Mouse Trap Stations

I'm trying to tackle my mouse problem in the garden before they get out of hand. A few years ago they ringed a lot of my young fruit trees which would have killed them if I hadn't inarched them with new root stocks. 

I've decided to be a bit more proactive in my approach and get them before they do any damage (I've got a lot of young fruit trees in my nurseries) and I don;t want to use poison if I can help it. This is purely for selfish reasons, I don't want rat poison being carted off by the mice and then going into my soil or the children finding it. 

Beets damaged by mice

I watched a lecture by Eliot Coleman the other day on YouTube and he was giving his answer to keeping mice under control. Little trapping stations set out in the field. He doesn't bait them and just relies on a mouse's natural love of going into dark spaces and tunnels.

So I bought some fancy new mouse traps (I get fed up with cheap wooden ones that are tricky to set and make a real mess when they kill the mouse) and knocked out a few little "mouse houses" out of some old wood in the workshop.

I think the downside of these is they look too cute for their own good. 

"Ahhhh, look, a lovely little house for a mouse..."

Inside they each have two traps ready to go and a lid that is easy to lift off and check each morning.

I set four trap stations yesterday afternoon and caught three mice when I checked them this morning, so not a bad start. With anything like this I think consistency is the key, I need to make sure I keep checking and resetting these traps so they constantly keeps numbers down.

I'm going to make a few bucket traps next as well, as these have been recommended to be before, and see how they do. 

How do you deal with mice in the garden? 

Do they cause you much trouble?

Shoot, Shovel And Shut Up

"Shoot, Shovel And Shut Up"

A fellow blogger left this in the comments after my post about the Fox on Thursday, saying that it's the rule of the modern rural life and unfortunately it's becoming true. 

To many of my friends around here I'm an oddity, someone who follows the old country ways as if they're instinct, but I fear I'm a dying breed.

Luckily seeing the majority of the comments on my blog over the last few days, I'm pleased to see that many share my views and, although I might have been courting controversy by even posting that post, I'm pleased that I can show a true picture of what I do here. To do anything else wouldn't be honest.

I may have lost some readers in the process, or then again I might have gained a few that respect that I have nothing to hide in what I do.

Fox

Well for a change I've managed to chalk one up to me rather than the fox, although I did loose a chicken the other day but I'm not sure to what. 

I shot this vixen about 30 yards away from the bottom chicken pen. 

It's the time for year when they get brave, so with lambing fast approaching I'm pleased to have removed this potential problem early on. 

Like with many of my hunting and shooting posts, I was in two minds as to post this post or not as I know how people get when it comes to animals, but I see things very black or white. This fox is a predator and the animals that I keep on this little homestead are it's prey. 

I don't see shooting this animals as something to be enjoyed, I see shooting it as a necessity. 

Mice!

The nights are getting colder and the little bas##rds are starting to come inside. I'm referring to our furry little friends the mice. 

I've set traps for them, blocked up any holes I can see and yet they still find there way into the house. I hate hearing the trap snap shut but at least I know that's another packet of crisps they haven't eaten!

In truth its not just this time of year we've been having problems with them, all year they've been a major issue in the garden. My mum has suffered worse with mice in her garden this year, above is a picture of what is left of her beetroot, not very appetizing I'm sure you'll agree. 

I didn't have a single strawberry this year. I blamed my inability with growing them, but I've seen the evidence and I know it's mice, my neighbour said she's caught 50 while her strawberries were growing!

So any hints or tips on getting rid of them? I'd rather not get a cat as I'm just not a cat person, also many friend have said that you end up with more in the house as the cat brings them in for you still alive!

I bait the traps with either peanut butter, chocolate or good old fashioned cheese (for the Tom and Jerry type nostalgia) and I can normally catch the one I'm after but I need to less the numbers considerably!

Companion Plants

I'm not massively into companion planting. I think if you've got a garden full of everything then things tend to turn out okay.

The Enemy 

But when I look at my nasturtiums and see they're covered in caterpillars (and holes) and my brassicas have a lot less on them, I can see the benefits of having these companions plants in the garden

My nasturtium are looking a little holey now though

  Most of my nasturtiums are self set, and they come up everywhere. I tend to leave them in if they're in the corner of a bed and most of my sixteen beds have at least 2 plants growing in them. They look pretty, give me flowers for salads, seeds for "poor mans capers" and also attract the cabbage white butterfly away from my more useful plants.

The brassicas have plenty of holes but they'll survive!

Does anyone else grow many plants to lure the pests away from their main crops?

Little Game Trail

Sometimes you walk past something a hundred times before you notice it. Like this little game trail.

 

 It's from mice/rats and it leads to where one batch of chickens feed and then back under a shed.

 I thought I'd been good and kept all my poison bate stations topped up. After talking to my dad, he says that they won't eat it if it's gone stale. So on Sunday I cleaned them all out and rebated them with fresh poison.

Stale poison

I'm in two minds about this type of pest control. I don't like to poison anything, I worry about how it affects the food chain (many years ago we almost lost a dog who had eaten too many mice that had been poisoned). The only other option I can think of is to get a farm cat, but I love my song birds (although I think the sparrow hawk has had most of those this year) so it's tricky to find a balance.
What does everyone else do when it comes to controlling mice and rats (and a quick note to Hippo before his suggestion - I don't think snakes would do very well here as it's too wet!)?

Rabbit Proof Fence

Although I'm worried my veg garden might be a little large its better to have too much space than not enough, despite some of the problems, like weeds, that will come with it.

Rabbit poo or "bumbles" as my wife calls them

One problem I'm hoping not to have to deal with too much is rabbit damage. Although I've not seen that many about yet (I've shot a couple with the air rifle) I know they're around, I can see the signs. I will try to keep their numbers down but the best solution is a good fence.

Staples holding the straining wire which in turn holds up the rabbit wire

 Every night over the last week or so I've been putting up a section of wire. I managed to finish it this week, but I've still got three gates to make and fit before its "rabbit proof" and then I need to add a top rail to make sure its stock (sheep) proof.

The fence finished - need to make some gates and maybe add a top rail to stock proof it

Then I can finish the chicken pen and start the pig pen!