Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[debbie26pet]

i just put the light on to check they all had gone to bed. and im sure i saw a little dark thing go over the bottom bit of my wire, no tail so im thinking a mouse? oh i dont want my neighbours thinking its my fault. all my food is lifted of the ground and water, so cant reach it only if it carries a step ladder with it

one very brave mouse if as we have 8 cats and next door has 2.

any tips to detare it coming havent seen it during the day , thought i saw something around the same time the other night, but thought it was me seeing things, hubby has been out looking cant see anything. oh i feel awful

[Ain't Nobody Here]

A mouse would have had a tail, wouldn't it? I wouldn't worry, it's probably a field mouse which isn't cause for panic like a rat would be. If it's still there in the morning, your girls will probably eat it .

[Guest]

could have been a vole?

 

we put the girls food in the shed at night and brush up as much as we can but there's always going to be bits on the floor.

 

I saw a field mouse outside the back door a few months after we got the girls, it freaked me out at first but then I got used to the idea and named him. I think he was a baby field mouse so perhaps more bold, haven't seen him since though. He was hoovering up a bit of spilt corn.

 

If you're worried, try and leave as little food outside at night as possible and if you think you're infested, set some humane traps but I always think prevention is better than cure (and less cruel).

[Egluntyne]

Mice have tails debbie.

 

Why not try a humane mouse catcher, and then you can take it to the park and let it go. At least that way, if it is a shrew or similar, it won't have died unnecessarily in a normal trap.

 

Most gardens have little woodmice etc living in them.

[debbie26pet]

grt thanks i didnt see any tail at the back just seem to this dark thing going through my wire i saw its behind, coming to think of it the cats brought in was a few mths ago a field mouse so im prob worring over nothing thanks you guys

 

yeah mice dont have tails had 4 wild kids today so im brain dead sorry, i try and clean up any spillage etc but as u know, it gets every were mine love throwing it with there beaks, even though my feed holders are hanging not on ground

[Olly]

I had mice before I had chickens, the cat helpfully samples the wildlife at regular intervals so I know what's living in my garden! (or not living .... )

 

They will certainly eat chicken-food but as long as they're not in the house, and your feed is securely stored, then I wouldn't worry. Mice don't usually live a solitary life and you'll never get rid of all of them. Whilst they're not the most hygienic of animals, they don't cause the problems that rats do.

[chickenanne]

If you can bring the feed in overnight that would be good, as even if they can't get at it I think it still attracts them to some extent.

But unless you have them in the house I wouldn't worry - we've poison down in the loft, just-in-case, but the only damage they do outside is to bulbs.