Will Rodents Make My Chickens Sick?

[cluckmecoop7]

I have a lot of mice, chickmunks, and squirrels around my place and I see the chipmunks around my coop ALOT! (I think the mice are also around my coop at night because I caught some in traps near my coop.)

So my question is: Can I just leave everything or should I try to keep the rodents away from my chickens? Will they make my chickens sick? Or even hurt them?

Thanks!

- Clucky

 

[Crestcrazy2]

My quail are dropping like flies and I think it's because of mouse poop in their food you might want to keep them out of any chicken food you have

 

[Folly's place]

I don't think that the smaller rodents are a threat to the chickens, but they are to YOU, spreading Leptospirosis, for example, and deer ticks, all disgusting.
It's a struggle, keeping them out of the coop, when it's opened during the day for the chickens to free range. 'Avoid having colonies of mice living in the coop, that's bad! And then rats are a whole different story, because in addition to diseases, they will eat eggs and kill chickens, and their tunnels work for weasels too.
At least in the NE and MW, we don't have plague to worry about.
Mary

 

[neo71665]

Rodents are common disease carriers

 

[cluckmecoop7]

@Crestcrazy2 - I'm sorry. Thanks for the information.

@Folly's place - Ok, thanks also for the information.

@neo71665 - Yes, I new that. But thanks anyway!