Mint mouse spray in the chicken coop? Anyone tried this before? There are several different ones out there? Any luck using them?

[Nutterbutterdiablo]

Anyone try those mint sprays to get rid of mice in the chicken coop? I'm at my witts end. Tried everything that is safe for my chickens except this? Any one?? Thanks!

 

[cmom]

I haven't personally. When I had one of my coops infested with rats, I resorted to poison in rat bait stations I put in my barn which is behind the coops. I had noticed some tunnels especially around the infested coop. When I started renovating it dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. They had nests in the ceiling and walls which I tore out. The rat bait box doesn't let anything but rats and mice access to the bait and there is a little window above the bait so it can be checked often. I didn't find any dead rats so I assume they went into their tunnels and died. The baits haven't been touched for quite awhile and I haven't seen any rats or evidense of rats. Good luck...

 

[Trish1974]

While I haven't used mint spray in the chicken coop (no need as I have barn cats), I did use peppermint oil on cotton balls in the ground effects of my old Firebird that was stored in the winters. MIce would always make nests in the ground effects of the car, but the peppermint oil on cotton balls worked. I just had to replenish with new about every month.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Well, maybe they will have nice smelling breath. Past that, just another old wives tale from someone unwilling or unable to do what is needed to eliminate the rats. That is get a treadle feeder, clean up the property so the rats and mice have fewer safe paths to travel to and from the coop, and make sure your bulk feed is safe in metal containers.

Rats and mice will live within a few dozen to at most a few hundred feet of their food supply. For rodents their natural predators make long trips risky so they live close. Most natural environments will also have a small capacity for rodents, usually the available natural food. Because of that there will be a constant battle for territory and if you were to poison or trap your way out of your problem the niche would be filled in short order by other rodents.

Secure the feed and the rodents have to leave. The few that will be left will be too busy hustling natural food to mess with your chickens. It is that simple.

 

[Nutterbutterdiablo]

I can't use any poisons as we have so many eagles around that would eat the poisoned mice. I have all feed kept safely. Still there are so many in the coop. I have to do something!!! Anyone????

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I can't use any poisons as we have so many eagles around that would eat the poisoned mice. I have all feed kept safely. Still there are so many in the coop. I have to do something!!! Anyone????

Wow! We have a very tight coop and I don’t store any feed there unless it is in a very tight heavy plastic thick thick tub from TSC and I have a Grandpa’s treadle feeder for winter time in the coop which works great. I keep the bedding poked down and checked for any rodents daily and we have two rodent killing dogs whose breed is rodent breeds which helps. My hens would get a mouse I believe if we had any but rats aren’t going to fit in. They can’t get in. It is a tight coop. We have too many predators - hawks, owls, Cats that are wild, and other snakes that will get the rodents so I don’t think I will have a rodent problem. I have prepared against it ahead of time.

 

[Nutterbutterdiablo]

I do not have any feed stored in or near my coop. I have a hanging feeder which I remove from coop every night. I have a wooden floor and I take Ball jar tops and screw them over any mouse holes I find. Any suggestion on how to keep them out?? Much appreciated!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I do not have any feed stored in or near my coop. I have a hanging feeder which I remove from coop every night. I have a wooden floor and I take Ball jar tops and screw them over any mouse holes I find. Any suggestion on how to keep them out?? Much appreciated!

If they are mainly coming in through your coop floor you might could consider reflooring the coop with some solid plywood and then putting down another layer of linoleum. That might help tighten up the coop and keep all the previous mouse holes covered for good. You could then put glue traps underneath the layers of the old floor? Maybe? I don’t know your coops design or layout? The glue traps would not poison the eagles and they would keep the mice in place. You would be able to dislodge them or your chickens would be able to kill them and then dislodge them and eat them. Or the eagles as well but no poison for either. It’s just an idea. The linoleum cleans up well and you can wash it down easy and use bleach on it or pyrethrum or permethrin if needed if you have to treat that area and your birds for any type of parasites. I know because that is how my coop is designed. Good luck to you.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I do not have any feed stored in or near my coop. I have a hanging feeder which I remove from coop every night. I have a wooden floor and I take Ball jar tops and screw them over any mouse holes I find. Any suggestion on how to keep them out?? Much appreciated!

Doesn't matter that your hanging feeder is reduced every night, the rats will eat during the day. You need a proper treadle feeder. Notice that the reply with the grandpa feeder still has the occasional rat to deal with, grandpa feeders are not rat proof, the treadle is too wide, the door isn't spring loaded or counter weighted.'

You will not be able to fence out a rat unless you spend a ton of money. You can keep the feed away from the rodents and they will leave quickly after that.

 

[cmom]

I have used poison when I had an infestation. I used rat bait stations and only the rats can get to the bait. I never found any dead rats. I believe they went into their tunnels that were around the coops and died. Although secondary poisoning is possible, it is very unlikely. I do have 40# hanging feeders in the coops and have had no rats in the feeders. I put a cameras in a couple of the coops and nothing showed up on the cameras.