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BriannaG
In the Brooder
We have what we thought was a secure run with an apron and wire roof with polycarbonate panels to deflect the rain. For the first time in years I now have a rat problem and you’re right. The rats dig outside my perimeter apron and are coming up inside the run and coop. We are getting ready to troubleshoot and retro fit with hardware cloth stapled to the floor of the coop. I never thought I would need to do that but I swear once rats discover they can do it there’s no stopping them. I think you’re wise to do the floor too. Just make sure you have a thick layer of dirt, chips, or whatever you’re using in your run.
We have what we thought was a secure run with an apron and wire roof with polycarbonate panels to deflect the rain. For the first time in years I now have a rat problem and you’re right. The rats dig outside my perimeter apron and are coming up inside the run and coop. We are getting ready to troubleshoot and retro fit with hardware cloth stapled to the floor of the coop. I never thought I would need to do that but I swear once rats discover they can do it there’s no stopping them. I think you’re wise to do the floor too. Just make sure you have a thick layer of dirt, chips, or whatever you’re using in your run.
We have what we thought was a secure run with an apron and wire roof with polycarbonate panels to deflect the rain. For the first time in years I now have a rat problem and you’re right. The rats dig outside my perimeter apron and are coming up inside the run and coop. We are getting ready to troubleshoot and retro fit with hardware cloth stapled to the floor of the coop. I never thought I would need to do that but I swear once rats discover they can do it there’s no stopping them. I think you’re wise to do the floor too. Just make sure you have a thick layer of dirt, chips, or whatever you’re using in your run.
We have what we thought was a secure run with an apron and wire roof with polycarbonate panels to deflect the rain. For the first time in years I now have a rat problem and you’re right. The rats dig outside my perimeter apron and are coming up inside the run and coop. We are getting ready to troubleshoot and retro fit with hardware cloth stapled to the floor of the coop. I never thought I would need to do that but I swear once rats discover they can do it there’s no stopping them. I think you’re wise to do the floor too. Just make sure you have a thick layer of dirt, chips, or whatever you’re using in your run.
Thanks you for sharing this! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this & I hope you're able to find a solution soon. That confirms my fears about rats tunneling in, they're very smart (and relentless!) so I'm really not surprised. I'm planning to have a landscape company excavate out the run (16 x 16) 18" deep so we can lay down the hardware cloth & back fill it. I will probably do an apron too just to try to deter them even more. It's expensive but I definitely don't want to regret not doing it later!!
