Releasing snake to eat mice

[Chicken101-07]

I had all my chicken food sitting in front in my porch,mice found it and started eating it,I moved it to a shack in the back of the property,guessing that I moved the food and had no more food I thought they would leave,they didn't and moved into my house,I tried glue traps and more traps that instantly kill them,A bird,A lizard and even my poor dog managed to stick to the glue traps so they cause more harm than good,I finally got rid of them by removing all the things they could eat,this was over a year ago,a few days ago I started finding feed everywhere in the floor,today I moved some feed bags and found small poops,I do not know if mice can carry diseases to chickens but I'm not risking it,poison is not an option since I got the goat and chicken feed back there,I dislike traps so I was thinking of putting a rat snake in there to hunt the mice.good or bad idea?

 

[Folly's place]

Rodents can bring diseases to you!
Rat snakes will kill mice, and may go after small birds, whatever they can catch.
The old fashioned spring traps that have a wood back and wire 'works' do a better job than most of the plastic thingies. Glue traps are awful!
Poison bait in bait stations works very well, and most rodents go back to their burrows to die, so are out of the way. A small number of mice can be controlled with traps.
Feed bags need to be stored in metal garbage cans with tight fitting lids, or something similar that's chew proof. It's the only way!
Mary

 

[townchicks]

While I am all for mother nature's pest control, you do run the risk that the snake will eat the eggs, chicks, and possibly even adult chickens. If your coop and run are completely snake proof, it could be helpful. All feed should be stored in metal containers, regardless of what kind of rodent control you use. Bear in mind, that snakes usually only eat about once a week, so it may not eliminate all the mice.

 

[Folly's place]

One or two mice per week won't begin to keep up!!!

 

[Ebony Rose]

If you use the snap traps (tucked in places your other animals cannot reach it), you can feed the freshly-dead mice to your chickens in the morning. They'll enjoy the protein and the bragging rights of being the one that managed to 'keep it away' from all of the other chickens. You'll find this method works GREAT for training your chickens to hunt and kill mice.

 

[Compost King]

Metal trash cans with metal lids... highly recommended. Someone else has already suggested it but its such a great idea I thought why not suggest it twice.

 

[debikm]

If you're open to another animal, rescuing a 'working' cat to serve as furry pest control might be an option. Of course a cat might be a danger to chicks or smaller birds, but my outdoor cat is fine around my birds and seems to enjoy their company, even if one of my roos had him backed against the shed and wouldn't let him go. Poor kitty.

 

[leighks]

If you're open to another animal, rescuing a 'working' cat to serve as furry pest control might be an option. Of course a cat might be a danger to chicks or smaller birds, but my outdoor cat is fine around my birds and seems to enjoy their company, even if one of my roos had him baced against the shed and wouldn't let him go. Poor kitty.

That’s a great idea, many rescue groups need to find homes for barn cats!!

 

[Chicken101-07]

If you use the snap traps (tucked in places your other animals cannot reach it), you can feed the freshly-dead mice to your chickens in the morning. They'll enjoy the protein and the bragging rights of being the one that managed to 'keep it away' from all of the other chickens. You'll find this method works GREAT for training your chickens to hunt and kill mice.

am I the only that thinks feeding meat to chickens is bad??

 

[Compost King]

Chickens love meat, my Chickens ate the mice my cats delivered to my back door.