Rats & Mice games begin, Solutions?

[Kiki]

Don'tcha just love their pricing algorithms? Still says $4.20 on mine.

Yeah, IMO those glue traps are disgusting and cruel. I've also had to remove those from multiple animals that have had the misfortune of getting those dang things stuck in their fur.

Check out my price
Sorry...I couldn't help but click to see how different the price would be.

 

[Just Ranchin]

We use these.

Work great. Catch mice, rats and gophers in them. Didn't expect gophers at all but have caught several so far in the garden when they are out for little field mice. I just mix peanut butter and bird seed for bait and set them out. Cover with a wire cage if they are in the coop so the chickens don't set them off but rodents can still get in. We have them all over the ranch now they work so well for us. A few we've shortened the set bar to make it set off easier for little baby mice. I would say we have hundreds of rodents trapped now in them.
We've tried about everything else and these are the only things that consistently work for us. We got them on amazon.

 

[Folly's place]

So as of today 105 mice!!!
Any good ideas to trap groundhogs? Help!
Mary

 

[rembrandt]

I too discovered tunnels everywhere this year.. I'm a newbie w 2022 my 2nd winter tending chickens and I only have 3 hens. I've seen the tunnels under/into my garage, outside chicken pen, garden beds and compost! Then I saw several rats in my garage (where my smaller, Fort Knox nighttime coop is located, but not penetrable by rats - so far, gratefully!)
I keep food away, having all surplus in metal cans, I don't spread feed in the outside enclosure, plus clean up any inside spillage nightly.
In my garage I started hearing squeaking along w/ rustling - in numerous areas simultaneously - at night. I personally love and respect all animals and don't want to kill any living creature. I've tried numerous live-trapping, repeaters traps, etc., I trapped 14 rats (eeks def not for the faint of heart!!!) but all to no avail. Still hearing LOTS of activity at night.
And multiple sized rats captured indicating multiple litters. Rats multiply VERY fast, reaching sexual maturity at 5-6 weeks, females come into heat all year-round, every 4 to 5 days, and have large litters - average of 10 to 12!
The rats are super smart and started avoiding the live traps, (even when changing types) regardless of what tasty, smelly baits I used, and leaving them not set for days to increase rats not fearing apparatus, etc. I considered buying the Uhlik trap for $200 + along w/ expensive release chambers, but geez...
So when they started infesting my garage and everywhere else, jeopardizing my girls health & safety, (and likely mine, since my garage wreaks of rat excrement now) they've got to go! Plus THEY CAN MIGRATE into YOUR HOUSE!
I don't want to use poison, (so cruel) but I learned online baking soda is effective for rodents if they eat enough. Rodents (like chickens) are unable to belch or pass gas, so the B soda causes rodents to have internal eruptions, (same w insects.) Tho it is ultimately fatal for the rats, I pray the eruptions are a quicker demise than the slow, commercial poison that kill thru internal bleeding. As well as hopefully not be harmful to other animals that could eat them.
There are several recipes online mixing equal amounts of B soda w corn meal (or jiffy mix) w a little sugar. I saw signs the rats were going after it every night, (footprints in the substance) but I was still hearing lots of noise and activity every night.
Very recently, the best I've discovered online so far is mixing B soda half & half w peanut butter, and I roll it into little balls. I've used that 2 nights, they seem to ingest more and I think it made a difference already, as the noise has reduced!
Yesterday I saw another recipe of popcorn (broken down smaller) then sprinkled w soap shavings (or even liquid detergent) then add baking soda. I saw video somewhere here on rat / chicken forums that changing up the baits can be most effective.
Perhaps the rats can be cats in their next life, or something else not so dangerous to humans and chicken health.
I hadn't heard about the contraception approach, and I'll add it in. I guess measures it will be an ongoing maintenance upkeep to prevent re-infestation.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

We use baking soda/peanut butter a 50/50mix. Roll it into balls and toss it around the coop in places the chickens can't reach. Apparently it kills the mice and rats because they can't burp/fart. And if another animal eats the dead mouse/rat it won't be poisonex.

We also have no-kill traps that are enclosed so the chickens can trigger them. We then give the mouse to our snake for dinner.

My cats also go into the coop during the day spreading their smell, I think that helps keep the mice at bay.

I did build a water bucket trap too and caught quite a few mice with it. But one day some chicks got into the area where the trap was and I lost two in the bucket trap, so I don't use it anymore near the coop.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Until the environmental groups on the West coast banned a lot of the stuff that works each year.

What stuff exactly? I live in California and I can still get rat poison.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I don't want to use poison, (so cruel) but I learned online baking soda is effective for rodents if they eat enough. Rodents (like chickens) are unable to belch or pass gas, so the B soda causes rodents to have internal eruptions

So internal eruptions is less cruel than poison? Really? Sounds like a slow painful death to me.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

We use these.

I use these too, I do not even have to bait them outside I get all kinds of critters. I have a friend with snakes to feed.

 

[rembrandt]

So internal eruptions is less cruel than poison? Really? Sounds like a slow painful death to me.

I don't know... I stated 'I pray the eruptions are a quicker demise than the slow, commercial poison that kill thru internal bleeding.' It seemes more like an anurism death, but I'm not a scientist, nor a poison expert, only a chicken keeper trying to contribute to fellow chicken tenders.

I also mentioned B soda/PB is not supposed to be harmful to most other animals that might ingest the rats - which IS VERY different than commercial poison.

I'm reaching my wits end at resolving the infestation, so just trying to be as humane as possible and still protect my hens and myself... Everyone has a right to their own decisions.

 

[Folly's place]

having a burst intestine is extremely painful, and the peritonitis is also terrible. Nothing 'humane' about it.
Mary