debbie26pet Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 in converstaion today with a friend she was telling me about her fil had chickens and had problems with mice, and not a very good idea, do u get a problem with mice etc? we live on a council estate but own our house got one neighbour who says no problems we can have but dont want them coming to me moaning about mice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 the mice are already there, but they will be atracted by the feed so if you bring feeders in at night it helps discourage them. Chickens will eat mice if they catch them yuk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 It is a good idea to put bait boxes around the site and check and top them up regularly. Also if you have a compost heap, they might live there, so be careful what you put in it and turn it regularly. As Anne says, the mice will already be there, they may just be more noticeable as they will be drawn to the feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toastedblue Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 weirdly my neighbour and I were discussing the very same thing, well, rats rather than mice he recons having chickens will encourage rats, but we don't have a rat problem in our street... there are just too many cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 weirdly my neighbour and I were discussing the very same thing, well, rats rather than mice he recons having chickens will encourage rats, but we don't have a rat problem in our street... there are just too many cats Same answer applies, toastedblue....rats are everywhere, you are just more likely to notice them if there are chickens about because they are drawn to the food. Just keep everywhere tidyish so there is nowhere for them to hide, and put poison down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 weirdly my neighbour and I were discussing the very same thing, well, rats rather than mice he recons having chickens will encourage rats, but we don't have a rat problem in our street... there are just too many cats hi we have cats of our own and i just spoken to a very nice lady at the evironment and she said i have 4 lol and have no rpblem recomends taking th efood in at night etc and her cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Thankfully we have never had problems with either and have never had to take in the chickens food at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 If you have a cat - you will be alright! Ours quickly gets rid of any mice - I've only ever seen 2 that she got. If there are mice, there are mice - it's rats you have to worry about. We have bait stations just incase & an ultra sonic gadget thing. Mice & rats are everywhere anyway - even without chickens. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 It's a good idea to keep your chicken pellets/mash in something metal if you keep it outside, so that mice/rats can't eat their way into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 We don't see many mice alive, as the old moggy is quite adept at keeping the numbers down, but last winter I did see one in broad daylight, going to and fro between the run and the nearby rockery - I guess hunger had made him extra bold! The problem was, the girls had been throwing the boring old wheat out of their feeder to get to the cut maize, and I could hardly pick it all out of the bark myself I switched them over to cut maize instead of mixed corn to reduce spillage and wastage, and a few months later I caught the girls squabbling over a mouse they had killed. Haven't seen any more since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 And dont store your food sacks on the floor. I live near the railway and have seen mice in the garden before but I have 2 cats that deal with them. As for Rats... Ill just shoot them if I see them. But between me and the railway is a guy who keeps pidgeons so I guess thats there first port of call. Im yet to see a rat in my garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosey Lucy Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Ash said: Three hens called That one, That one, That smaller one Great names Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iChicken Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 rats are everywhere, you are just more likely to notice them if there are chickens about because they are drawn to the food. When we moved house 4 months ago we noticed holes under the fence behind the shed and guessed there were rats or mice around but never saw anything so we didn't think much of it. Then 2 months ago we got an Eglu and 2 chickens and suddenly we noticed the rats had tried to burrow into the run and chew through the bars. Luckily we enticed them into the old shed where we had placed poison and last weekend found a large dead rat. Since then no signs of rats, fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I would echo the suggestion about a metal bin for your feed/corn etc. You can get one for about £20 from B&Q (or Ebay). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAZ Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 God i'll be having nightmares now as i am petrified of the things. Arrrh Will be unable to fill up their food bowl now so thats a job for the kids in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Foodbowl ? Its a chicken not a cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 The Domestic Fowl trust do all different size metal food bins (and mail order/internet). They do a great one which holds a full 20kg sack of feed and there is a loop of metal over the top to keep the lid in place - it was £13 I think. Having had corn that attracted mice in a sack last summer I would recommend a metal bin. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 we put the food away every night and brush up but it's impossible to clear up every grain. I saw a little field mouse a while ago, a little tiny thing it was, quite possibly a baby one? He came right up to the back door. It freaked me out at first but then I grew quite fond of him and named him Algernon but I haven't seen him since. I fear the worst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Tilytinkle Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Ooooh, rats -mice . . food away at night, different feeds they like & don't like metal food container bins . . Phewie - sooo glad this site is here Now to add metal container to my growing to do & to get list. .hmmm & maybe now to reconsider placement of cube . .. no where near any shed etc & now .er .. fingers crossed & a cuppa coffee whilst i think . . Ms Tilypondering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I opened my compost bin the other day and found 3 mice. After having rats gambolling round the garden in broad daylight a few months back I have to say the mice looked very cute! I personally think rats are inevitable - we had them in the garden before we had chickens (we back on to farmland) and had to put poison down every winter. As others have said, they just become more noticeable when you get chooks. It's a good idea not to store garden cushions etc in the shed as mice love chewing them up to make nests. One year they ate all the car washing sponges in our shed - that was one heck of a mess! Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Please don't stress about it. I have never seen either a rat or a mouse in the garden - nor have I seen any sign of them digging anywhere. Just enjoy your chickens and don't even think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Buy an air rifle and target practice on the rats that dare to step into your garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Buy an air rifle and target practice on the rats that dare to step into your garden. I'd suggest doing it humanely, unless you're a crack shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Im a crack shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkybijou Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I didn't think we had mice either until my cat brought one back for me, I suppose they are everywhere. I used to breed mice as pets and don't have a problem with them to be honest (I quite like them) - I would more feel sorry for them as my cat picked them off if they were in my garden! Rats are a different story, although I would only put humane traps down and follow all the fabulous advice here about locking the food away to dissuade them from my garden. Ash - if I may be honest, I think you are showing off somewhat, and I'm pretty sure it's not humane to kill rats with an airpistol - "Ooops, word censored!"ody is such a good shot that they don't ever injure or maim an animal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
