They can also kill chickens, while they are roosting. Happened here a few years ago.
Chickens need very safe housing, at least overnight. No openings larger than 1/2" diameter!
Rats never come alone, always family groups, growing exponentially!
Mary
I did the same thing, shoved bait cubes into the tunnel, and covered with a big paver. Nobody came out, and when no more bait was eaten, closed it up permanently.
Mary
We had rats in the coop a few years ago, and they ate eggs and killed three nice bantams at night. Traps won't ever get them all!
Ours were tunneling in through breaks in the concrete foundation, which we covered in hardware cloth. They also chewed through particle board into the insulated...