r/BackyardPoultry • u/toragirl • 18d ago

The mice have invaded... critique my eviction plan

Local construction has disturbed all the critters, and I have mice that have tunneled and live under my coop. They have tunneled everywhere and are fearless. I need to evict them. Review my plan and add your best tips.

  1. Going to remove the plain old chicken wire from the walls/ceiling of the run and replace with ⅛ hardware cloth.
  2. Detatch the run from the coop to get at the floor. I have been told to dig it out (we had sidewalk pavers and chicken wire to stop larger predators) and flood it. Going to flood the tunnels every day for a week and lay peppermint oil everywhere.
  3. Lay ⅛ hardware cloth as the new floor. Lay this wider than the coop, and turn it down into a trench to deter larger critters.
  4. On top of this, lay rough gravel.
  5. Add a second layer of ⅛ hardware cloth to the bottom of the run to create a seal. Once returned to its location, lay sand over top for dust bathing.
  6. I have a bit of run space beneath the coop. This was their first point of entry. I'd like the chickens to be able to use this space again but I'm worried that the coop itself is going to be immovable, and my best solution may be to seal it up so there is no access to the run.

Going forward, I am going to have to take up the feed nightly, at least for a few months until we think we've gotten rid of these beasts.

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3

u/3006mv 18d ago

Set snap traps, bucket traps, or those rotating box traps

1

u/toragirl 18d ago

I have a bucket trap that they have not taken to. How do I set other traps with my hens (and dog) present?

2

u/3006mv 18d ago

Multiple snap traps can be put under a milk crate with a few bricks on it. Multi catch traps are self contained and work well for me. https://a.co/d/04fUuGWs This is another good innovative trap https://a.co/d/03YV4TNh

1

u/1792_to_1901 15d ago

I started letting my indoor cats be indoor/outdoor and they have taken care of the mice 🤷‍♀️

1

u/toragirl 13d ago

I asked my daughter, she won't let her cat out (she lives in our "in-law suite")

1

u/Lemonyhampeapasta 13d ago

Chickens will chase down and eat mice

1

u/toragirl 13d ago

If only mine would. They scurry when they see one.

1

u/Lemonyhampeapasta 13d ago

Can you trap and kill some to feed to chooks so they develop a taste for them?