5 big Rats in the coop

[4blackhens]

We have some nigh time rats who come and party in the run at night and eat the food.

We open the coop during the day and they somehow sneak in there, tunnel in there. I have been putting compost in there for the chickens to eat but i guess that is a bad idea.

My husband wants to poison the rats, I am worried the poison will somehow be eaten by the chickens even if we are careful (put the chickens away, put the poison out and make sure it is all away before the chickens come back)

What do we do about the rats?

 

[Mahonri]

Call your local feed store, they will have some rat poison.

Get some PVC tubes, something only the rats can get into and not the hens. Cover the rat poison with peanut butter they love that.

Make certain that the rats are nesting nowhere near your home.

Dead rats stink.

 

[brandywine]

I've had luck live-trapping them.

A snap-trap for a rat is powerful enough to really hurt a chicken, and I have a strong aversion to using poison around domestic animals, even if it's well-secured. Accidents happen.

Rat-sized live traps are not too expensive, and can be re-used forever.

 

[keystonepaul]

The sticky flat traps are what I caught the bulk of my rats on. I also caught them by putting the snap traps on thier travel roots- when I saw them scurrying back to the holes they made in the garage roof. sometimes i had to wire the traps securly to the garage rails, etc, but the trap shy ones got caught. Didn't take long to have no noticable rats- no droppings, etc. I also put the poison bait in select places also. Good luck, Keystonepaul

 

[horsejody]

When I see signs of rodents in the coop, I lock a cat in with the chickens every night for a few days. My barn cats clean up the problem in no time, and they don't bother the birds.

 

[LynneP]

Please check the vent areas of your birds to see they have not been rat-bitten and possibly left with gaping wounds and infections....so sorry to hear you ar dealing with a tough problem...and I hope you have found the tunnels and entry points...