Will voles bother chickens?

[ChixPix]

I have a vole problem. Sadly it took me a WHOLE YEAR to figure out that that trail was NOT a snake trail (welcome) and really a vole (unwelcome). I finally figurd it out in the middle of winter when one got into my house. At that point, I couldn't do a darn thing about it because I had 5' (yes feet) of snow around my house.

Snow melts, winter clears out, and I had a mess. Lost a bunch of brand new trees mainly. I've been baiting, plus I'm trying to cut off a food source of grubworms.
I did see some vole holes out by the coop/run and now I'm wondering if they might be a problem later. Logic tells me probably not since my coop is sitting on cement, but I'm the paranoid type so I'm hoping I don't find a big fat hole in my coop wall come next spring.

Dirty little buggers. You don't want these things.

 

[sune42]

I don't think they would eat chickens. I don't know about chicks or eggs. I had one in my house, well an apartment I used to live in, as well. Caught it and put it in a tupperware and set it on the apartment manager's desk. She didn't like that much, lol.

 

[redhen]

I think the chickens would eat THEM... lol...

 

[Cetawin]

No voles will not hurt your birds...your birds are more a threat to them. Voles are predominately vegetarian and will eat some insects. They will eat your BOSS but not your birds. They will kill your plants and garden veggies in a flash...they eat the bulbs, roots and tubers. Some species will actually die if they cannot eat douglas fir needles. Go figure..but my girls will kill mice, moles and voles...they have no problem killing and eating them (if I let them)

 

[NurseELB]

Any chance you could post a pic of your vole holes? I think that's why I can't grow anything! We pick up the feed at night also because it was disappearing rather fast...

 

[Wolfwoman]

I have shrews here, and I am pretty sure that any that get into the coop will be eaten. I know that I've seen chickens kill and eat mice so shrews shouldn't be much different.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Your birds would probably be delighted if a vole got into their yard.

I know mine were when a pocket gopher foolishly burrowed his way into their yard.

 

[ChixPix]

Great, I hope the epicenter of all the voles is right under the run. My life would be COMPLETE.

NurseELB - the vole holes look just like a snake hole. HOWEVER, right as we came out of winter, there were trails everywhere (that were under the snow). They surprisingly didn't bother my flower garden (which i'm building up from tubers/bulbs - go figure) but they DID eat up about 7 new trees. I'm still kinda ticked about that!

Hardware cloth is my FRIEND this year!

 

[rachelbinnc]

I caught my hens fighting over a dead vole recently. Voles are like chocolate to those girls.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Ok, I've heard of voles, but I don't actually know what it is. Is it like a mole? An underground burrowing, blind, rodent? I'm wondering if we have them here in West Central Indy. I know we have ground squirrels coming out our ears, but no moles, so I don't know if we would have voles either.