The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Lacy Blues]

I feed ff and every night I go out and collect what's left over. Sometimes it's just a tiny amount in the bottom of a feed dish but that much is a feast for a rodent or three (or more) so I collect it all and then hang the feeders up upside down so the mice cannot get in the dish. Unless my birds practically lick their dishes clean, the mice do. Even during the day between breakfast and dinner, the mice will get in the dishes. I have to admit, I get pretty upset over it, not because they have eaten the food but because of what they leave behind in my birds' feed dishes! I get so grossed out over the defecation that I usually put some water in the dish and swirl it around to clean it out before dumping and putting their evening meal in it!

I have tried the bucket feeder with the spinning can with peanut butter and water down below but haven't caught a single one. Perhaps the way to go would be to put some fermented feed inside the can so they can smell it and hopefully come by the droves to their deaths!

 

[hennible]

Chocolate is a great bait for pack rats... And I know mice like it too.

 

[ronott1]

Chocolate is a great bait for pack rats... And I know mice like it too.

What about cocoa nibs?

 

[Turk Raphael]

I feed ff and every night I go out and collect what's left over. Sometimes it's just a tiny amount in the bottom of a feed dish but that much is a feast for a rodent or three (or more) so I collect it all and then hang the feeders up upside down so the mice cannot get in the dish. Unless my birds practically lick their dishes clean, the mice do. Even during the day between breakfast and dinner, the mice will get in the dishes. I have to admit, I get pretty upset over it, not because they have eaten the food but because of what they leave behind in my birds' feed dishes! I get so grossed out over the defecation that I usually put some water in the dish and swirl it around to clean it out before dumping and putting their evening meal in it!

I have tried the bucket feeder with the spinning can with peanut butter and water down below but haven't caught a single one. Perhaps the way to go would be to put some fermented feed inside the can so they can smell it and hopefully come by the droves to their deaths!

You need to make certain the mice/rats have a 'jumping-off-point', meaning....having a bail of hay or straw they can get up on to access the bucket rim. I know it works because I've seen it.

Some folks slant a rough board up to the side of the bucket, with a couple of bent nails to hold it on the rim and that can work but a bail is far easier for them to negotiate.

Good luck...I hate vermin of any kind!

 

[hennible]

What about cocoa nibs?

I usually use chocolate chips

But the pack rats stole an entire case of chocolate bars once, not even sure how they moved it...
Also mice really enjoy score bars, but just the chocolate not the toffee... Lol

Too bad pack rats are so cute...

 

[hoosiercheetah]

The mice in my garage are snobs. They only eat white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.


















That's what I tell my wife when she asks why I keep buying them.

:-D

 

[Lacy Blues]

I've got 2x4 welded wire fencing all over the place and they climb it like they're tight rope walkers! I put my bucket next to that as well as to the nest box that is on the floor... no mice. I will try the chocolate.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sigh. I've never had to deal w/mice.

Maybe I should just leave them in the hen shed instead of moving to the barn...

 

[hennible]

You could always try a barn cat...

 

[CoopChick719]

Sigh. I've never had to deal w/mice. Maybe I should just leave them in the hen shed instead of moving to the barn...

Hey LM, We have always had great success with the bucket/peanutbutter/can trap. Some people don't even use the can. They just throw some feed or pet food in the bucket with enough water for the mice to drown. I know it's probably starting to get cold out your way so the water in the bucket might be a concern. It's getting cold here too so I'm thinking maybe I can leave the bucket empty and just shoot whatever is in it.