I need advice getting rid of mice

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

This story reminds me of a documentary I watched on YouTube awhile back about a mouse plague in Australia. Infested!- Insane Mouse Plague! - YouTube

That's a short clip of it.

 

[RobertN]

Easier to use a Fuzee(road flare). Works great. Light it, and stick the lit end in the mouse, rat, or mole hole...

Since you know where the hole is, could you put a hose from your ATV exhaust in there for several minutes and kill the whole lot with CO poisoning? Never tried it personally but in theory it should work and still be safe for the chickens if they ate some dying mice.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Easier to use a Fuzee(road flare). Works great. Light it, and stick the lit end in the mouse, rat, or mole hole...

Ever been in a chicken coop? lol I wouldn't put a road flare anywhere near my coop, that thing would go up easier than a matchbox

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Everyone has just about covered how to rid yourself of the mouse problem. Only thing I could add is persistence. If you don't stick with it once you you get the numbers down it won't take long before you have a million of the little pests. A few years back had a different place and the barn was right in the edge of the woods, had horses and calves and would have a few mice but not a big problem. The place I have now doesn't have but maybe 6 trees on 22 acres and I have lots of problems with mice. Also have coyotes, skunks, possums, coons, feral cats and neighbors dogs. I have more problems with all other animals than the ones that are supposed to be here. It's almost a full time job keeping everything out of here.

 

[Zerk]

If I had 80 mice, I would move. Not to mention the snakes. Like living in some 3rd world country, near the border.

 

[ning]

I second the "put it away".
I get mice & rats (not huge rats, these just look like fat mice with naked tails, but I think they're rats) in my coop if I don't remove the feeder at night; I keep a metal can in the coop and put it in there at night.

I just got materials for making a supposedly mess-free chicken feeder (bucket feeder, using PVC elbows). I'm hoping that that will eliminate all the lost stuff on the ground, and then I'll have to see if I still get the mice going for the bucket (probably... and a full bucket feeder would be tougher for the lighter helpers to put away).

 

[TomSeller]

My house cat likes to play catch and release with mice so I got two of these Hoont's traps in my house, first one last Aug. by Oct. got 8, so I put another one in, as of last Jan. got ten in all, nothing since, and none in sight or sound>> Hoont Electronic Rodent Trap - Clean and Humane Extermination of Rats & Mice | eBay <<<but I dont have chicks around that might get in it.

Sounds like an electric fence charger of sorts in it?

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

If I had 80 mice, I would move. Not to mention the snakes. Like living in some 3rd world country, near the border.

If you grew up used to snakes and mice I doubt you would move.

Anyone everywhere deals with snakes and mice, some places is a bit worse than others.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Never seen a rat here, just a lot of mice. Do they kill mice?

That they do... They don't eat them, but they'll snatch them, give them a powerful shake or two, snapping the rodent's head, breaking their neck I suppose, then drop them going on after more. I've never seen a mouse, rat, or chipmunk get away from them. After all, they were bred exactly for that purpose.

I'm sure there are other dog breeds that are pretty much as capable, but I can vouch for Rat Terriers. Our two are now 14 years old and not as energetic, but even now they still won't allow a mouse to live. We have the 'toy' size, 5#, but quick? Very quick. I've seen them outrun and out maneuver bobcats that were try to catch them. And once when two large German Shepherds were trying to destroy them... No contest. Zig, zags, and short burst of speed left their pursuers gasping for air. In the true sense of the word, they were running for their lives

The medium size RT's and large RT's also make great hunting dogs.

 

[DieselBound]

I'd go with a dog solution as suggested by Gem99ultra. We have a dog that's used to keep aerial and ground-based predators away. VERY effective. Dogs LOVE to work, and they'll work until they can't work any more.