MICE YUCK!!!!!!! poop everywhere in the barn

[capall beag]

I don't mind mice so long as they stay away from the barn!

This year we have tons of them and fall is coming!

My hay for the winter/spring is being delieverd today and so the mice will have LOTS of places to hide!

I really want an efficient way to get rid of them.

We haev 2 indoor/outdoor cats who want nothing to do with the barn sooooooooo what are your suggestions?

A barncat?

Traps?

I don't want to do a poison because my kids are always in and out of the barn btu I want t get rid of the mice!

How does it work having a barncat and house cats? Does the barncat really stay in the barn? Don't they try to come in the house with the other cats?

Hubby does NOT want another house cat so it must stay in the barn.

 

[Pandora]

My mom has house cats and barn cats. The house cats aren't allowed outside and the barn cats aren't allowed inside. The barn cats finally caught on and now they stay in or around the barn.

 

[kaykay]

there is nothing more effective then a barn cat. but keep in mind that a good barn cat NEVER goes in your house etc. If you do they will not be a good barncat. I adopted ours for 10.00 and he was neutered and had all his shots and testing already done. he knows the barn is his home and he does his job so well!! he also kills bats lol

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, cats are great.

For the record I have had cats that are barn cats AND house cats and I have had cats leave the house to live in the barn!!!

The best situation is if you do not mind so I would DEFINITELY not get kittens otherwise the kids will entice them in!!

Get a big old neutered Tom and give him a good home- he will repay you over and over again.

Just having a cat around deters the mice- I don't have mice at all but I do have a few rats- I know I do because my cats leave the bodies for me to admire (which I duly do, and pay them for them too!!)

Oh, and feed him well, a hungry cat makes a poor hunter.

I give mine kibble ad lib and a feed a day of wet food- it can be as cheap as you like as they are getting all the good stuff from the cruckles.

They do like evaporated milk, too, and I do give it to them as a reward for the rats, but there is no way cats need milk of any sort!!

 

[tifflunn]

My barn kitties are such good mousers that they have to go into the neighbours field 2x daily to bring home there catch- doesn't seem to be any around here for them to catch :lol:

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[capall beag]

That makes sense not to get kittens. I had thought about kittens but yes the kids would entice them!!

Yes, I really do want him to be a barn cat NOT a house cat!

My cats are wonderful mousers, both fixed females but they don't see the barn as their domain! Last year I tried to encourage them to hang out in the barn and fed them there btu they NEVER killed a single thing in the barn......they kill things in the yard all the time!

Anyhow, they are too set in their ways now so I do need a barn cat!

I will look around for a neutered male in need of a home!

Thanks!

 

[babygoose]

Well, I am not a fan of outdoor cats. Along with mice, they kill migratory songbirds, and other beneficial wildlife and can create quite an impact on the native wildlife population. They are not a native species. Someone else posted their cats kill bats too. Bats are very important for control of insects. I know they can carry rabies, but I would still rather have them around cutting down on the mosquito population.

And depending on where you are, outdoor cats can be subject to getting killed by dogs, coyotes, foxes, and cars. Not necessarily a good ending for the cat. I also take offense to cats marking their territory with urine. Not real common with fixed animals, but sometimes they do spray and if it happens to be on something you value, the smell never comes out!

I have found that snap traps work very well in my feed room. I use the ones with the little fake cheese trigger pad and the metal bar. I put peanut butter on the fake cheese so the mouse has his head under the bar when he triggers it. More humane ending for the mouse than getting played with to death by a cat. I just keep setting and emptying the traps until the mice are gone. I also saw a bull snake the other day hanging out around the barn. They are better rodent getters than cats.

 

[MBennettp]

We also have a barn kitty. She is a young spayed female, got her free from my vet. We had a mouse infestation so bad that they would play around the horses feet while they ate but the last straw was when one ran across my shoulder and jumped into the feeder. I had a cat before 24 hours was past.

She gets fed twice daily when the horses get fed but hasn't slowed her down. She cleaned out the mouse population in less than a week. She also leaves us rats often.

The farthest I have seen her away from the barn is about 100 feet. She hasn't bothered the birds at all. She sleeps on top of the hay stack and when she hears a car door she heads for the path to the barn to meet us talking loudly as soon as she sees us.

She is very territorial and will chase another cat off in a hurry. That is HER barn and HER horses and no other cat is allowed.

I wouldn't take $50 for her. She really earns her keep.

Mary

 

[keeperofthehorses]

We use cats and traps, both snap and sticky boxes, never baits or fumigants. Sticky boxes are gross, but very effective.

I guess I'm pretty lucky with my cats. They each catch at least one mouse, vole or gopher a day (and like Jane's, leave them for admiration, generally sans head), but have caught less than 1/2 dozen birds in the last 10 years, mostly Starlings which aren't native and are a huge pest. They don't like hunting birds, it could be that they are just used to them since we have pet birds. I have one that occasionally brings up snakes, but he's never killed one, just brings them up to the porch to show off. Mine don't spray either (I have boys and girls, all fixed very young). They are free to go in or out as they please and are very well fed and sleep on the bed or the couch. They don't eat the varmits, they just decapitate them. I leave my feed room door open all night if I see mouse signs in there, and they take care of the problem toot sweet for me. :bgrin

My dogs are also good mousers, but don't have the keen eyesight or patience that the cats do.

One little note... take care when cleaning up your mouse turds. They can carry some nasty bugs and just inhaling that stuff can be dangerous.

 

[lilbitcrazy]

If you dont mind snakes.. a friend of mine bought a bull snake and turned it loose in the barn Hay Presto..no mice, but one great dirty big snake//

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[Roxy's Run]

I wish we were closer. I have some barn cats for you, both male and female, some spayed and some not spayed YET (we are working on getting all females spayed first then will work on the males), all colors and personalities and all ages - a total of 12 to choose from. :new_shocked: I do have to say that with them around, I don't have a rodent problem at all nor do I have a snake problem like I had years ago before I got barn cats. Now to just get them all "fixed" and I'll be happy.

:

Linda

Roxy's Run Miniatures/Renditions