Mice In Chicken Coop Disaster! What Happens Next?
Nooo!
‘Mice in chicken coop‘ you yell…
Did you see them scurrying away when they saw you?
The war is on and who’s going to win out in this fight.
Mice In Chicken Coop Disaster
When you get mice, you have a mice in chicken coop disaster if you don’t watch it.
Want to know the devastation they can cause.
Which will end up spending you money?
Read on.
Mice In Chicken Coop Issues?
Are you thinking of getting chickens or do you already have chickens…
But are unsure if you will unwittingly be attracting those rats and mice into your backyard?
Just because you have your own backyard chickens, does not mean that you also have mice or rats in your chicken coop if you are not careful.
Let’s face it…
You could have rubbish outside in your backyard, and you will still attract mice.
So do not let this put you off having backyard chickens if you don’t already have them ok…
In fact, it’s not the chickens or the eggs that attract the mice.
But the food, water and a nice area that is protected to live in that encourage the mice to set up home with your chickens.
If you did not know.
Chickens are actually omnivores…
Meaning…
Like ourselves, they eat both plants and meat.
This means that a mouse that is a bit slow running through the coop, might find that it becomes a light snack for one of your chickens.
I wouldn’t however, rely on your chickens to keep your mouse problem under control though.
Preventing Chicken Coop Mice As Visitors
In fact, there are several preventative measures that you could take to keep away these undesirable visitors into your chicken coop and chicken run.
”Prevention is better than cure” they say…
Rodents accessing the chicken coop.
The first thing that you try and do is to try physically to keep the mice out of your chicken coop.
I would like to see that.
You running around the chicken coop dodging and ducking.
See also Custom Chicken Coops: How to Build Your Own Personalized Bird House
You might even hit your head in the doorway…
But there is a better way than puffing yourself out or hurting yourself in the process you know…
If you have not noticed by now…
Mice have a way of fitting into small places, in fact, they have a talent for it.
Yes!
They can fit into spaces we would never assume they would be able to gain access.
Well hello, mouse…
If you have a fixed chicken coop and run made with let’s say…
Iron walls, for instance, a concrete floor and some fine mesh to go with it, you may be able to keep these pesky mice out.
But if you have a mobile chicken coop instead, or you like to let your chickens your chickens out for a run every so often.
There’s probably going to be a tiny gap somewhere for these determined little creatures to find their way in.
So physically keeping the mice out of your backyard chicken coop may not be a reality.
You could be living in a dreamland…
Have you seen them climb
They would make great little robbers…
However, there are still other ways that you can keep them under control.
Mice Looking For Food
Mice love spilt feed…
One of the key factors in keeping away rodents such as mice and rats is to make sure that you have an adequate feeder that doesn’t allow the chickens to spill a great deal of their feed all over the place on the ground.
Yes…
Chickens can and do waste a lot of their feed like grain by scratching it onto the ground, which costs you a lot of money and also attracts not only rodents but birds as well.
Chickens will naturally try to sort their grain mix to find the tastiest piece of grain or seed…
Have you noticed that?
Could use a quality feeder with tray divisions or even a treadle-type feeder?
These chicken feeders can be the key factor in keeping away the rats and mice in your chicken run.
You will find out that if food is not available the mice will not stick around.
See also Plastic or Metal Bird Feeders: Which Is Better for Your Backyard Chickens
Sure…
They love the comfort of the hen house as well for shelter.
But if there is no food as well, they will have to travel for it.
And this will most probably have them packing up their kit and leaving your chicken house.
Feeding Your Chickens Once A Day?
This actually helps get the rodent problem under control.
By simply scattering the chicken feed on the ground each morning, they should eat it all up.
By putting too much feed down, more than the chickens can eat.
That is when the rodents will come in to have their turn to feast on the leftovers.
Self-feeders are really the only easy way to ensure they have a continuous supply of chicken feed available for your chickens.
But if you go away, you will need an automatic chicken feeder.
You could actually invest in a feeder that limits the amount of grain spilt.
Yes, there are such feeders on the market now.
If you have your feed near or in the actual chicken coop itself, always make sure that it is sealed in a tight container.
It’s also a good idea that you store your supply of grain or pellets appropriately so that mice can not gain access to it.
By keeping your chicken feed in the bag in which you purchased it, is not going to be a wise idea.
As you know, mice have sharp little teeth and you know what that means.
They can very easily chew through a sack, much to their delight!
Now, even tough plastic or wood is no problem for rats or mice to have a go at.
You can buy a strong container, metal is a good one…
Such as an old-fashioned garbage bin or even a 44-gallon drum if you can find one to store your grain.
So if the cry goes out!
Mice in chicken coop! Mice in chicken coop!’
It is another backyard chicken run that has been invaded by rodents that were not invited and for you to sort out.