I need advice getting rid of mice

[TomSeller]

I don't have any dogs or cats but my neighbor's two Catahoulas, a brown retriever, and a white German shepherd practically live on my front porch. Those dogs eat field mice like chocolate. If they are around when I bush hog, they will chase the field mice, catch and swallow them whole.

I hope they crunch them first

 

[MossRoad]

Keep hosing out the mice as often as possible if that seems to be working. And keep setting traps. It will take a while, but eventually you'll start getting the numbers down, then you'll have to maintain your trap line, so-to-speak. Never let up!

We had a similar problem with moles. They killed our swimming pool! So I started trapping. On one acre, I killed 29 the first year, and stopped counting at 50 the next 5 years, so there's about 300 in 6 years on one acre. Then, just like that, they dropped off to only a handful per year for the next 10 years.

You gotta put a huge dent in them and keep denting them until the numbers are down.

I know you don't like individual traps, but these are VERY effective, easy to set, easy to empty, and come in 24 packs for about $24. Jaws 409 mouse traps.

Amazon.com: JT Eaton 49BULK Jawz Plastic Mouse Trap, For Solid or Liquid Bait (Pack of 24): Industrial & Scientific

 

[JulieMartinez]

I would suggest you get in contact with the professional pest control services.

 

[EddieWalker]

Update on the mouse problem. My wife posted on FB asking for barn cats, or kittens. We had multiple offers from people giving us kittens for a grand total of 14, with two being nursing moms and the rest kittens from a total of four different moms. We kept them all inside our garden kitchen for about a month and a half. They all got along great, but most of them had stomach issues. My wife treated them for just about everything possible with mostly good results. We lost two. Worms where probably the worse issue. Free pets are always the most expensive!!!

While the cats where in there, we also had three eggs hatch from our chickens and we put those chicks inside the kitchen with the cats. We also had a hen get hurt by one of the horses, so she went in there too. The chickens are kept in cages, and the cats just got used to them being there.

When we let the cats out, both mama cats took off and never came back. That surprised us because they seemed so friendly. They literally just took off on a run straight out into the woods!!! Then over the following month, two more kittens disappeared. No idea what happened to them. They 8 remaining seem to have it figured out. One of them still has some stomach problems that we are treating, but none of the meds have had any significant results. She seems happy, friendly and playful, but she is half the size of the others and her rear end is a mess from diarrhea.

As for the mouse issue, they have made a serious dent in their population. We regularly see one of the cats with a mouse in it's mouth, or playing with it's dead body. Sometimes they will fight over a dead mouse, which is kind of funny to see. The noises they make are unexpected!!!! I put a cat door in the garage and another in the garden kitchen, so they can come in when they want, or be outside. Mostly they like it in the garage. Some of them will spend the night in the chicken coop. There is no telling how many mice they kill. We find dead ones first thing in the morning, but then the chickens eat what the cats are too full to eat and leave behind.

Cats really are the best thing ever for killing mice!!!!

 

[FTG-05]

Eddie, for worms (and most other internal parasites) I use a bit of food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE). I just mix in a little with their food every couple of weeks or so. One of my cats ended up with worms and the Vet charged me $20 for one shot. I have 8 cats and three dogs - screw that. Learned about DE and never looked back.

And it is disheartening to take care of a cat for 1-2 months, then have it leave and/or die on you. RIP Egg, Toast, Biscuit and Oatmeal.


Good luck!

 

[jclaudii]

Did you start taking the food out? We free range during the summer as well and it is easier to spread a little feed out in the yard than leave it as free choice for the birds. If they are not expecting it all the time, they usually gobble it up pretty fast.

 

[bigtiller]

That has been our experience with cats also Eddie. How did the "Tin Cat" work for you that was referenced in post #6?

 

[oosik]

I've found that cats work best - but I don't have any chickens to worry about. Right now I have zero cats - too many coyotes, hawks & owls. However, I'm "in the market" for about 4-6 farm cats.

I've tried the tin cat - it didn't work for beans here. Nothing ever went inside to be trapped. I now have a bucket in operation - its doing good - 3-4 chipmunks & 3-4 mice/day.

I don't have the horrendous volume of mice that Eddie does. I would be getting that chicken feed into something mouse-proof and figure some way of closing down the feeders at night.

That volume of mice can become a human health problem.

 

[EddieWalker]

That has been our experience with cats also Eddie. How did the "Tin Cat" work for you that was referenced in post #6?

After reading a bunch of reviews on it, I decided to pass on the "tin cat" and instead bought two dozen traps. The traps worked good, the chickens love eating the dead mice!!!! But they where not good enough to stop us from seeing mice on a daily basis. Mostly in the evening when closing up the coops. Since letting the cats loose, we have not seen a single mouse!!! I think cats are either sleeping or hunting 24/7!!!!! I've become a big fan of them.

 

[/pine]

As good as cats are at controlling rats and mice etc...feral cats and or cats that are allowed to run wild are one of the most devastating, invasive non native species ever released in America...