Rodents!

[Animalian]

Thought I'd create a thread so people can share their best ways of controlling mice and rats!

I noticed a mouse problem when I was cleaning at dusk last week, the mice just casually were coming in through a tiny gap under the edge of the coop, through the sand and in onto the food tray.
SO!

For the past few days I've been taking away the food at night, so the mice will be good and hungry! Tonight I stuffed steel wool into the gap because it prickles their noses and will keep them at bay until I fix it properly. I also set two traps inside the coop (serperate area to where the chickens sleep) with peanut butter and the chicken food stuck to it! I know there are more mice than that but I figure the steel wool will keep most out, but the traps will get the very smart or baby mice that fit through the wire!

This is war mouseys!!!

I've heard of people putting cayenne pepper or something else spicy in the chicken feed to stop the mice eating it, which make sense. I know birds can't sense the chemical that makes some food spicy, but I'm wondering if it could change the taste of their eggs, or how much to put into it. If only it would make their poo spicy so my dog would stop eating it!

 

[stoopid]

I haven't tried it, but peppermint oil is supposed to work. They hate the smell...

 

[sheila3935]

Quote:
tried it though it made the coop smell really good it didnt help. my chickens will get a few, but tonight I am setting a live trap to try and catch them. I am afraid to put poison cause the girls do eat mice on occasion. I'll let you know how the live trap worked.

 

[Judy]

I use poison, as I've never trapped even one, but only one kind: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=606272#p606272

It's not supposed to harm the chickens unless they get a large dose. So far mine have not. (You still have to put the poison where the chickens can't get it, of course.) I guess the mice go elsewhere to die, because my chickens will certainly eat mice.

 

[Ole rooster]

Rat Snakes. The absolute best control you can get. You just have to keep an eye on um. Really . I would move my chicekens for a day or two, put the snake inside and let him or her take care of the problem. They will.

 

[Animalian]

haha do you know of an aussie version of a rat snake? lol

My hens have caught two mice in the past. My jack russell tries, but he's 11 now so not quite as good at it as he used to be!

I"m too worried about poisoning because I have dogs as well. So even if the mice don't die in the coop they could elsewhere and the dogs could sniff them out. Apparently mice and rats will seek out water due to the poisons effects (not sure why) and the nearest water would be the dogs paddling pool and bowl.

I also feel sorry for the poisoned little buggers haemorrhaging from every orifice... Terrible way to die. I hate having to kill them anyway but I think death by broken neck/sudden shock is the better option.

 

[Impress]

I use traps, I actually made a little "mouse box" I call it, which is a heavy wire box that mice and rats can fit into easily but that keeps the chickens from mucking with it too much, and I keep snap traps in there. I always have a couple of baited traps in there, and move it up to several when I notice a lot of miceys around.

 

[CandiceN]

I just found a family of field mice in my coop today, they made a little home in a cement block I had set up under the nesting box so the girls wouldn't sit under it. I just changed from sand to deep litter pine shavings today, and removed that cement block (Now that we've been using the nest boxes for a couple months, I feel comfortable that they are secure and won't fall). I'm hoping since I removed their "home" they'll go away, but there were a good 7-8 that ran out when I turned the block (SO glad I had gloves on!!), and they just ran out the coop door and under the coop.

I guess I'll be watching for them, and if they continue living around the coop we'll be trying the "5 gallon bucket of death" I've seen on here:

Fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 or 2/3 full of water.

Put a piece of wood like a 2X4 across the top/opening and along the sides as ramps.

Put of heavy layer of sunflower seeds in the water, the seeds will float and it will look like a bucket of sunflower seeds.

The mice, chipmunk, rat, etc will jump in the bucket to get the sunflowers and then drown because they will not be able to get out.

Just make sure there is a good gap between the top and the water level so they don't get out. You can use a bigger bucket if you like.

Cheap and easy. Good luck!

I hate to kill a living creature, but I can't have possibly diseased rodents around my 3 and 5 year olds. They tend to not have any fear around any animals or bugs they find in the yard

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I've also read that if you show your hens that it's OK to eat mice by tossing one to them during a treat time they will take care of any they find in the coop, if I can catch one I'll try that first.​

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have found that a Rat Zapper is very effective with mice. You put peanut butter in the back and then just keep emptying out the dead bodies as they get electrocuted. Rats are too smart and wary for it. i will put out bait if it can be put in a super safe place with no chance of any other critter getting into it.

The most effective way i've found for killing rats is a pellet gun. Lately i've been contemplating sticky traps then a pellet gun to put them out of their misery. i hate rats and they are just so darn smart.

 

[Mattemma]

I put peanut butter or cheese on the snap traps.Only issue is ants will eat the stuff off!
I got a field mouse in my sparrow trap about a week ago.Was going to kill it when I had some pitty on it.Put it in a cage for the kids to watch.Lo and behold it had babies yesterday.Will let them all go far away from my house in a field!

I like glue traps in enclosed areas.