Deter rodents humanely

[mldw]

I had rats in my run and I used peppermint oil. Reapplied it multiple times a day. Took a while but they left. I still use the oil to keep them gone and so far it has worked.

 

[Caitboyce]

Hey there. Can anyone advise me on possibly a homemade concoction to create a barrier from mice reaching the chicken area? Keep in mind that these are indoor chickens. I was thinking along the lines of perhaps using cinnamon or cayenne pepper, etc. . .

There’s only one remedy that I would ever use: predator pee. My coop is backed on an open field that is overrun with mice. When I bought the house, and before chickens, I discovered that mice were actually burrowing up into the siding on the house. Then they got into my house, ate through the electrical on the dishwasher, etc. exhausted, broke and frankly, grossed out I started doing some research and discovered predator pee. Human, not killing anything or adding poisons to the environment and no handling of dead critters. Not a single mouse anywhere to be found on my property since I started using it. Bob Cat pee - no smell for humans but you best believe the mice run for the hills.

But here’s my true test - I have a sailboat. Soon after buying and fitting her out I found droppings and not mouse. Rats. Wharf rats. Like the size of a chihuahua. They chewed through a teak and mahogany cabinet and did close to $1,000 damage. So I went on line to look for predator pee. Cougar urine. Within 24 hours every rat had vanished. It’s been 7 years and no further rats.

I have a koi pond. You guessed it, I use Coyote pee and have no cats, raccoons, etc eating my koi.

But here’s the thing - the stuff from Amazon or Lowe’s isn’t 100% pee so it doesn’t work. I’ve gone through every trial and error so you don’t have to and there’s only one place I would ever recommend and no, I don’t work for the company.

Predatorpee.com

 

[L and L]

When trapping weasels, fur trappers will put their snap rat traps in an enclosed wooden box with a hole for the 'rodent'. This would make snap traps safe around pets. The snap traps with the metal pedal last longer as the plastic pedal break because the trap is so powerful. You said city 'mice' but if you really have city rats you need the big trap. For actual mice the smaller traps are easy to set and you don't risk a broken finger. I screw 4 or 5 small traps to a 2x6 and it makes a nice kill.

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If you place the traps right next to each other, if one misses, the next one will get it. I always put two or three down together. Also a bucket trap is nifty with water, so they drown.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

There’s only one remedy that I would ever use: predator pee. My coop is backed on an open field that is overrun with mice. When I bought the house, and before chickens, I discovered that mice were actually burrowing up into the siding on the house. Then they got into my house, ate through the electrical on the dishwasher, etc. exhausted, broke and frankly, grossed out I started doing some research and discovered predator pee. Human, not killing anything or adding poisons to the environment and no handling of dead critters. Not a single mouse anywhere to be found on my property since I started using it. Bob Cat pee - no smell for humans but you best believe the mice run for the hills.

But here’s my true test - I have a sailboat. Soon after buying and fitting her out I found droppings and not mouse. Rats. Wharf rats. Like the size of a chihuahua. They chewed through a teak and mahogany cabinet and did close to $1,000 damage. So I went on line to look for predator pee. Cougar urine. Within 24 hours every rat had vanished. It’s been 7 years and no further rats.

I have a koi pond. You guessed it, I use Coyote pee and have no cats, raccoons, etc eating my koi.

But here’s the thing - the stuff from Amazon or Lowe’s isn’t 100% pee so it doesn’t work. I’ve gone through every trial and error so you don’t have to and there’s only one place I would ever recommend and no, I don’t work for the company.

Predatorpee.com

Can the chickens smell it? Wouldn't it stress them out f they could smell a predator constantly nearby?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Mmmm…….indoor chickens means in-your-house?

If so, you do not want to go light handed here. You don’t want mice in your home, walls, pantry etc. and if you are asking, maybe you already have a problem.

Everything food related goes into containers -metal is recommended. Water is placed where chickens can access, but rodents cannot…so, not on the ground as first rule.

