rats!lots

[IamRainey]

Put all feeders up for the night in a tightly sealed container, and keep the feed in a tightly sealed container as well. Taking away the food source will make them go away.

That's what I did. I took out the feeders and gathered up any uneaten kitchen scraps and fallen feed (you might want to switch to pellets that are easier to gather). I put red lights out in the run so I could see them and watch their activity at night. I could also tell when they were GONE!

My experience was the same as kathycall that traps were fairly useless and my pellet gun harassed them more than dispensed any. But scrupulously removing all the food at night seemed to make the biggest difference.

Once they were OUT I put 12" concrete pavers 360˚ around the perimeter of the enclosure to keep them out. And I now have a whole raft of large spring loaded traps around the outside perimeter of the chicken's enclosure to just make the rats wary of the whole area. I caught a lot of rats the first couple months. Fewer these days but once you've bought the traps it doesn't cost anything to keep them armed. I don't even bait them. I just don't want them to be able to go a couple body lengths without encountering one and deciding that there are more convenient food sources.

 

[CatWhisperer]

We have a couple feral cats that live with our chickens. Never see a sign of rodents.

 

[bikergirl]

Most cats won’t/can’t kill rats but some will. We had two cats that liveed next-door and they killed everything, rats moles squirrels and rabbits! But I agree with everyone else you’re basically feeding them by leaving food out. If you don’t want rats you have to put away your food. I only feed my chickens scraps in the morning and the food goes in metal Cans at night.

 

[woodmort]

I went 20+ years with no rats, then I got my first infestation about 5 yrs ago. Traps baited with peanut butter took out a few but it wasn't until a weasel moved in that they were completely killed off. Great solution! But then he started on the chickens. Fortunately I was able to live trap him and, as a reward, relocated him far, far away, Then about a year ago another family of rats moved in. Again trapped a few but they got trap-wise and it didn't work. Luck or not, another weasel and a mink took care of them plus 2 dozen of my birds.

Now for somethings I've learned: First if you stop them from feeding in your coop they will go elsewhere. My garden shed and greenhouse were both invaded--weasel got them eventually before the got in the house. Poisons are not a good idea around chickens although there is a kind that is supposed to be ok for poultry it doesn't work that well on rats. They are smart enough to learn to avoid one variety of poison so you need to use another, then another. Either way it isn't 100% effective. Also any animals feeding on dead or dying rats will be poisoned. In either case if you use traps or poison you need to locate it were the birds and any of your animals are excluded. Finally they enter where they can so its best to prevent this from happening, In my case my coop got old(I built it in 87) and they found rotten wood or mouse openings they could enlarge to gain access. I have redone the coop by virtually creating a cage using heavy, half-inch hardware cloth on all the interior walls, floor and ceiling plus sheet metal along the edges of the doors. Hopefully this will prevent another invasion. I'd say prevention is the best cure.

BTW second weasel is gone but the mink persists, he just can no longer gain access to the coop. I'm either hoping he'll leave or I'll be able to trap him.

 

[suecharp]

I found a flat, mangled rat in my duck pen yesterday! And I have watched my Roo take on mice and squirrels. Can’t do much about them getting in during the day but if you don’t leave food in the coop overnight the critters will quickly move in.

 

[woodmort]

I posted this to another thread but it shows a weasel killing a rat in my coop last winter. It might have been the last one because I didn't see any more after this picture was taken.

 

[Suzi18]

My chickens have killed a rat before!

My cats have killed rats too. Maybe we should send Kathy our cats and chickens for a while

 

[Jammerz]

With respect to trapping, I have found a cage type trap baited with a walnut half or two, one glued to the trip pan with Nutella works better than anything else I have tried in spades. I have only caught two rats with standard Victory type snap traps. I have left them baited for days on end with no takers. I was getting a rat every couple of days or so up until I put chicks in the coop for the first time this year. Now I can't run a trap in there with the chicks. I keep my food in 5 gallon buckets with screw on lids. I do leave food out at night as the chicks need constant food and I leave for work at 4 am .

There are some clever pipe traps that you may try as well. We don't have anything around here that kills rats except my dog and she can't get to them very well and is inside at night anyway. No weasels or minks here!

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Get a water hose and flush them out then shoot them with the bb gun.

 

[woodmort]

Get a water hose and flush them out then shoot them with the bb gun.

Have you done this?? You have to be a really good shot to nail a running rat with even a high powered BB gun. I've shot them with a .22 but it takes practice, a steady eye and a sitting rat. Plus I'd be darn careful of my surroundings before attempting it. Not something I'd recommend.