Desperately need help with rat control in my Duck coupe!!!!

[AmyA248]

Good morning,

There is a lot of great information on here regarding RATS! As I’m sure everyone with outdoor animals run into this very same problem.
Unfortunately we cannot control them right now.
We actually had to bring our ducks to their inside barn when they would much prefer to be outside.

I looked at the security cameras this morning and the empty coupe was completely FULL of big, fat rats! We are very clean, leave no garbage or uneaten treats, clean the coupe daily and hose it down every other day.
Our garbage cans are locked and nowhere near our coupe.
We do live in the country and we also have a pond for a popular rat water supply.

We have also tried;
7 gallons of concentrated mint and eucalyptus.
Cloves.
Power washing through the rat holes and filling them in consistently.
Rebuilding the coupe under instructions regarding how to keep rats out.
But NOTHING is working and the problem continues to worsen.

I just found a video on YouTube from a farmer who has solved his problem with a mixture of cornmeal and baking soda.
Has anyone tried this? If so, any success?

I’m very concerned about my ducks being bitten or eating rat droppings and becoming ill. Also, they are costing us triple the amount of money in feed!

Blessings to all!
Amy

 

[Isadora]

Sorry to hear you have a rat problem. It sounds incredibly frustrating.
I take it you haven't tried poison? Are you opposed to it? It would be the 1st thing I would try.

 

[SilverBirds]

Have you tried the bucket method? It works well for us with mice, and I know another member has used it for rats and opossums.

 

[AmyA248]

Sorry to hear you have a rat problem. It sounds incredibly frustrating.
I take it you haven't tried poison? Are you opposed to it? It would be the 1st thing I would try.

Hi!

Poison was the FIRST THING I thought about, but with all our other animals unfortunately I can’t use it.
We’re wracking our brains as to what to do.

Thank you so much for your kindness.

Blessings,
Amy

 

[Lovelee]

Cornmeal, baking soda, and sugar worked well for us. I put it out in a bowl at night and put it away during the day.

Good morning,

There is a lot of great information on here regarding RATS! As I’m sure everyone with outdoor animals run into this very same problem.
Unfortunately we cannot control them right now.
We actually had to bring our ducks to their inside barn when they would much prefer to be outside.

I looked at the security cameras this morning and the empty coupe was completely FULL of big, fat rats! We are very clean, leave no garbage or uneaten treats, clean the coupe daily and hose it down every other day.
Our garbage cans are locked and nowhere near our coupe.
We do live in the country and we also have a pond for a popular rat water supply.

We have also tried;
7 gallons of concentrated mint and eucalyptus.
Cloves.
Power washing through the rat holes and filling them in consistently.
Rebuilding the coupe under instructions regarding how to keep rats out.
But NOTHING is working and the problem continues to worsen.

I just found a video on YouTube from a farmer who has solved his problem with a mixture of cornmeal and baking soda.
Has anyone tried this? If so, any success?

I’m very concerned about my ducks being bitten or eating rat droppings and becoming ill. Also, they are costing us triple the amount of money in feed!

Blessings to all!
Amy

 

[AmyA248]

Cornmeal, baking soda, and sugar worked well for us. I put it out in a bowl at night and put it away during the day.

Hi!

I saw that on YouTube and put out 10 of them, still has not worked!
I’m at my wits end. My husband is actually pouring concrete into the rat holes, filling them in, and securing the coupe with chicken wire 3 feet under the coupe to keep them from digging holes underneath to get in.
We’re spending twice as much in feed due to them!
We also keep the coupe immaculate and never leave uneaten treats out.

I don’t know what to do anymore because our ducks are very stressed by them..

Kindly,
Amy

 

[Rurumo]

You could try adding cayenne pepper to the feed at 1% of the total and see if that helps-it's wonderful for the birds as well, and adds color to the yolks. You might need to experiment to get it hot enough to keep the rats out though, not all cayenne is hot enough-I said 1% of feed because I just read some studies that used that amount for other purposes, you might need quite a bit more to deter rats.

 

[SilverBirds]

Hi!

I saw that on YouTube and put out 10 of them, still has not worked!
I’m at my wits end. My husband is actually pouring concrete into the rat holes, filling them in, and securing the coupe with chicken wire 3 feet under the coupe to keep them from digging holes underneath to get in.
We’re spending twice as much in feed due to them!
We also keep the coupe immaculate and never leave uneaten treats out.

I don’t know what to do anymore because our ducks are very stressed by them..

Kindly,
Amy

Have you tried the bucket method?

 

[Lovelee]

I also had to stop feeding them in the coop, but mine also free range.

 

[Al Gerhart]

There is a lot of good info on rodent control but you aren't reading it. Do a forum search and you will find hundreds of posts and discussions on what works and what doesn't. You cannot trap or poison your way out of a rat infestation, you have to stop feeding the rodents which is the ONLY way to solve the problem long term.

I like to copy and past an old post from Howard E. who has done probably the most research on BYC on dealing with rats and at the bottom my short version of his info. These are the essentials to deal with a rodent problem.


Here is Howard E.'s past post:


"To the OP (and others like them), if you will spend the time, everything you need to know about rats and how to get rid of them will be found in the links below......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-the-video-series.1337456/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-proof-feeder-review.1180514/#post-18610285






This last one is a review of a rat proof chicken feeder built and sold by a BYC member, who is a staunch advocate for the plan of getting rid of rats by starving them out. Remove all sources of feed and they will be forced to move on or starve to death. If you are firmly against the use of poison bait blocks......for whatever reason.......then this is one of the best actions you can take. Bulk food in metal trash cans.....chicken feed in metal rat proof feeders. Can't get to the feed and birds do not spill and waste feed that the rats can survive on."


And the short version of Howard's post? Sanitation, exclusion, elimination.


Sanitation, bulk feed in metal cans or barrels with tight fitting lids, a proper treadle feeder with a spring loaded door and a narrow and distant treadle, clean up the avenues of movement so the rodents have no cover to protect them from their natural predators. In my opinion and experience this is the quickest, surest, and cheapest way to solve a rodent problem.


Exclusion, plugging the holes and building a Fort Knox chicken coop and not leaving an opening for free range. Tough to do and expensive but it could work for rats.


Elimination, poison and traps. Problem is that rats are smart and will quickly learn to avoid both traps and poison bait. Were you to clean them out, the lack of sanitation would mean a new population of rodents would move right in. And there is risk and no end to the process, keeping fresh bait out. However, if you have done your sanitation using poison becomes effective as the rats are starving and will likely try the poison bait. Not needed though, they will leave in a few days as long as you are not feeding the rodents with a compost pile or other animal feed. Not all will leave, your area will have a natural carrying capacity for rodents, natural feed, but that natural ability to sustain rodents is quite small and the natural predators keep them in check and under cover as the rodents hustle to find this natural food.

Do a forum search on "rats chickens" and you will find most of the old wives tales exposed and read of long epic battles against the rodents. Sanitation, exclusion, or elimination all have associated costs but you are already paying for the feed and will recover the initial costs quickly with the first method.

Good luck and remember, it isn't just the stolen feed, disease and predators come with rodents.