How do I keep mice and rats out of my chicken coop?

I love backyard chickens but I'm definitely not a fan of mice and rats. Just because you have chickens in your backyard, doesn't mean you also have to have mice or rats in your chicken coop. It's not the chickens or the eggs that interest the mice, but it's the food, water and a nice protected area to live that encourages them to co-exist in your chicken coop.

Interestingly, chickens are actually omnivores which means that they eat both plant material and meat. Chickens happily eat insects, worms, carcasses as well as seeds, grains, weeds and other plant material. If they're quick enough, your chickens might even catch a mouse to snack on, although I wouldn't rely on your chickens alone to keep your mouse problem under control. Owners of backyard chickens should always take preventative measures to keep away these undesirable visitors that can bring with them a range of diseases.

Can I keep mice out of my chicken coop?

The first thing that you might think to do is to try to physically keep mice out of your chicken coop. This, however, is quite difficult to actually achieve. Mice can fit into spaces we would never assume they would be able to gain access. If you have a fixed chicken coop made with iron walls, a concrete floor and fine mesh, you may be able to keep them out. But if you've got a mobile chicken coop or you regularly free range your chickens, there's likely to be a tiny gap somewhere for these determined creatures to find their way in. So physically keeping mice actually out of your chicken coop may not be really possible, but there's still other ways to keep them under control.

Preventing spilt grain

One of the key factors in keeping away rodents is to make sure that you have an adequate feeder that doesn't allow the chickens to spill a great deal of feed onto the ground. As owners and manufacturers of 'Royal Rooster' mobile chicken coops, we regularly had customers asking for suggestions about how to prevent their chickens from scratching lots of grain onto the ground. Your chickens can cost you a great deal more than necessary in the way of chicken feed. Most chickens naturally love to scratch at their feed, which means a lot of it ends up on the ground and then wasted.

As we too were experiencing wasted grain with our chickens, we decided to design a feeder ourselves to overcome this problem. We've designed our feeders with special dividers in the middle of the feeding tray that discourage chickens from 'swiping' the feed onto the ground. Chickens will naturally try to sort their grain mix to find the tastiest piece of grain or seed. We've found that these feeders significantly reduce the wastage of grain. The chickens are forced to peck at the feed to eat it, rather than 'explore' the grain mix and make a great mess in the process.

We've found that having a quality feeder with tray divisions or a treadle type feeder are a key factor in keeping away the rats and mice. If you can get your spilt grain under control, you'll soon find that your mice problem is also under control.

Can I take away the self-feeder?

If you have a really bad mice problem, you may be tempted to just feed your chickens at one point in the day by scattering their feed on the ground. Unfortunately, chickens do much better if they have a regular, continuous supply of feed that they can access throughout the day. Self-feeders are really the only easy way to ensure they have a continuous supply available. Rather than taking away the self-feeder all together, it is much wiser to invest in a feeder that limits the amount of grain spilt.

Sealed storage containers

You also need to make sure that your grain or pellets are stored appropriately in a sealed container. Rats and mice can be fairly determined if they sniff out some food that they're interested in. I've discovered a lost Tupperware container in our garage, hidden behind a cupboard, that was completely chewed through for the mice to gain access. Tough plastic or even wood is no problem for mice or rates. Be sure to purchase a strong container, ideally made of metal such as an old-fashioned garbage bin or 44-gallon drum to store your grain.

If you’re after a mobile chicken coop, check out Royal Rooster’s coops as well as their innovative chicken feeder and drinker sets which are available from their website.