How to feed chickens without feeding the rats

[carp]

I've had my chickens five years, and we've always had rat problems. But in the last couple of months, the rats are eating so much food that I'm going through twice as much feed. They come out early in the day and empty the feeder by the afternoon.

We aren't keen on trying to poison the rats. Even if we didn't have to worry about poisoning other animals, our neighborhood is so infested with rats that neighbors tell us that new ones just show up no matter how much you try poisoning and trapping. There's just a lot of undeveloped areas around here that the rats thrive in.

I tried moving the feed out into the open but the rats literally drag the container to where they want it. We have dogs that chase the rats, but they just come out when the dogs come inside. We've tried using various rat repellents to no effect.

The only thing i can think of is putting the feed away when I'm not there to keep the rats away. But then i don't know how often i need to feed the girls. They have a large yard to forage in, but i know they should normally have feed always available.

Any ideas?

 

[cavemanrich]

Try feeding your chickens 3 times per day. When you let them out in the morning, let them eat for 15 minutes, or less,(once they stop eating). Remove feed and place into metal container. Metal trash can. Feed them again mid-day. Once they stop eating, remove again. Chickens always like to eat before roost time. They like to roost with a full crop. Calculate when that time is in regards to dusk, and feed them at that time. The chickens foraging in the yard during the rest of the time, will supplement their feed needs as needed.
Keeping feed inaccessible is the best way for rats to go look elsewhere for their meals.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Aunt Angus]

Have you checked out treadle feeders? I don't have pics, but you can Google them.

 

[sealer39]

Or gravity feeders made out of pvc with a wye fitting at the bottom. Lots of plans and designs on the internet. Here is one of mine made with 4” pvc stepped up to 6” to hold more feed. This feeder is located where mice and rats have access to it if they want but I’ve found no signs of either getting to the feed and the chickens can’t scoop the food out of it.

 

[centrarchid]

Show a picture of coop where birds and feeder are located. Picture of birds might also be helpful.

Be careful with removal of food for rats that might get desperate and go after sleeping chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

The one time I had rats in my coop, they ate eggs and killed chickens! Zero tolerance here!
Have a predator/ rodent proof coop, and use poison, and call your public health department. Yuck!
Mary

 

[Al Gerhart]

Do a search on this forum for rat proof chicken feeders. The PVC feeders are cheap to make but will not stop mice, rats, or wild birds, even the bucket feeders with the PVC elbows. A good feeder will cost you $100 with shipping if you are on the East or West coast but the feed savings will pay for the feeder. Each laying hen ought to eat no more than a quarter pound of feed per day, more than that and you are just feeding vermin that are bringing lice, mites, and plenty of disease into your flock.

The poison will work once you have the feed locked away in a rat proof chicken feeder and the rats are starving. Till you do that you might kill one or two before the rats wise up. However, poisoning rats also poisons their natural predators like snakes and birds of prey. You are far better off just resorting to poison only if you have a massive infestation but a good treadle feeder with a spring loaded door will starve the rats out and they will either leave or get caught out in the open during the day while foraging for food. They can survive living just on chicken poop but prefer something better tasting so they will be out ranging around in the daylight once you have them locked out of the chicken feed.

Rats also bring predators into your area and many of these predators will also kill chicks and full sized birds or eat the eggs. Get rid of the rats ASAP.

 

[Folly's place]

The treadle feeders aren't so useful with small chicks and bantams, but for big birds they may help.
Mary

 

[Al Gerhart]

The treadle feeders aren't so useful with small chicks and bantams, but for big birds they may help.
Mary

That is so true Mary. Small chicks are not good with treadle feeders. Bantams will quickly learn to eat from the side when another bird is using the feeder.