water buckets and mice...eeww

[RockyToggRanch]

I use a heated bucket for the chickens in the winter. I didn't have a problem last year, but this year I'm dumping them almost daily when I see floating dead mice in them. Any suggestions? I use traps and I have 2 indoor outdoor cats. I tried barn cats adopted from a feral group, but they left after a few months. Luckily the weather has been warm and up until today there hasn't been ice. It wasn't bad when I could use the hose, now I'll be lugging water from the house. Also for 4 goats (mice in their water too). And 3 horses (no mice in their big stock tank).

I have ducks that use the same water bucket...yeah I know...it's a long story. If anyone wants some free ducks let me know

 

[trilyn]

Great-I just switched to a bucket waterer in my coop, is this what I have to look forward to? lol My dh is in for some blood curdling screams if that's the case!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I used them last year and never a single mouse, so perhaps it's just a bad year here? I need to find a solution though.

 

[trilyn]

Could be, I've found the buggers in my pantry pretty early this year-not happy!

I would really love to have a cat, but with 3 dogs in the house, I don't know if I can deal with the extra housework, blah! I love dogs, but 3 in the house is too much for me, I don't even have a fenced in yard to boot their butts out when I need to clean, they just follow me around and I trip over them. Of course, I can't really complain since I brought them all home!!

 

[calicokat]

You know, it is a bad year for them! I found little "mousy calling cards" on my desk . . . . AT WORK! In 6 years I'd never seen evidence of mice there!

Also, we had a lot of trouble with them in the house this fall too -- seemed a little worse than usual.

Hope you find a solution, I can handle a lot of things, but mice still make me scream and dance around like a little kid!!

 

[kick'n chick'n]

my chickens catch mice & eat them. they would love it if the waterer would take the chase out of them getting their treat!!

 

[Tala]

do they only get in the heated waterer? I just got one....
As far as I know, my Tiger keeps the rodent population at bay. We use regular water buckets year round and never found anything floating, so that's why I wondered if it was just the heated ones that seemed to attract mice.

 

[kees]

Would putting something greasy or oily on the sides of the bucket keep the mice from getting into it?

Suzy

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Nope, not just the heated ones. I haven't even plugged any in yet this year. I think the chickens would still drink their water with a mouse in it, but the goats are very picky and I'm sure they wouldn't touch it until it was freshened.

Not sure if oiling the sides would work.....hmmmm....
I'm thinking the chickens belly right up to the bucket or hop up on the edge, so they'd just wipe it off.

I guess I'll try barn cats again and see if they'll stick around this time...

 

[goobhen]

I am using the heated waterer for chickens in my coop, no mice. I have never seen any mice in the chicken part of the coop, have seen the "evidence" in the people part of the coop. My DH left off the lid to the chicken feed once, one mouse got in. DH has learned his lesson! We get the mice in the shed (8x8) that we use for our dogs (6 of them). Mice will get in the water bucket at least once a month. We use a heated bucket for the winter, I usually find one mouse in it weekly. It is a fact of life out where we live, we have four cats, mice in house are killed by the cats! (I LOVE my cats).