rats in hen house

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This is my first post so here goes....I found a rat in the hen-house and immediately bought a 'snap trap ' and was unable to catch the rat w/the trap [although he ate the peanut butter off with out snapping the trap]the hens and boss the rooster freaked out two nights in a row when they saw rat. [3am I have a night lite for them. I was worried about the hens getting bitten by rat. BUT I am not worried now rat was found dead the next day with a blow to the head!!ONLY SIGN OF HIT WAS A SPOT ON RAT'S NOSE .CLEAN HIT AND THEY DIDN'T TRY TO EAT HIM, WHICH WAS MY OTHER WORRY.! thought this might be a concern for other s. I'll be forever grateful if this helps one person not go through what worry I went through for 2 weeks.
'I also had feral cats and dogs stalking my chickens when they were roaming my fenced yard, Solution...I bought a Beebe pistol and they ran at the sound of my missed shots headed their way. no one got hurt just scared off.!!

 

[Judy]

I watched one day around sundown as about 6 chickens jointly jumped down off the roost onto a mouse, killed and ate him. The mouse was consumed in about 10 seconds. I couldn't have moved fast enough to have stopped it if I wanted to.

Where you see one, there are others.

 

[leonphelps]

put the peanut butter under the plate also. works wonders for me.

 

[hartsfarm]

i had the same problem in my feed room. so i bought the traps with a cup in the center and some green paste at tractor supply. you put the paste in the cup and it works great. I caught 6 rats in three days. what ever the green bait is works. it is a little white squeeze bottle so it is not messy. just a note: i was told peanut butter and cheese and other things would work and had no hits. bought the bait and had instant result. good luck

 

[hartsfarm]

i had the same problem in my feed room. so i bought the traps with a cup in the center and some green paste at tractor supply. you put the paste in the cup and it works great. I caught 6 rats in three days. what ever the green bait is works. it is a little white squeeze bottle so it is not messy. just a note: i was told peanut butter and cheese and other things would work and had no hits. bought the bait and had instant result. good luck

the product name is TOM CAT mouse attractent. sold at tractor supply. they have the traps there to.

 

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love the feedback I'm alone and have no one to share the little every day happenings with my 8hens and one very attentive rooster. He stands there so patiently while the hens 'shop 'for bugs like a husband holding his wife's purse at the mall!!
thanks again for the saying about worry!!
Ann7137201

 

[mommanine]

I'm going to try this. My daughter went out to shut up the chickens tonight and saw four rats in the coop! Yuck! I knew we had some- one of the barn cats killed one in that coop recently- but I had no idea it was that bad. We used poison last year, but then a few of my chickens died within days of putting it down, so I'm afraid they managed to eat some. ( it was shoved down into the hole, but apparently not far enough.) The trap sounds much safer for the birds. Thanks!