Mice in machinery

[flowerbug]

I wouldn't have a problem with sharing... but more often than not, herbivores will take everything unless stopped. Because I save my own seed, a total crop loss can potentially mean loss of that variety - and some of what I grow is irreplaceable.

And damage to property, while unavoidable, is never acceptable.

Living in a semi-rural area means that I share my property with a fairly substantial animal population. I appreciate the strip of untamed forest on my back lot line, and being able to observe Nature in my back yard; so for me, killing is a last resort. My preferred methods of dealing with animal pests are to fence them out, drive them out, discourage them from causing damage, or encourage natural predators. For the most part, those methods are successful. When possible, I will trap & relocate larger animals. Mice are really the only animals require stronger measures, or they would overrun everything.

the two herbivores that do the most damage here are rabbits and deer. groundhogs can do some damage but they rarely kill the whole plant - they are pickier and eat the more tender shoots of things and leave the rest which can usually regrow. chipmunks can also be a pain in the butt, but i've reduced their habitat substantially this year so while they are around they are not getting as much chance to procreate and hide like they were doing before. getting all those rotting pallets removed has really changed the dynamic here and i'm hoping that will continue through next year's growing too.

as for losing a whole crop, i dont normally have that issue to worry about losing seed lines because i have backups and then backups of backups, especially for those seeds i've been growing for a long time. i try to keep some of the originals so i can compare so those too are a backup of sorts. the soybeans you gave me to grow this year worked out well so not only do i have the originals but i also have some fresh ones to work with for next season and i'm hoping to plant a much larger crop. chipmunks do go after soybean seeds/seedlings so i'm going to have to be vigilant when i plant them, but i have good sight lines and the air rifle so in the worst of situations i should be ok. rat traps too.

new beans, yeah, i can lose those if i don't have many seeds and the weather or animals get at them badly, but it doesn't happen often. more often what happens is that the beans just don't grow very well and so i stash the seeds i have left and then move on to try others.

 

[Zeedman]

chipmunks can also be a pain in the butt, but i've reduced their habitat substantially this year so while they are around they are not getting as much chance to procreate and hide like they were doing before. getting all those rotting pallets removed has really changed the dynamic here and i'm hoping that will continue through next year's growing too.

There was a large pile of pallets & old wood adjacent to my back shed, intended for bonfires. It had been there so long I couldn't remember when it was started. It had become rabbit habitat, and a place for the occasional ground hog to run to. It was undoubtedly mouse habitat as well, within foraging range of the garden that had the biggest rodent problem this year... so DW & I cleared and burned everything this year. I'd like to think that will reduce the rodent pressure next year, but with mice also present in the shed & pole building, I'm not overly optimistic.

as for losing a whole crop, i dont normally have that issue to worry about losing seed lines because i have backups and then backups of backups, especially for those seeds i've been growing for a long time.

I always keep backups as well, in case crosses surface in the latest generation. But because I use more isolation than many here, I am limited in the number of varieties I can grow each year. Everything in my collection is planned on a 5-year rotation for renewal. Stuff happens (like the two consecutive years of record rainfall in 2018 & 2019) so it might actually be 6-7 years before a variety actually gets planted. I'm still behind because of that, and not just for beans; much of the seed planted this year was last grown in 2012. So by the time something gets planted, the seed may be approaching seed death. I've yet to lose a bean due to age, but I've had two pepper varieties & several soybean varieties die in storage. The point being that there won't always be a second chance, if a crop is lost... so I go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that doesn't happen.

 

[valley ranch]

Hi Zeedman, I've nothin for an engine or machine except PineSol might work it works for Bear ```

But for down in the wine cellar ~ well at the bottom of the stairs I've placed a 5 Gallon bucket with a coke can threaded on a coat hanger ~ the can covered with Peanut butter ~ the can spins an drops the mice into the couple inches of water ( with some Anti-Freeze) I didn't invent this ~ saw it on youtube ~ but the mice are dying to get into the bucket ~ it seem to clear them out ```

If you wish to try this it can be found on the internet ~ good luck there at your spread ```

 

[flowerbug]

@Zeedman

i've found that mice and chipmunks will range several hundred feet. i just need to make it a little bit harder and less desireable for them to come anywhere around the house itself. out in the gardens there's not much i can do. way too many rock piles. i just make sure the snakes are left alone.

mice are like everyone's snack if they're meat eaters at all. chipmunks are a bit more crafty but the kitties seem able to figure them out. it is rare for me to see a kitty hunting here that doesn't get fed. with the new fencing up kitty traffic has changed as with everything else.

