How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Mice

Lol, you say that now :) I have a soft heart, so one day I did stop my guineas from mousicide, lol! But yes, though I doubt my experience is as vast as some others' I have had not one issue with mice. We live in the middle of the woods. Food is in the basement. Never seen a live mouse inside house, garage or basement. When I see mice, rats, voles and moles, they are quite dead! I doubt any rodent in their right mind thinks living near my house to be a good idea. I wish the blue jays would stop eating my duck food, but I guess you can't have everything.

About your ferals - can you look in your area and see if they have cheap or low cost feral spaying/neutering? Or a low cost vet that will spay/neuter? Most low cost vets run around 35-60 for a female, less for a male. Rabies should run around 15. The best thing to do would be to trap them with a have-a-heart or tru catch trap, spay/neuter and get them their rabies. After that they stay even closer to home (I assume you put out food for them) and work even harder on the rodents. One of ours seems to "love" us and leaves us dead rodents on the front doormat...yummy, not, but we make a fuss about the generosity :) besides kittens can be a lot to deal with. If they are healthy and you're able to tame them, then you have to find good homes for them. If they are sickly or inbred, then they die or if healthy and elusive predators get them. Better to alter mom and dad and end all those issues.

And chickens are a lot of fun. Highly entertaining! You have 7 acres? That is plenty of room to let them roam around even if only for a few hours in the afternoon like me. I used to leave mine out all day, but these stupid hawks were getting them! So now I just let them out when I get home and they stretch their legs a bit, run around like the weirdos they are and I watch and have a beer :) and the stupid predators stay away!

I highly recommend buff orpingtons - sweet chickens :) out of all the chick breeds I have they are the calmest and friendliest. Followed by the appenzeller Spitzhaubens. My new light brahmas seem to be even keeled too, and my Faverolles are giant doll babies :) I like to "cuddle" my orpingtons, they endure it well, but I am not sure what they think of it :)

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On Apr 24, 2014, at 3:09 PM, The Sassy Six <lorahall@centurylink.net> wrote: