mice

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amber66
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mice

Post by amber66 »

Hello all.
I am after some advice please.
I have been finding alot of mouse droppings in my shed where i store the hens food and bedding etc. It is positioned next to the walk in run.
I put some poison in a bait box in the shed and have seen that some of it has been eaten.
This morning i heard the girls making a noise and on going to check on them i saw Pippa and Lola playing tug of war with a mouse yike* . I panicked and rushed in grabbed Pippa and managed to make her drop the mouse. I quickly put my foot on it to stop the others getting it while i grabbed some paper to pick it up and get rid of it.
My worry is if they had managed to have eaten it would it have harmed them ?
I have now got rid of the poison as i could not forgive my self if i had harmed them and i don't like using it any way.
Can anyone suggest the best way to get rid of the mice in a more humane way please.
Amber.

Cheshire Chick
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Re: mice

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Hi Amber. I saw a mouse yesterday in the chicken run and I have seen them before (but luckily not too often). I suppose it is inevitable that they will be around where there is food and bedding. I know that chickens will eat mice, given the chance - or flatten them. A couple of years ago cleaning out the coop run there was a mouse that was as flat as a piece of paper - the girls had obviously trampled it to death. Unfortunately I do not know a way to get rid of them completely and humanely. I would not like to use any form of poison because of the chickens and the cats. Maybe someone else has got some good ideas on this subject.
Gwenoakes
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Re: mice

Post by Gwenoakes »

In our last house at one time we were over run with mice and rats. Like you I did not like to use poison, but it became necessary as there were dozens and dozens of them. Not only were they outside but coming into the house, it was nothing to see a mouse running round the floor both upstairs and down.
I had a chap come in and asked him about poisoning other animals as we had cats and dogs, but at that time no chickens. He said that for a cat to die of the poisoned mice was extremely rare as they would have to eat quite a substantial amount to cause them any problems. Now I know cats are not chickens, but perhaps you could ask someone who works in that industry.
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sandy
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Re: mice

Post by sandy »

Amber , sort of replied to this in your diary :oops:
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
amber66
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Re: mice

Post by amber66 »

Morning all.
Thank you for your replies. Its good to hear that i haven't poisoned the girls. They are all up and doing their thing this morning, so no harm done.
I think i will have a look into the traps at the weekend and see how they go. Unfortunately if that doesn't work it will have to be the poison as i don't want the rats back.
I am trying to talk the OH into having a cat but he is having none of it at the moment {mr.angry} .
Amber.
amber66
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Re: mice

Post by amber66 »

Morning all.
Thank you for your replies. Its good to hear that i haven't poisoned the girls. They are all up and doing their thing this morning, so no harm done.
I think i will have a look into the traps at the weekend and see how they go. Unfortunately if that doesn't work it will have to be the poison as i don't want the rats back.
I am trying to talk the OH into having a cat but he is having none of it at the moment {mr.angry} .
Amber.
Cheshire Chick
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Re: mice

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Keep working on your OH Amber - cats are great and they get along with chickens just fine.
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lancashire lass
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Re: mice

Post by lancashire lass »

Using the spring loaded traps with a good bait (commercially purchased or try peanut butter) can be quite successful at first, and I think far more humane and instant than poison .... but then the others can start to become wary especially if they see one of their friends killed by one, and then the number caught can drop quite quickly despite enticing them with different baits. Rodents like to keep close to a wall rather than venture out into open space so place your traps along a typical "run way".
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kitla
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Re: mice

Post by kitla »

we have TONS of mice around the run area, they've always been there from way before we got chickens. I think they're rather cute & dont harm the chooks so I leave them alone - however now & again I smell them in the feed shed so I sweep up any crumbs & spillages & make sure the food is secure in lidded boxes, the mice dissappear when there's nothing for them to eat.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
jaxhen
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Re: mice

Post by jaxhen »

I wouldn't use any poison now that I know our girls will eat mice.

I've seen a trap called the Victor Electronic Mouse Trap (that uses AA batteries) and costs around £25. Can't say whether it works or not as haven't bought one yet. A review says you should wear gloves when setting the trap as mice can smell humans.

If you have a mouse problem and it does work it might be worth the expense if you can afford it and don't want to use a traditional snap-trap or your OH won't let you have a cat.
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kitla
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Re: mice

Post by kitla »

I have an electric trap, I bought it to catch a rat. The rat wouldnt go near it but it did kill several mice.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
jaxhen
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Re: mice

Post by jaxhen »

An update to the Victor electronic mousetrap.

Bought one last week and paid £18.

Set the trap with peanut butter bait and placed it in the covered run. First night nothing although I saw a mouse run over the trap as it was getting dark. Second night caught a mouse. Third night caught another one. So far so good, but just want to see how long the batteries last.

An easy way of disposing of the corpse.

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