We had an infestation under the coop once and I poisoned. (The coops have since been put up on cement blocks to avoid giving them a place to hide.) I put the poison where only the rats could get at it and never had a problem with odor, or other animals eating them. They crawled off and died somewhere, but I never saw any. We still get them around the grain bins, and the dog kills what he catches but doesn't eat them. As a matter of fact, my cats don't eat rats, either. I think they somehow know that rats are yucky. I've never tried mint, but there are those who swear by it, and if that works, fantastic! I'd be interesting in knowing how it works for you.Thank you so much for your advice!
I will definitely plant some mint, that seems like a win win.
If I do choose to go the poison route (that multiplication table scared the crap out of me), won't they all just die underneath the chicken run? there could be the potential for a dozen dead rats down there, won't that smell horrible?
Also what if the rats wander out and die in the yard where my dogs or cats are? Or what if they come up and die in the chicken run and the girls nip at them? Aren't there a lot of dangers associated with that?
Thanks again!