# Mice in the Machinery



## Graybeard (Jul 10, 2014)

My 4 wheeler wouldn't start and the shop said mice had chewed the wires off the solenoid. It's going to need a new one. How do you keep mice out of your equipment? The shed I have is a pole shed with gravel floors and it's impossible to keep critters out.

Graybeard


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## ButchC (Jul 10, 2014)

How bout a barn cat? They've been at it for a long time and are very effective. So effective in fact that in some places cats have devastated the wild bird populations. They work wonders on pigeons, too.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mike1950 (Jul 10, 2014)

decon


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## Brink (Jul 10, 2014)

Put some mothballs in old socks. Put the socks in and around the equipment. The smell drives them off.


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## JR Custom Calls (Jul 10, 2014)

Our local extension office (not sure if that's just something the University of Ky does or if other colleges do it too) mixes up mouse poison every year. Stuff works awesome. It's just cracked corn with some kind of poison in it. They LOVE it, and soon enough, they shrivel up. 

Cats are also good. We had a flood ruin our soybean crop one year, was so dusty it looked like a dust storm out west cutting it. We ended up baling it... mice and rats very much loved it. Got 6 or 8 cats and didn't feed them (you know... if you don't feed them, they'll figure out that they have to work for it) and they obliterated the mouse problem. We'd go shoot the rats with .22's for fun. Still got a couple cats up there keeping things tidy. Coyotes got the rest, we think.


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## ripjack13 (Jul 10, 2014)

I was told the things you put in the toilets (flaps in the pissers) keeps em away. I have a few around my garage. smells good....n I haven't seen any mice.


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## robert flynt (Jul 10, 2014)

Graybeard said:


> My 4 wheeler wouldn't start and the shop said mice had chewed the wires off the solenoid. It's going to need a new one. How do you keep mice out of your equipment? The shed I have is a pole shed with gravel floors and it's impossible to keep critters out.
> 
> Graybeard


Am told peppermint oil will repel them. If that doesn't work get some One Bite from the feed store and a 2" PVC tee. Glue short lengths of PVC in all 3 openings, strap this to something with the bull of the tee up, drop the One Bite in the bull of the tee. The mouse can go in either of the other two openings to eat the bait but your pets can't get to it.


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## ripjack13 (Jul 10, 2014)

The problem with baits is if you have outdoor cats or dogs that chase mice and eat em. Then the poison is transferred to your pet. :(


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## Mike1950 (Jul 10, 2014)

a 5 gal bucket with a gallon of water init and a string across the top with bait in the middle and a board up to the string. If you want them live-no water.


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## steve bellinger (Jul 11, 2014)

I agree with the barn cats. We have a number of them, feed just enough to keep them hungry. I live in the woods and havn't seen a mouse, or rat in over 10 years. They also keep the tree rats under control.


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