my feed room is infested with MICE!!!

[Riv-6]

Im sorry you have a mouse problem.! They are quite the nuisance.

We had a mouse problem over the winter and looked for every solution to get rid of them. We had them in vehicles, garage, horse trailer and even one in the dog bowl on the front porch.

If you can get barn cats, get them! #1 best solution in my opinion

I would put all your feed in a mouse proof bin. I placed all our grain in plastic bins from Costco (I'll post a picture below). They never got into those.

To get rid of ours, I placed snap traps everywhere I could, avoiding areas where our animals would get caught. I used peppermint essential oil mixed with some water and sprayed that along the perimeter. Mint plants would work too. More cost effective Dryer sheets and Irish Spring soap bars worked wonders as well. However, I was told that if you do not clean/disinfect an area where they have been, they will come back because of the scent (I think they were more implying this for my car, which ended up working).

Lastly, a mouse bucket trap works really well too. I will find ours and post a picture below. We placed peanut butter on the bottle and windshield washer fluid in the bucket so it wouldn't freeze (water would work too if you don't have cold temps).

Hope you find a solution that works for you!

 

[leslielbk]

Im sorry you have a mouse problem.! They are quite the nuisance.

We had a mouse problem over the winter and looked for every solution to get rid of them. We had them in vehicles, garage, horse trailer and even one in the dog bowl on the front porch.

If you can get barn cats, get them! #1 best solution in my opinion

I would put all your feed in a mouse proof bin. I placed all our grain in plastic bins from Costco (I'll post a picture below). They never got into those.

To get rid of ours, I placed snap traps everywhere I could, avoiding areas where our animals would get caught. I used peppermint essential oil mixed with some water and sprayed that along the perimeter. Mint plants would work too. More cost effective Dryer sheets and Irish Spring soap bars worked wonders as well. However, I was told that if you do not clean/disinfect an area where they have been, they will come back because of the scent (I think they were more implying this for my car, which ended up working).

Lastly, a mouse bucket trap works really well too. I will find ours and post a picture below. We placed peanut butter on the bottle and windshield washer fluid in the bucket so it wouldn't freeze (water would work too if you don't have cold temps).

Hope you find a solution that works for you!

View attachment 2065567

My mice ate through that one Right through the lid and one corner on the bottom. I must have determined critters! Hence, galvanized cans.

 

[Riv-6]

My mice ate through that one Right through the lid and one corner on the bottom. I must have determined critters! Hence, galvanized cans.

Really? Wow! I definitely know they can chew throw plastic but they have never chewed through those bins before Definitely galvanized cans!

 

[oldhen2345]

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.

This is tough, especially if other animals have access to area. I lock my feed in the lawn mower shed, so I can put out One Bite and that works effectively. IF you have animals that access the area, build a rat box - a U shaped box with a lid that overhangs the open end of the U. Make it big enough for mice to get in, but not chickens or dogs. I have used a 2x4 on it's side. I made it about a foot or so wide (used left over lumber) with a plywood lid that overhung the edge on the open side about 6 inches. Put the poison inside and butt the overhang against a wall. This way, the mice will go in and eat the poison, but the other animals can't get to it. You want to put something heavy on top so the dogs don't move it around- I use a foundation stone. This has worked well for me.

 

[Farmer Brian]

If you have room, a dead chest freezer will work for your dry feed.
I keep rat traps set around the feed room of my coop, for mice, rats and chipmunks. I give the mice to the chickens.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Really? Wow! I definitely know they can chew throw plastic but they have never chewed through those bins before Definitely galvanized cans!

Rodents have teeth that never stop growing so they HAVE to chew constantly to keep them worn down. A rodent feeding naturally will wear down its teeth as fast as they grow chewing on seeds or nuts or just gnawing on roots and stems. With a soft diet like chicken feed they will be chewing on stuff just to keep their teeth worn down so they will smell that feed and get to it eventually. Rodents have been known to chew through concrete, even aluminum, and no native wood is going to do more than slow them down. You need steel of some sort, doesn't have to be galvanized but it is best for other reasons.