Anyone have a problem with RATS?

[QuailHollow]

I keep finding very BIG tracks in the snow around my coops. They've got to be rats... although I never see them. Any suggestions?

 

[dichotomymom]

A lot of rodent tracks are similar.........although a pest is a pest. I had rats when I owned a commercial farm (grain bins are like big metal targets but not since moving to a small homestead. We keep our feed in the garage in recycled plastic chlorine tubs and keep cats.

 

[chicken ridl]

I do!
I tried traps and I caught a few.
I hated to do it but I went to the farm store and bought some good bait blocks.
I have holes all around my chicken house. Were they are coming and going. So I tossed the bait in all the holes. Making sure there was no way the birds or the dogs can get to it.
They come in and eat the feed out of the feeders.
We had a couple of days of very high winds so I boarded up the doors. And when I removed the doors I saw were the rats had chewed the edges trying to get in.
I have not seen any tracks in the snow since I baited. But I am going to bait again to be sure.
Get on them as soon as you can or they will carry you away.

 

[Scoop]

I do. The little creeps come out of the barn at night to eat the grain I put in the run during the day. We've got flying squirrels, too. I saw both of their tracks in the snow today.

 

[gsim]

Chicken ridl nailed it. Get ahead of it now or be sorry later.

One way to put poison down and not worry about chooks or pets getting it is to make a pvc T of 3" dia pipe. Invert the T and pour the poison pellets in the top and the rats/mice will enter the two sides of the T to eat it, but pets and chooks cannot get it.

For trapping without harming chooks, use a skinny cardboard box or use cardboard and duct tape to make one and put the traps in the back of the boxes you made. Rats can get the bait but chooks cannot. Don't give up or you may become infested with them.

 

[chicknmania]

I always worry about them (the chooks or other animals).. finding a dead (poisoned) rat and eating or pecking at that..so we've been afraid to use poison at all. We have a rat problem, sometimes worse than other times; I don't think we'll ever totally get rid of them b/c farms around us have them, too...we had a rat under our house once before we ever had chickens. Picking up ALL the feed at night and after the chickens are done eating in the morning, helps to control the rat population anyway. Rat zappers are supposed to be good, but the first time we tried those, my DH got zapped...bad. We have had little luck with traps. Backyard Poultry had an ad once for an industrial sized rat repeller; I am thinking about trying that. Obviously, keep your feed in metal containers that a rat cannot chew through.

 

[geebs]

TWO WORDS.... Peppermint oil.

Get the real deal from the health food store and soak cotton balls in it.. Rats and mice are allergic... they will leave.

 

[QuailHollow]

Quote:
Really?? I did not know that...

 

[ErieSpurs]

We have very large rats around here. I've never had luck with traps. I've used poisons and have found a few dead (extremely) large rats. So big they barely fit on a regular spade shovel.

I've heard Juicy Fruit Gum works too. They like the smell and taste, but cannot digest it and die.

Anyway you decide to handle the problem, it's best to start immediately like others have stated.

Good Luck.

 

[chicknmania]

I like the peppermint oil idea; makes the barn smell good, too! Only thing is, wouldn't you have to conceal the cotton balls from the chickens? OUrs would try to eat them.