Homesteader Depot

Tag: mice

  • 7 Incredible Benefits to Having Cats Around Your Homestead

    7 Incredible Benefits to Having Cats Around Your Homestead

    Do you have cats in your barn? You should. Cats are cute and fuzzy. They get along with many other types of animals (except for the ones that they prey on, of course) and are extremely independent. If you haven’t considered adding a few rescue cats to your barn, then you definitely should. Here are seven benefits to having them around.

    1) They Make Great Companions

    According to some historians, early cats domesticated themselves. Why? Because they figured out that humans would take care of them. They’ve been great companions ever since. Yes, cats don’t come when they’re called and they tend to do their own thing all of the time, but they crave human attention and affection. They’ll follow you around in order to get head pats and spend time making you love them. The same is true of all of the other creatures in your barn – with the exception of mice, those animals will love your cats as well. It’s just what they do.

    2) They’ll Take Care of Your Rat and Mice Problem (Pest Control)

    Mice cluster in barns. There are endless things for them to nibble on and plenty of corners and cubbyholes to hide out in. The only issue is that they’ll destroy things that you need, and possibly spook your horses as well. You’ll need to deal with those mice. This is where your cats come in. They’ll scare off any mice in the vicinity, and outright kill the ones that are still lurking around. Your cats will work hard in order to earn their keep and your love.  Rats and mice can contaminate your food storage and spread disease.  Poisoning pests can be counter-productive by inadvertently poisoning their predators like owls, trapping them can be costly and difficult.  But for a cat, hunting and killing rodents is combining business with pleasure.  And aside from the rodents that are killed, the smell of a cat will make any rodent think twice about setting up shop.

    Related Article:  Cats as Pest Control on the Homestead

    3) Cats Are Endlessly Entertaining

    How often do you sit and watch a cat play? They’re pretty independent, so you just need to give them something to swat at, like a piece of string, and possibly some catnip toys. They’ll entertain you and everyone else around with those two things. On top of that, if you have more than one cat, you’ll find them wrestling and playing with each other. There’s nothing with that either unless they’re actively hurting each other. (Then you’ll have to put a stop to it.)

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    4) Everyone Loves Cats

    Really, who doesn’t love cats? With the exception of those who are allergic to them, cats work their magic on anyone. You can’t stay mad at a cat since they’ll just look at you with their big eyes and cute whiskers. They’ll rub against your legs and start to purr, and then flop over on their sides for some head scratchings. Cats are infinitely loveable. They’ll bring together people on your homestead who have spent years disliking each other.

    5) They Have Economic Benefits

    There are some economic benefits to having cats around. For one, they’ll keep your pests at bay. You won’t have to hire an exterminator for creatures like mice or insects, because the cats will take care of them. This alone will make it worth having a fleet of cats around.

    6) Cats Will Eat Bugs

    Cats are great at catching bugs. They enjoy stalking any type of prey. As long as it’s moving, they’ll chase it. This includes flies, ants, spiders, and more. They’ll take care of just about any type of creepy crawly thing.

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    7) They’re Very Low Maintenance

    How low maintenance are cats? The answer is simple: they’ll take care of themselves. You just have to supply a little cat food, some clean water, a litter box (or something like one, if they’re kept outdoors), and they’re happy. You won’t have to do much, other than supply a few tummy rubs now and then if your cat’s into that sort of thing.

  • 4 Completely Natural Ways to Rid Your Property of Mice

    4 Completely Natural Ways to Rid Your Property of Mice

     

    Mice can be the bane of the homestead pantry, and feed shed, and garden, and…well, you get the idea.

    One thing that is important to understand is you will never have only one.  You may see only one, but there where there is one there is the potential for dozens more.  With a very short breeding cycle, mice can overrun a food source in a matter of weeks if left to their own devices.

    For many of us, the first reaction to the idea of mice is to go out and buy some chemical bait that will get rid of the problem as quickly as possible.

    However, especially if you are living in the country, on a homestead, or even just in the suburbs and have a cat, you’ll want to avoid this initial instinct.

    Poisoned mice can also poison the natural predators that eat them. That could be any bird of prey included in the local wildlife like hawks and owls.  It could also be a danger to the family cat. Instead, consider one of the options listed below.

     

    Repel them with Aromatherapy

    Mice don’t like the smell of peppermint or mothballs.  Even if you don’t have any signs of mice yet, a good preventative measure after filling any holes or crevices they can get in with is to lay out peppermint leaves or spray peppermint essential oil in all the areas they are likely to try to gain access.  You can also soak cotton balls in the essential oil for a stronger and longer lasting odor.

    Place mothballs in the areas they may try to gain access to as well as scatter them around the outside of any building you want to prevent them from going into.

     

    Free-Range Chickens

    Chickens are very good at pest control, sometimes even better than cats are.  If you are able to let your chickens run free-range outside the areas you want to keep mice out of, they will provide a natural and deadly “barrier” for your home or garden.

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    Good Old-Fashioned Snap Traps

    Not just the fodder of classic animated TV characters, snap traps are an easy and inexpensive method for clearing out your new “neighbors” and protecting your pantry.

    Bait the traps with peanut butter, place them in areas mice will be but will be out of the way of children’s fingers and set them. Check regularly to see if you’ve caught something and dispose of immediately, so you don’t end up with the smell of a decomposing body.

     

    The 5 Gallon Bucket and Water Method

    Take a spare brown paper grocery bag or heavy-duty paper and cut out a circle cover that is 2-3 inches wider in diameter than your five-gallon bucket, then use a utility knife or Exacto knife to cut 2 slits in the center of the paper in the form of an X.  Fill the five-gallon bucket approximately half-way with water.  Lay the paper over the top of the bucket and tape it securely into place by folding down the overlapping paper.

    Spread a few dabs of peanut butter in the center area of the cover and place the bucket in an area the mice can reach it. When they move across the paper cover toward the peanut butter, they will fall through the X in the middle and drown.

     

    Happy Hunting!

    There you have it, from essential oils and free eggs there are ways to keep mice from overrunning your property that won’t run the risk of polluting the environment or leave you with unwanted casualties.

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  • Getting Rid of Mice

    Getting Rid of Mice

    Some people are horrified of mice. Some people think they are cute. When you are a homesteader, they are a problem that you need to solve quickly. If you are unable to get rid of the mice, they can destroy or contaminate your food supply faster than you might think. They breed quickly, and when you see just one or two of these rodents, you can be sure the problem runs a lot deeper.

    First, you will want to determine just how you want to get rid of the mice – humanely or with lethal traps. It depends on how you feel about killing mice. Live traps can work quite well. However, if you choose this method, you need to release the mice far away from civilization. You can’t just walk to the other side of your yard and let them go because they will head straight back into the house, your storage, and everywhere else you don’t want them to be.

    If you utilize lethal traps, don’t feel bad about it. If you don’t get rid of the mice, they are going to cause a substantial amount of problems for your home and potentially your health. You need to put you and your family above your feelings for fuzzy little mice.

    Once you get rid of the mice on your property, you will want to make sure they stay away. Using a spray of apple cider vinegar and water has proven successful for some. In addition, you might want to consider getting cats, as they can prey on the mice. Also, if you happen to see snakes on your property, as long as they are nonvenomous, let them stay. The snakes will also help to keep the population of mice down for you.

     

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