What got into my coop last night?

[UrbanHomesteadTX]

If it feels that overwhelming to deal with right now, I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Yes rats, oppossums and other critters can carry diseases and parasites, and it's always best to keep a coop as clean as possible. But odds are higher than not that nothing bad will result from your night visitor's intrusion. Aiming for perfection is great, but sometimes we are forced to settle for good enough. If your coop and run were totally rat-infested, that would be a different story, but I think your current situation will be ok. By far the most important thing is to make sure the critter(s) don't gain access again.

Agreed. The likelihood a single visit from a rat causing spread of disease or parasites is incredibly low. Lord knows I've dealt with enough of em. Only things I may be worried about would be cleaning out any poop you see, not do a full deep clean. If there was an infestation, then I'd go the route of a full deep clean, but a single rat visit would not be worth it in my honest opinion.

If you are worried about it, then I'd suggest just focusing your efforts on the coop, where you know it's been and any likelihood of poop or parasites that may affect your hens would be there. Otherwise, I believe you'd be fine to just leave it be. Do make sure you have things secured to ensure rats and/or opossums can't get back in though.

 

[RaesChicks]

Agreed. The likelihood a single visit from a rat causing spread of disease or parasites is incredibly low. Lord knows I've dealt with enough of em. Only things I may be worried about would be cleaning out any poop you see, not do a full deep clean. If there was an infestation, then I'd go the route of a full deep clean, but a single rat visit would not be worth it in my honest opinion.

If you are worried about it, then I'd suggest just focusing your efforts on the coop, where you know it's been and any likelihood of poop or parasites that may affect your hens would be there. Otherwise, I believe you'd be fine to just leave it be. Do make sure you have things secured to ensure rats and/or opossums can't get back in though.

Thank you both. I will work on that this morning while it is still cool enough.

 

[McChooky]

Should I do a deep clean on my coop and sanitize and spray everything just to be safe? The idea of rats freaks me out.

Burying 1/2" hardware cloth around the bottom will keep the rats out provided its secured properly and buried deep . Finding what works best for your situation can take a lot of time.I started out with only 6 but now I have 18 so I spend more time caring for them.

 

[RaesChicks]

I got mine with the intention that they are pest control and egg producers, farm animals not pets. But since getting them I’ve tried to follow all of the best practices shared here which seems to be more pet care than ag, and at this point I’ve invested more into the hens in a year than I spend on two large dogs in 3. I definitely have to find better ways.

 

[RaesChicks]

This morning I bought nest pads to replace the hay, permethrin for any creepy crawlies that got introduced to the coop or the hens, and new bedding for coop. I also ordered hardware cloth to install in a trench around the run. My coop is 18” off the ground and is secure except for the run which is usually open. I did an inspection before letting the girls out this morning and saw no tunnels or dig marks anywhere around the coop or run. Nothing looked disturbed in the coop so I’m thinking they are getting in regularly. But I did pick up a rat bait station in case and I’ll set that back behind the run a ways near the woods where they likely have settled. Wish me luck that nothing else goes wrong.

 

[McChooky]

I got mine with the intention that they are pest control and egg producers, farm animals not pets. But since getting them I’ve tried to follow all of the best practices shared here which seems to be more pet care than ag, and at this point I’ve invested more into the hens in a year than I spend on two large dogs in 3. I definitely have to find better ways.

$20 They'll let you know if somethings inside

 

[McChooky]

I

This morning I bought nest pads to replace the hay, permethrin for any creepy crawlies that got introduced to the coop or the hens, and new bedding for coop. I also ordered hardware cloth to install in a trench around the run. My coop is 18” off the ground and is secure except for the run which is usually open. I did an inspection before letting the girls out this morning and saw no tunnels or dig marks anywhere around the coop or run. Nothing looked disturbed in the coop so I’m thinking they are getting in regularly. But I did pick up a rat bait station in case and I’ll set that back behind the run a ways near the woods where they likely have settled. Wish me luck that nothing else goes wrong.

Adding dropping boards under your roosts will add sq feet to your coop and run . I have a couple that are 3 foot wide and 6 foot long. One smaller one too. Pdz might help help keep the smell down

 

[McChooky]

This morning I bought nest pads to replace the hay, permethrin for any creepy crawlies that got introduced to the coop or the hens, and new bedding for coop. I also ordered hardware cloth to install in a trench around the run. My coop is 18” off the ground and is secure except for the run which is usually open. I did an inspection before letting the girls out this morning and saw no tunnels or dig marks anywhere around the coop or run. Nothing looked disturbed in the coop so I’m thinking they are getting in regularly. But I did pick up a rat bait station in case and I’ll set that back behind the run a ways near the woods where they likely have settled. Wish me luck that nothing else goes wrong.

I throw out all my bedding (coop and run and nest boxes) when I treat them for lice or mites and only put fresh bedding down after I've finished treating them.I also clean or change my roosting bars once a year .I never add adult chickens to my flock as its easy to introduce disease and lice,mites,etc.I only buy chicks from hatcheries or farm stores like rural king or tractor supply