Killer rats! Please help.

Thank you everyone for your help! It could well be a stoat...i've just never heard of them in this area before, but they could well be here I suppose!

Mary, that was indeed my original question haha! If anyone has any good predator-proofing tips it would be most appreciated :)
 
Your hardware cloth isn't attached well enough; screw 1"x4" boards over all seams that you've stapled to framing. Add an apron of hardware cloth, or some dig- proof foundation, around everything. No openings larger that 1/2" anywhere! Safe latches (that small children couldn't open) on all doors. 2"x4" woven wire fencing over the hardware cloth to keep out big dogs. Electric poultry fencing, or multiple strands of electrified tape or wire, will keep out larger land predators, but not rats or weasels. Mary

 
like others suggested.....1/2 " (2.54 centimeter) Hardware Cloth is about the only thing to keep rats or stoats/weasels out... I have only seen 1 weasel alive here ( the dog/cat killed 2 though) and the only mink I seen was a head an owl/hawk left by the poultry yard...I am 4Th generation on the property and no one ever seen a mink!
since I made a hoop coop covered in the HC, then 2x4 field wire, with the 2 ft apron out.. so far only daytime free range hawk attack, that the turkeys handled with only a few missing feathers (and some terrified chickens)
Opossums and raccoons were the issue for my parents 40 some yrs ago
 
What you need is" The jaws of death" Tomcat black rat trap with teeth! Sold at Home Depot about $5.00? Them rats were stealing Hennyko chicken feed for weeks and I thought my chicken fat??? Not, She was skinny! So I put trap behind shed to be safe for rabbit and caught 7 sneaky rats! 5 from same bait... Peanut butter dried in hole works great. If you have a save place to put trap I do recommend this!
 
If it is a rat issue rats are very neophobic and like to run edges possibly put some tracking powder down or put out rat snap traps with bait on them until they get use to eating from them. Then set a bunch at one time.
 

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