DANGIT!! Rats/mice!!!!

[braves15]

I have been having one heck of a weekend two years of building my flock with no problems first a skunk attack and now I was feeding my girls some layer mash and found rodent fieces in side the can... After further inspection there seems to be either a rat/mice infestation in my coop ( I can hear them moving through the walls..) Is my flock ruined is my main question... They have been living in the coop with the rodents and I'm not sure for how long... I'm guessing the winter drove the rodents into the warm coop they chewed through the bottom of the wood... Looks like they have been sharing the same feed source as well.. Will my eggs still be ok to eat?.. I'm a little nervous!

 

[Naser]

Your eggs are fine, just wash them after you collect them.
If you can find a way to prevent rodents from eating your chickens food they will go away. if not they will multiply, mash doesn't help change to pellets. try to get rat proof feeder(s)

 

[dallenk]

I had the same problem. I put out rat traps in places where the chickens couldn't get at them. Caught ten over a couple of weeks and haven't seen any evidence since. I only put out as much food as the chickens will eat in a day. I throw out whatever is left over at the end of the day when I close up the coop. I bought a heavy duty container with a screw on lid. So far, so good. I also quit putting out so much bird seed in my feeders. I take them down at night and secure them in metal containers. I have been raising chickens for 40 years and have never had a problem. My daughter moved away and took her cats with her. Someone must have sent out an invitation announcing the move and telling all their friends that there was a party in my chicken coop. No more. Good luck.

 

[RonP]

Mice /rats, subject comes up often.

Posted to another query.
Hope it helps.:

My understanding is that rats/mice are everywhere.
They will congregate and breed where there is available food, water, and shelter.
Look closely around any fast food restaurant and you will see rat bait stations.

They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.

Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.

Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.

That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.

My run has food scraps 24/7.
My coop has food access 24/7.
Water access 24/7.

5 years, no sign of rats or mice...

Hope this helps.