much as possible and general sanitation helps. But again I only have a dozen birds, so when I need it, I buy straw by the bale. I've seen chickens and ducks eat mice. I don't feel any more guilt about killing mice than I do pulling weeds; they are vermin. Although I wouldn't kill a white-footed mouse or a deer mouse, they are pretty creatures and not vermin like Old World house mice. I realize they can get deer ticks, but still. General sanitation and eliminating habitats is the best way to handle mice.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

what kind of containers should I buy?

I had a squirrel problem and kept my feed in galvanized trash cans with tight-fitting lids.

 

[Lynn Woehrle]

Our large chickens eat the mice which means they can get tapeworms from the mice. We also have cats who do a good job and we use mousetraps. Good luck it takes a while to get rid of them.

 

[Chickenclaude]

5 gal buckets and a stick tall enough to use as a ramp. They hang over for a drink and fall into the water which is 2/3 full. They drown. Metal cans for food. They have traps w a battery that will zap them quickly and you shake the body out into the trash. Wear gloves. They can smell your scent on traps. And I would caution using poison...other predators may eat the bodies. Another poster left a large container of instant mashed potatoes with a whole in it where they would otherwise have eaten your feed. They stuff themselves and then drink water. This happened to a dog who would eat anything...it wasn’t fun. He damn near finished a 5 lb bag...THAT was a vet bill. Thankfully his water dish spilled.

 

[Bantie Barb]

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.

Cats would also be my suggestion. Mama cats are the best mousers. I have my Mama cat and her 4 kittens who are almost 1 year now. I had them spayed and neutered but the male is very lazy. We were over run by rats, mice and shrews and now never see any and they even kill snakes.

 

[proudchickenmom]

I opened the container with the dog food in it and it was disgusting. the food had started to crumble up and it smelled very stale and yucky. good news though, no mice droppings! no mice had been there in over 40 years (one sign on the wall actually said 1981)!!! gross but awesome! I will definitely be using the containers once I give them a good disinfecting! hope it works!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think you said they are metal containers? After washing be certain they dry out thoroughly before using so they don't rust. If humidity is a problem, perhaps a hair dryer could be useful for drying out the seams. Good luck!

 

[chickencoop57]

I bought those big plastic trash cans from Walmart, with lids, for about $10.00 each to put my feed in. Works great! And yes, its okay to feed the mice to chickens, if ya want, the chickens love it. I worked on a ranch that had a large chicken coop with about 30+ chickens and plenty of mice and everytime a mouse poke its head out the chickens got it, so theyre gonna eat them anyway.