Mice and hen breeds

[NorthGeogia]

I let my hens free range and they like to hang out around my porch. Mice come at night to feast on the hen poop. My cat was a good mouser, but has aged and settled into retirement.
I have two old dogs, one old cat and don't want to get another cat yet.

Any ideas on how to keep the mice away?
Are there any chicken breeds that hunt mice?

 

[Mraya]

If the mice come out at night then the chickens would not be any help.
I would set mouse traps.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Use tamper proof bait box and chunx bait. If you don't get a handle on it you'll be inundated with rats. That is not a place you want to be, start now and never have a problem.

 

[Trish1974]

Too bad your mice don't come out during the day because I'm sure your flock would annihilate them! My chickens are better mousers than my cats. Especially my golden comet.

 

[NorthGeogia]

Too bad your mice don't come out during the day because I'm sure your flock would annihilate them! My chickens are better mousers than my cats. Especially my golden comet.

Do your hens hunt mice down in the field, or are the mice trapped in the pen/run?

 

[Trish1974]

If they come across one free ranging or if one gets in their run they'll catch it, but they don't intentionally go looking for them.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I agree with the advice above. The best action is trapping and bait at the porch as they are likely under the house.

Some chickens will catch mice; others won't.

I purposely got Buckeyes because I had heard they are natural mousers. Nope. Nothing. They just watched them run.

So how much a chicken will chase a mouse is highly dependent on the chicken. Some will. Some won't.

Besides, with all the disease and filth rodents bring, I prefer my birds not eating them. Mice bring in a lot of mites in particular.

LofMc

 

[drumstick diva]

Disgusting - I am squeamish and wouldn't even want to eat eggs from a hen that has been eating mice. I know irrational but, mice is mice. Ugh

 

[Folly's place]

A few mice are unavoidable out there, but by the time you see them running around, it's a LOT of mice! I've been fighting a major coop infestation this winter, and only poison is making a difference. As soon as it's warm enough, my coop floor is getting a new layer of concrete!!!
No chicken is after mice at night, and that's prime time for rodents.
Considering all the other yucky stuff the birds eat while free ranging, mice are the least of it. Mary

 

[Snaggy]

This afternoon I saw a small hole near my coop. I put the hose in it and flushed out 2 very sleek mice. I bapped them with my rake. They didn't run through the chicken run so I don't know what my girl's would have done