Rats and Mice

[pumpkin cuddler]

Hello

Please can anyone advise me on whether mice can be a health problem in the chicken run. Obviously they are coming in for the food but can they contaminate it??

I have not got a problem with rats, as far as I know, but could anyone tell me also, in the event I do get a probelm there.
I know rats spread diseases to humans which cna be dangerous but is this also the case for hens.

By the way, we do have one of those humane traps but they seem to be evading this though they do set it off, which other than tiny footprints in the dust suggests we do have them.

[MURFE 18]

Hi pumpkin cuddler, mice will get eaten by the birds if they catch um but rats are to big , i put rat traps out side the run you will start to see a run into the pen which they use all the time if you puts the trap close to that then you can catch um, and if it s a humane type you can let um go or kill um the choice is yours, hope this helps.

[Alice]

It's up to yourself - but if you use humane traps, rats, mice and squirrels are classified as vermin and it's illegal to release them.

[Snadger]

It's up to yourself - but if you use humane traps, rats, mice and squirrels are classified as vermin and it's illegal to release them.

You could always EAT them like they do in some foreighn clime I was reading about yesterday! Would give squirrel a go but don't fancy rat...........still there's no accounting for taste!

[di]

Is a squirrel not a rat with a fluffy tail?~Go on try one!!

[Hilary B]

The main difference between a rat and a squirrel (from the culinary POV) is what they eat (although there is some overlap, but squirrels don't usually feed on rubbish heaps).
We used a cage-trap for rats, and then a friend who owned a .22 rifle despatched them in the cage (using what he called a 'dust' cartridge, I gather it made the effect similar to a shotgun but with very tiny 'shot' and low power). The remains were given to the cat, to encourage him to catch his own....
Mice are rarely a serious problem unless numbers get out of hand.

[alanm]

rats and mice-Snadger

Hi, can give you a recipe for squirrel fricassee if you want?...alan