Are rats dangerous to chickens?

[kimmybow]

I have seen one rat in my coop. Dead. About 8 inches long including tail - kinda small, but ugly. I am wondering how it died. I think the chickens got it (by the way, I think I may have a roo - has not crowed yet, tho!) Haven't seen another one, but now after reading these posts I'm freaking out!

 

[vclark321]

My next door neighbor has a wood pile and his wood pile has rats. They come into my yard at night for left over scratch and wild bird seed. He had a rat under his house for a while, but killed it. I have seen one on our fence at night. My dogs have killed one that I know of and when I am up, late at night, I can hear them out in the yard.

I, too, will not put poison out where my animals can get it, but there is a wooden box I saw that keeps the bait away from good animals and lets the rats find it and eat it. I believe it had 3 or 4 chambers with small holes (for the rats) and the poison locked into the center chamber. My neighbors wife likes to feed squirrels so she has a fit if he wants to put poison out. I told him for the most part squirrels are out in the daytime and rats at night.

The rats have never bothered my chickens that I know of. They are locked up at night and the dogs are on patrol until I get home in the morning. Then we all go to bed.

 

[brahmakid11]

i know someone that has an fule grown rooster that got its hole leg chewed off by a huge pack of rats and the rooster now walks on one leg and he named it lucky and it is still alive thank goodness

 

[Atomic Ranch]

I've been concerned about rats too. They're all around, because I have a lot of trees and raw land. A family of barn owls directly above help keep the numbers down. They are not in the least interested in my chickens, and the top of the run is covered if they were to come out before the chickens retire to their coop. I know the rats are interested though, because I've seen their leavings on the top of the egg box. They must run across the wire on top and jump down. I don't think they can get IN, but these comments scare me! I may set out some traps.

Ironically, I accidentally discovered the cheapest rodent killer yet-- a dumb bucket of water. Kinda sad, but since I live in the desert, I guess they're desperate. They somehow get in, and don't come out.

 

[SilkieBantams]

Rats are dangerous to all chicks and full grown chickens as they have been known to attack and kill from the smallest chick to a full grown adult if given the chance.

 

[emmak]

Wow, I'm glad I saw this thread! We have seen a couple of rats recently, and the chicken feed was disappearing. I stopped using the self feeder, and now I just give them food every morning to eat during the day. However, I wasn't taking the rat issue seriously enough. Our drought here in Texas has left a big gap under the foundation of our house (which is supported by piers). I guess it's time to get busy. I will have to rely on traps because I have two dogs and a cat. Do the sticky boards work at all? We've also had a problem with a skunk taking up residence under the house.

 

[Johnn]

When i had rats (i had loads) if any of my hens dies they would eat there insides and everything and onece they took down my facouraite hen and chewed some of her back and leg but a farmer was checking his sheep in the feild so he shood the rats off, after that i put poison down

 

[01Tech]

What kind of poison did you use EweSheep? We sometimes smell them (even though the poison claims they will not stink), but have yet to see a dead one that we did not shoot. I would think that with as many as we have, we would see some dead ones. Of course, there is ample hiding here right now as well and we hope they are just dying in their hiding places. We are seeing fewer, but it would be nice to get rid of them faster!

 

[cmom]

I use these. I have the rat bait stations in places where other critters can't get to them but the rats and mice. They eat the bait, drink water and die.

 

[cmom]

I had a coop that was infested because stupidly in that coop we put an inside wall around the bottom of the coop and Rats chewed holes and got inbetween the inside and outside walls and built nests. I recently took the wood out of the inside and out side and put new wood up on the outside. No more rats. I have seen rats but not for awhile in the barn and put the bait boxes in the barn where I had seen them. I did find some dead rats. I have some work to do on some of the other coops but waiting until cooler weather.