Rats, rats EVERYWHERE! ☹️

[Double Yolked]

Rats are an ongoing, eternal war for me. They burrow into the soil, under the coop, under the edge of the house, under any solid object or rock.
Traps help. Mousetrap Monday on YouTube or here https://mousetrapmonday.com/ has an amazing number of rat and mouse traps tested and the best outlined.
Getting a good waste reducing feeder helped a lot.
I made my own out of a 5 gal bucket and some heavy pvc elbows (you can google no mess feeders and the like and find a pattern or try this site https://homesteadlifestyle.com/diy-no-waste-chicken-feeder-bin/)
Removing the spilled grains and closing down the openings into the feed so they were only "chicken head" sized kept the rats from trying to feed along side the hens.
But the fight never ends and is constant, once I get one den cleaned out another breeding pair shows up and it starts all over.
My best rat solution has always been a good, indoor/outdoor cat. Usually a half Siamese. The old style apple headed Siamese were the toughest, smartest and most lethal of rat killers I have ever had the joy of owning and smart enough to realize the chickens were family and didn't harm them.

 

[Al Gerhart]

This:View attachment 2688286

You win the internet today with post. Can't top that.

I will say as an Oklahoman, please forgive us for loosing the Tiger King upon the nation.

 

[Al Gerhart]

This:View attachment 2688286

Mamasug, on behalf of all Oklahomans, please forgive us for letting the Tiger King escape our asylum. It isn't a good look for Oklahoma.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Rats are an ongoing, eternal war for me. They burrow into the soil, under the coop, under the edge of the house, under any solid object or rock.
Traps help. Mousetrap Monday on YouTube or here https://mousetrapmonday.com/ has an amazing number of rat and mouse traps tested and the best outlined.
Getting a good waste reducing feeder helped a lot.
I made my own out of a 5 gal bucket and some heavy pvc elbows (you can google no mess feeders and the like and find a pattern or try this site https://homesteadlifestyle.com/diy-no-waste-chicken-feeder-bin/)
Removing the spilled grains and closing down the openings into the feed so they were only "chicken head" sized kept the rats from trying to feed along side the hens.
But the fight never ends and is constant, once I get one den cleaned out another breeding pair shows up and it starts all over.
My best rat solution has always been a good, indoor/outdoor cat. Usually a half Siamese. The old style apple headed Siamese were the toughest, smartest and most lethal of rat killers I have ever had the joy of owning and smart enough to realize the chickens were family and didn't harm them.

But here is the simple truth. If you stop feeding the rats and mice, they leave. A chicken's head is larger than the hole a rat can get through. No food available, no rats. Yeah you made an inexpensive feeder and kudos for not buying one of the $60.00 bucket feeders that is worse than what you made, but you are still feeding rats. Not being disrespectful but those are the facts.

 

[Double Yolked]

But here is the simple truth. If you stop feeding the rats and mice, they leave. A chicken's head is larger than the hole a rat can get through. No food available, no rats. Yeah you made an inexpensive feeder and kudos for not buying one of the $60.00 bucket feeders that is worse than what you made, but you are still feeding rats. Not being disrespectful but those are the facts.

Your response is somewhat antagonistic in tone, I'm not at all sure what I did to provoke it.
Not everyone is able to purchase expensive equipment and as I wrote, mine is not a one tool only attempt to cure my rat problem. While rats can get into the opening, by keeping an agile and aggressive cat out in the run during the day they don't try to feed. At night I remove the feeder out of the rat's reach. By not spilling or allowing spills they are not lured in by easy food. If you have a better and economical solution please post it or link to it I'm sure all of us are interested.
Chicken keeping is not "just" a rich man's hobby and some of us require affordable solutions that we can do our selves.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Your response is somewhat antagonistic in tone, I'm not at all sure what I did to provoke it.
Not everyone is able to purchase expensive equipment and as I wrote, mine is not a one tool only attempt to cure my rat problem. While rats can get into the opening, by keeping an agile and aggressive cat out in the run during the day they don't try to feed. At night I remove the feeder out of the rat's reach. By not spilling or allowing spills they are not lured in by easy food. If you have a better and economical solution please post it or link to it I'm sure all of us are interested.
Chicken keeping is not "just" a rich man's hobby and some of us require affordable solutions that we can do our selves.

Don't feel like it's you or your ideas, some people here are just not nice people. As you will find anywhere. I personally like your idea, I to have to budget for the chickens I wish to keep.
Thank you for sharing your idea.

 

[electrycmonk]

Goodnature Automatic Trap. Google it for your area. It's expensive but you understand why real quick. Non toxic bait...the rat dies instantly and the trap resets itself for its next kill. I was infested here with underground tunnels all over my property. I installed this trap in a shed that they took over and it worked amazing. It has been a year and my rat population is controlled...I killed another one yesterday...first one sinc February...they must be coming in from the fie

Goodnature Automatic trap
Saved my sanity. Google it for your area and watch the videos. Works as it promises.

*I’m not advertising* & with that I will share that the 2 designs I resent Ky got and have used are seriously impressive.

they are both live trap designs.

Type 1 is a lexon kinda mini “breadbox” shape.
Type 2 is called the ratinator.

they both work so much more reliable from the old standby “snapping” style or the Victor zapping style.

both of those were less than 25% success rates.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

*I’m not advertising* & with that I will share that the 2 designs I resent Ky got and have used are seriously impressive.

they are both live trap designs.

Type 1 is a lexon kinda mini “breadbox” shape.
Type 2 is called the ratinator.

they both work so much more reliable from the old standby “snapping” style or the Victor zapping style.

both of those were less than 25% success rates.

@electrycmonk thank you for the suggestion for keeping the rat population down around your home and coop.
New ideas are always valuable to me.

 

[589205]

Mamasug, on behalf of all Oklahomans, please forgive us for letting the Tiger King escape our asylum. It isn't a good look for Oklahoma.

I apologize, I had meant to be ridiculously humorous in order to lighten up moods a bit. I had no idea & don’t mean any harm to anyone here.

 

[electrycmonk]

@electrycmonk thank you for the suggestion for keeping the rat population down around your home and coop.
New ideas are always valuable to me.

I can snap pics tomorrow if that a good idea?