 

[seedcorn]

Any poison that will kill a predator that ate the poisoned mouse, will be a controlled substance that you can’t obtain. I would never tell you to direct feed to your pet as then they could die or get extremely sick. Again, as Ridge stated, depends upon dosage and size of animal.

 

[ducks4you]

When my parents had a house built in the 1960's the old timey builder was quite the perfectionist, so it wasn't finished on time. (Parents bitXXed like crazy at the time, then Bragged about the great features/structures later.)
Anyway, we lived in 2 small rental homes during the Fall until we could move in, in November. Mice like CRAZY!!
You won't like this, BUT, get 2-3 kittens and raise them. Cats are Natural mousers, especially female cats. Spay them at 4months, and you will never see a mouse in your home again.
Mice walk and pee, walk and poo, and carry many diseases. They WILL pee/poo in your kitchen drawers, on your flatware and inside of your pots and pans, and birth their young in your towel drawer.
Kitties raised right will sit on your lap, or on top of your favorite chair, and purr. I feed mine the cheapest dry food, and they hunt for me.
When you travel, you can put out enough food/water/litter box for a weekend at a time, and they will be QUITE happy while you are gone, presumably mousing the whole time.
Btw, you may never see the mice that they kill bc they will probably consume them...unless you have way too many, and then they will present them as presents, dead, bc they love you.

 

[Carol Dee]

When my parents had a house built in the 1960's the old timey builder was quite the perfectionist, so it wasn't finished on time. (Parents bitXXed like crazy at the time, then Bragged about the great features/structures later.)
Anyway, we lived in 2 small rental homes during the Fall until we could move in, in November. Mice like CRAZY!!
You won't like this, BUT, get 2-3 kittens and raise them. Cats are Natural mousers, especially female cats. Spay them at 4months, and you will never see a mouse in your home again.
Mice walk and pee, walk and poo, and carry many diseases. They WILL pee/poo in your kitchen drawers, on your flatware and inside of your pots and pans, and birth their young in your towel drawer.
Kitties raised right will sit on your lap, or on top of your favorite chair, and purr. I feed mine the cheapest dry food, and they hunt for me.
When you travel, you can put out enough food/water/litter box for a weekend at a time, and they will be QUITE happy while you are gone, presumably mousing the whole time.
Btw, you may never see the mice that they kill bc they will probably consume them...unless you have way too many, and then they will present them as presents, dead, bc they love you.

I would love to have a cat again. But husbands dog is a cat killer He lives in the house. When he was young he was a pretty good mouser! Now he is old hard of hearing and losing his sight. We actually had cats that a mouse could run right in front of and they would not budge, I even dropped said cat on one once. She got up and mouse ran off. No case./kill. Dang cat. She was a good snuggler though.

 

[Zeedman]

@Zeedman mice are like everyone's snack if they're meat eaters at all. chipmunks are a bit more crafty but the kitties seem able to figure them out. it is rare for me to see a kitty hunting here that doesn't get fed. with the new fencing up kitty traffic has changed as with everything else.

Cats would be really helpful... they have proven that in my rural garden, where the property owner's cats made mice a non-issue last year. Unfortunately for me, cats are my worst non-food allergy. I love cats, and pet them regardless... but I have to avoid getting their fur on my clothing, and wash my hands afterward. I'm sure that if I put out food, I could attract feral cats; but that would be an imposition on my neighbors (and might attract less desirable animals as well).

About the rural garden... the last time I was there, the property owner informed me that one of her 3 cats had been shot (apparently by an obnoxious neighbor). Its back legs were paralyzed due to a shattered lower spine; and although it broke her heart, it had to be put down. They are furious, but can't prove anything. Of their remaining 2 cats, one is old & having kidney problems, and likely won't last the winter. So unless another cat shows up at their door, the Mouse Patrol will likely be a one-cat operation next year.

 

[ducks4you]

"... the property owner informed me that one of her 3 cats had been shot."
DISGUSTING!!!
Even the dog that sometimes runs and is vicious would only get shot with my bebe gun, just enough for a vet bill.
I would NEVER shoot a cat!!!

 

[bobm]

When we lived in central Cal. , we had house mice here, there, and averywhere. Now, we live in SW Wa., and we hardly see a mouse due to numerous feral cats. This past week we had morning temps in the low 30's. And what did we find this morning . ? ... 3 mice - grey with a whiteish underbelly, and smaller than the house mice ... one in the middle of the kitchen , one in the master bedroom and one in the laundry room. All just lethargic, hunched over and just sitting in the open . I nudged them a little and they hardly moved, so I put them down by crushing their sculls. I have NOT used any poison baits, and neither any of our neighbors. Any ideas ?