What did you do in your garden today?

[LaurenRitz]

Good old fashioned mouse traps....

Right. Problem is that I can't put traditional mousetraps where chickens can reach them. Ditto with most poisons, with the addition that if mice eat poisoned bait it can take some time to die, resulting in them possibly getting into areas the chickens have access to and a chicken eating a poisoned mouse.

 

[R2elk]

Right. Problem is that I can't put traditional mousetraps where chickens can reach them. Ditto with most poisons, with the addition that if mice eat poisoned bait it can take some time to die, resulting in them possibly getting into areas the chickens have access to and a chicken eating a poisoned mouse.

They make traps with a tunnel that are very appealing to rodents.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Yes, but my budget is very limited.

 

[flowerbug]

Yes, but my budget is very limited.

if you have an old plastic box or cardboard box you can put some holes in the ends near the corners that would be closest to the wall and then put the baited trap in the box. the mice will often move along the wall anyways and happily explore a box they can get into if it smells like food. a peanut butter baited trap will draw them in. put just a little bit of peanut butter on top of the trip pan and put more underneath on the bottom of the trip pan so they have to work to get at it and that usually will catch them.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I use bucket traps in the barn, snap traps in the house, and baking soda everywhere.

I'll have to try your box idea. It's a good one.

 

[flowerbug]

I use bucket traps in the barn, snap traps in the house, and baking soda everywhere.

I'll have to try your box idea. It's a good one.

i forgot to mention that you want the holes in the box to be big enough to let the mice in but not so big that they can get back out if the trap just snags them and they try to get away. but i suspect a chicken might eat them if they try to get partway out of the box with a trap stuck on them... still, if you only use peanut butter on the trap it's safe for the chicken to eat them...

 

[flowerbug]

i have goodies in a bag to bury in a garden and the ground is likely going to be snow covered and frozen tomorrow but the forecast is for warming up and rains so perhaps it will get thawed out enough for me to bury this stuff leftover from the turkey. i hate wasting goodies like this by throwing them away and i don't want to put so much stuff in the worm buckets (but i do once in a while put a chicken or pig bone in them and they seem fine with it).

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Cut two heads of broccoli yesterday! More coming soon. Love, love, love fresh broccoli!

 

[flowerbug]

Cut two heads of broccoli yesterday! More coming soon. Love, love, love fresh broccoli!

it seems like you just planted these a few weeks ago! nice!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

it seems like you just planted these a few weeks ago! nice!

Super-duper goat pooper fertilizer, lol.

I don't even remember when I planted 'em, but it's been a minute or two, lol.