A Rat???

[Egghead_Jr]

Absolutely weasel not rat. I'm an avid proponent of closing the coop door every night to prevent weasel attacks and the use of chunx bait in tamper proof bait boxes right in the run. Stops all rodents from mice to squirrels from population explosions due to chicken feed.

 

[tougholdbird]

Gads...that is a great idea! I have about 6 of them but was hesitant to place in the pens.

Thank you for the tip

 

[Molpet]

Absolutely weasel not rat. I'm an avid proponent of closing the coop door every night to prevent weasel attacks and the use of chunx bait in tamper proof bait boxes right in the run. Stops all rodents from mice to squirrels from population explosions due to chicken feed.

Some have had chickens that eat the mice that ate the bait..had the same effect on the chickens it did on the mice....

 

[Egghead_Jr]

In 2 years now of using chunx bait and tamper proof boxes I've only seen one dead chipmunk on the lawn in morning. Put in trash on way to opening the coop. Had cats and dogs around, not even my chickens ever got sick. With pellet poison it can get strewn around and animals not intended to have it will eat it. With chunx bait the rodents need to chew it off so it fits in their cheeks then they carry it to the nests. They die in the nests. I went through two infestations before finding this method and so glad I did. Once the infestation is taken care of you hardly go through any chunx poison. It only stops rodents- mice, rats, chipmunks, squirrels from moving in.

I'll find a photo of product I'm talking about. I'd feel bad if someone used pellet poison and or a non tamper proof bait box. Below you'll see a durable box that come with a key to open (tamper proof) and how the chunk is secured in box, bait is large rectangles that rodents chew off. I put one of these in the run at all times (not run with chicks) and other next to house in fall to stop rodents from moving in for winter.

Photo taken from google images.

You can try the systems that drown rodents or the snap traps in protective housing (these may prove effective if used from the start but not for out of control infestation). Use something if your in a residential area as rodent population explosions are not good and one of your neighbors may toss out poison pellets to solve it. That's when pets get sick and die (happened to a friend of mines dog, pain then death). I tried several things and chunx finally solved the problem and has kept it from happening again with no hazard to pets. As stated, I'm an avid proponent of these systems. I don't believe anyone with chickens should be without some sort of rodent control, cats wont cut it. This is what works for me.

 

[tougholdbird]

So thoughtful of you to attach photo. Yes, these are the boxes I have so off to feed store this morning!

Thanks!!