Joined
·
6 Posts
I am planning to build a chicken coop. Now trying to find out the best way to keep mice/rats away. Any suggestion?
Building chicken coop
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
Joined
·
777 Posts
metal. Metal rim on tight fitting doors, metal flashing, metal lined walls. Feed in metal can with tight fitting lids.
and
NO places for them to hide inside,
and
button them up tight at night.
You will STILL have a few.... but manageable.
Feed outside only, and pick up and put in metal garbage can each night... and none....
and
NO places for them to hide inside,
and
button them up tight at night.
You will STILL have a few.... but manageable.
Feed outside only, and pick up and put in metal garbage can each night... and none....
Joined
·
19,800 Posts
Mice are the least of your worries if you have bears around.
Joined
·
2,362 Posts
If mice are your big concern, then check out this type of feeder. We bought one of these for that reason.
![]()
Top picture shows feeder closed. The bottom shows it open. It has a flat area the chickens must stand on in order for the door to open. But when it's closed it forms a nice tight rat proof container.
It's all metal too.
I didn't buy this exact brand but the design is exactly the same as I bought.
More info here....
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/best-automatic-chicken-feeder.html
Top picture shows feeder closed. The bottom shows it open. It has a flat area the chickens must stand on in order for the door to open. But when it's closed it forms a nice tight rat proof container.
It's all metal too.
I didn't buy this exact brand but the design is exactly the same as I bought.
More info here....
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/best-automatic-chicken-feeder.html
Joined
·
2,362 Posts
I don't have bears, but yeah for me mice are lower on the list of my worries. It's a tossup between raccoons, snakes, bobcats, and raptors. Snakes seem impossible to prevent, but I kept a rooster hoping it'll keep them at bay.
Joined
·
612 Posts
Using 1/2" wire mesh on any openings will work for rats. Mice are near impossible to keep out of anywhere. They can squeeze through the tiniest gap.
As others have said make sure they can't get at the feed. If there is nothing for them to eat they will go look elsewhere. If they can eat there they will stay and breed quickly.
It is a pain but make sure they can't feed and you won't have many problems.
As @RobertSWMissouri says, don't have places for them to hide. The chickens will eat mice if they can get at them!
Dogs and cats can help. They usually can't get all of them but they scare a lot away.
I like breakback traps for rats. Scaled up mousetraps. Bait them with peanut butter and put them where the chickens can't get to them.
As others have said make sure they can't get at the feed. If there is nothing for them to eat they will go look elsewhere. If they can eat there they will stay and breed quickly.
It is a pain but make sure they can't feed and you won't have many problems.
As @RobertSWMissouri says, don't have places for them to hide. The chickens will eat mice if they can get at them!
Dogs and cats can help. They usually can't get all of them but they scare a lot away.
I like breakback traps for rats. Scaled up mousetraps. Bait them with peanut butter and put them where the chickens can't get to them.
Joined
·
777 Posts
I have heard that electric fence works well for bears.... we do have the occasional bear around here, have never seen one or sign of one on the place (electric fence all the way around).
Note: if you have 5 - strand perimeter electric fence on fiberglass posts, pretty cheap security. With a good charger, even if someone puts a log on the bottom strand to short it out, it will still have 6-7,000 volts and will keep people out. You can't use metal posts, as easy to short to metal.... you can cut with fiberglass bolt cutters, but those are rare.
Note: if you have 5 - strand perimeter electric fence on fiberglass posts, pretty cheap security. With a good charger, even if someone puts a log on the bottom strand to short it out, it will still have 6-7,000 volts and will keep people out. You can't use metal posts, as easy to short to metal.... you can cut with fiberglass bolt cutters, but those are rare.
Joined
·
2,912 Posts
Roosters won't keep predators away.
He will tell them all where he is every morning starting around 3 AM.
Snakes and mice can be stopped with 0.25" hardware cloth.
That's if your coop is built on a concrete slab.
Joined
·
6 Posts
We found the best way to keep the vermin away, is to feed the chickens only what they will eat in an hour. We feed them twice a day and they finnish their food. That is one way. Also keeping them on deep bedding helps, because as it composts the bedding becomes host to many bugs that chickens like and mice don't eat. We also have a second coop with free range chickens, those don't get food other than what they can find, donut doesn't attract mice. They get let out in the morning,and cage closed at night. In our experience it's the constant open food in the chicken coop which attracts the mice. The grain storage for the chickens, we keep in big heavy duty plastic garbage cans with tight fitting kids, and haven't had mice or eats get in.
Joined
·
6 Posts
We found the best way to keep the vermin away, is to feed the chickens only what they will eat in an hour. We feed them twice a day and they finnish their food. That is one way. Also keeping them on deep bedding helps, because as it composts the bedding becomes host to many bugs that chickens like and mice don't eat. We also have a second coop with free range chickens, those don't get food other than what they can find, donut doesn't attract mice. They get let out in the morning,and cage closed at night. In our experience it's the constant open food in the chicken coop which attracts the mice. The grain storage for the chickens, we keep in big heavy duty plastic garbage cans with tight fitting kids, and haven't had mice or rats get in.
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
