Coop floor and rats

[Kiki]

Keep your feed and water picked up/taking out of the area at night too.

 

[ndgeller]

We put out poison and live traps with meat at night. Doing this, you need to be vigilant, as while a cat or dog will likely never eat a rodent they have not killed themselves, a bird will. We only put out our traps/poison at night and check each morning and throughout the day for dead rodents.

Tamper proof bait box with chunx bait. That will stop the rats from moving in. As they come from your neighbors rat infested house to take the poison back home and feed young it keeps the population down and them from making a home in your deep litter and house.

Is there any possibility that they could drop some of the poison on the way to feeding their young? And my chickens could find the dropped poison? I hope that doesn't sound like a stupid question...

 

[Kiki]

No question is stupid..ever.

I would never put poison out where any of my animals may be able to accidentally get into it.
I don't think that is a good idea.
Just my opinion.

 

[The Moonshiner]

If you have a real serious rat problem skirting and concrete trenches will not stop them. They can tunnel huge distances.
We had a big problem with them earlier this year and they tunneled everywhere. I have a 3' skirted and a 42" skirted area that they went right under. Two out buildings one with 12" deep footing and one with 18" footing. They easily tunneled under both.
Also have a concrete pad that is about 15' x 18' with tunnels under it. For fun I decided one day to flood the tunnels with the garden hose. I swear it took an hour before I found any water coming out anywhere. Some came out 10' away others came out 20' or more away in the barn and out in one grow out pen beside the barn.
The only thing I found to stop them was 1/2" x 1" welded wire completely fastened together everywhere. They will pry open the smallest gaps and squeeze through.
I broke down and used chunk baits and got the numbers way way down within about 3 weeks and pounds and pounds of bait. I still see a few and I still leave out bait so will see what happens.
I did see our dogs and chickens with several carcasses over that time. Not sure if dogs ever ate them I believe they just chewed and played with them. Chickens for sure gutted and ate parts. No one died from eating on them.
I used three different brands as I figured they might get wise to just one and not eat it after awhile.
Just my experience not advising anyone on what they should do. Or saying that baits are safe.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Is there any possibility that they could drop some of the poison on the way to feeding their young? And my chickens could find the dropped poison? I hope that doesn't sound like a stupid question...

Yes they can spread it to other areas. I used the biggest chunks and mostly the kind you can put a nail through to hold it in place. I nailed it down, wired it down, put it in 5 gallon buckets, barrels, places far from reach of animals and I still found small pieces every now and again in other areas where it was carried off too.
I hated the idea and risks with the poison but after losing rabbit litter after litter to them and chickens faster then I was hatching them I had to get extreme.

 

[jthornton]

Is there any possibility that they could drop some of the poison on the way to feeding their young? And my chickens could find the dropped poison? I hope that doesn't sound like a stupid question...

I asked a vet once about rat poison and the upshot is a dog or other animal has to eat about their body weight in rat poison to die from it. Other poisons can be much more toxic... rat traps with peanut butter on the trigger seems to work for me. I keep rat poison near the wood rack year round for pack rats.

JT