How to get rid of rodents!

dogartist

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
Points
31
Location
Knoxville, TN
OK, so I'm totally new to having livestock. I have had house mice before but never "barn" mice (I also have one living under my house deck). I've always put out pellet poison where my dogs couldn't get to it, mice ate it and moved on to die. How do I get rid of barn mice? I have a 3 sided shed with storage beside it and plenty of room under the storage side. The mice are digging UNDER the shed despite being able to come in the huge doorway! No issue with feed as it's all in metal trashcans. I bought some outdoors poison but am terrified to try it after reading what might happen to my dogs if they were to get into it. I know the sheep won't eat the dead mice but my dogs might. I hate killing anything so snap traps and glue traps are probably not for me. At least when I poisoned them, I didn't see them dead. I bought repellent and the mice just laughed, I'm sure. Is there any kind of repellent that might work or any other suggestions?

Sorry if you're all laughing too.
Signed...
Squeamish city girl turned suburban farm girl :sick
 

Sara Ranch

Overrun with beasties
Joined
Jun 27, 2017
Messages
112
Reaction score
132
Points
83
Location
WV
There are traps you can buy that let the mice go in, but not out.

Plant lots of mint plants along side of the barn and anywhere else outside that you don't want mice. Mice hate the smell of the mint oil. (I use peppermint oil on cotton balls in the house, essential oil - peppermint - sprinkled directly on the floor of the garage & in the house, and mint outside.)

Mice tend to live within 5 feet of their food source.

Rats tend to live within 10 feet of their food source.

There are times I REALLY wonder WHAT the heck they are eating cuz I don't see something that looks appealing that close to where I see a varmint!
 

babsbag

Herd Master
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
7,886
Reaction score
9,317
Points
593
Location
Anderson, CA
I use the snap traps and you just have to close your eyes and get used to it. They really do work the best. The wooden ones are so cheap you can just pick them up and throw them away mouse and all. But you have to be sure that you dogs can't get their nose or paw in the trap.
 

LMK17

Loving the herd life
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
221
Reaction score
226
Points
163
Location
Central TX
I favor the all natural and organic approach: Cats. :p

We adopted our barn cats SUPER cheaply from the local shelter. (Seriously. It was like $20/cat, and they came neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and flea-treated.) They had come in as part of a cat hoarding case. The shelter folks had deemed them "not pet quality." So we took them off their hands, the cats are happy and thriving (and quite friendly, by the way), and I haven't seen a mouse since they've come to live with us.

Win-win-win. :thumbsup
 

dogartist

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
Points
31
Location
Knoxville, TN
Unfortunately, cats are not an option. I have 3 sporting dogs in the yard next to the sheep pasture, 2 with HIGH PREY DRIVE! I'd be burying a cat too which would kill me! I'm going to have to get over squeamishness, I guess. Mint plants sound good but I bet my sheep will eat them and spring is a long way off. Not sure what food source is under my deck, no one eats out there. I think that mouse just wants to tease the dogs! Thank you all!
 

OneFineAcre

Herd Master
Joined
Dec 28, 2012
Messages
9,139
Reaction score
10,265
Points
633
Location
Zebulon, NC
The cats won't go in the field with the dogs
Cats are smart
My cat will follow me in the pen with the goats and Pyrennes but she won't go in there by herself
 

RoahT

Loving the herd life
Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Messages
143
Reaction score
181
Points
113
Location
Colorado
If you have sheep or if someone you know has sheep you can use the junky wool that can't be used for anything else to plug holes/insulate. Like put some under the storage side. Mice don't like the lanolin or smell. This probably won't take away the ones you already have though, and if the space they are getting in is big enough it obviously wouldn't work. Sorry, I don't have any other ideas. Besides the cat. A bebe gun might work. :)
 

Latest posts

Top