Poisons: best overall solution to a rodent problem. Research them, as all do not work the same and all are not detrimental to pets. There are a few general categories as to how they work and it is best to learn for yourself so you can make an educated decision for your specific situation.

Deterrents: mint I think is one deterrent. Not sure about cinnamon.

Important note: rodents are disease vectors, and are not in any danger of becoming a threatened species. They are considered pests, so deal with them so your problem is resolved or you do not encourage a rodent problem to develop.

We live rural, we use outdoor bait stations and monitor them. We change out the poison 2-3 x a year or more often with activity. In certain locations, glue traps work best. We will always have rodents around us, but we don’t want them in the house or barn, to the best of our ability.

Good luck.

I haven't been able to find effective poisons that aren't also detrimental to chickens and pets. What specific poisons are you referring to?

 

[cundare]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQ89XXC8?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

I recently bought this product. All-natural, made from a combination of essential oils like peppermint & lemongrass, relatively inexpensive, humane. Clean & hygienic in little self-contained pouches (although you don't want to ingest any of this stuff!) I've used it for only a week in our attic, where rats pop up every few weeks. So far, no rats whatsoever, although it's definitely too soon to make any conclusions about whether this product is effective. But IMHO it's definitely worth a try before resorting to more extreme methods.

Re: the wide range of opinions here about peppermint oil deterring rodents, well, it appears that sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it takes a while to start or stop working. Details matter.

Here's what Microsoft's Windows AI has to say on the topic (including links):

"Yes, peppermint oil can help repel rodents due to its strong scent, which irritates their sensitive olfactory systems2. However, it is not a foolproof solution and works best as part of a broader pest control strategy"

https://www.thespruce.com/peppermint-oil-for-mice-7373740

https://pestpointers.com/how-to-make-an-easy-mice-repellent-using-peppermint-oil/?form=MG0AV3

Hope this helps. I share your worldview about killing pests only as a last resort. However, I also want to stress that chickens do need to get outside once in a while, maybe at least once a day. They're not designed for life indoors. One of our birds was a rescue chick, almost killed by two protective hens. We raised her indoors and even though she's now adult, she still will only go outside when we're with her. But we still take her out for at least an hour a day, while we're outside, and have been slowly, slowly convincing her not to be afraid of the other birds. She was so badly traumatized as a week-old baby that she may never fully acclimate to "normal" chicken society, but we're hopeful that someday she'll be ready to do so.


Sorry to digress. I still recommend at least trying the pouches at the Amazon link, as a convenient, clean, and potentially effective way to solve your problem. You might also want to invest in an automatic chicken feeder that keeps food locked up until opened by an adult bird. I think that might help A LOT.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

We tried snap traps, caught a few mice, then they ignored them.

We tried jaw traps, caught a few mice, then they ignored them.

We tried a bucket trap, caught two, then the mice ignored them.

Anyone have other recommendations for mouse traps?

 

[cundare]

We tried snap traps, caught a few mice, then they ignored them.

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We tried jaw traps, caught a few mice, then they ignored them.

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We tried a bucket trap, caught two, then the mice ignored them.

View attachment 4078333

Anyone have other recommendations for mouse traps?

You know, one idea is, instead of changing traps, how about changing bait? We've had the experience of getting nowhere with a trap for weeks, then going to, say, peanut butter as bait, and catching a critter within -- no exaggeration -- minutes!

 

[Caitboyce]

Can the chickens smell it? Wouldn't it stress them out f they could smell a predator constantly nearby?

I have never had a chicken that freaked out from the smell. It really is not detectable - and the trick is to place cotton pads 10-15 ft apart and saturated with the stuff.

 

[Caitboyce]

If you place the traps right next to each other, if one misses, the next one will get it. I always put two or three down together. Also a bucket trap is nifty with water, so they drown.

I refuse to kill animals that are acting on natural instinct. Predator Pee jeeps the animal away without having to result in their death…