Dealing with rats

[CarpCharacin]

I let my birds free range in my yard during the day, and then lock them in at night, but I have a problem with rats in the yard. I have noticed a good amount of them, and sometimes I see them eating the chicken food during the day. Any suggestions as to what to do about them? I was thinking about putting rat poison in the garage, up high where the chickens can't get it.

 

[Howard E]

Hmmm.......seems like "deja vu all over again".......since there is another rat thread running that has covered all this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-the-video-series.1337456/

To the OP and others, what you are sitting on is a thriving rat colony......and to get rid of them is a multi-step process. Thread above has links to several videos that explain what you are up against......your understanding of which is critical towards you getting a jump on getting rid of them, which in summary revolves around three keys steps.

Sanitation.......eliminating access to feed and shelter.
Exclusion.....rat proofing your structures so rats can't get in to harm chickens, steal eggs, get to feed, etc.

and if those two fail to starve them out so them move on.....

Elimination: The tendency of most folks is to go straight to elimination in the form of traps, bait blocks, etc., which will likely lead to failure to rid yourself of the problem.

Traps won't work to eliminate a colony......forget that. Provided you have taken the all important sanitation step so rats can't get to any other food source and are starving.... they may be receptive to poison bait blocks.......of which there are several layers of potency and affect. Skip the sanitation step and the rats will likely skip the bait blocks.

BYC folks.....at least some of them......are adverse to using poison bait blocks out of fear of secondary poisoning. That concern can largely be mitigated depending on the choice of bait block and delivery method. Others are not adverse at all and will gladly use the bait blocks if it will help their cause.

Study the videos, do your homework and you will be armed with the knowledge to get rid of your rat problem.

 

[21hens-incharge]

If putting poison out it should be in a bait box that the rats cannot haul around.

They will drag bait out and leave it where others (chickens, cats, dogs etc) can find it.

Be very careful with that poison please.

James,
If you are seeing them during the day you have many. It will take time even with poison to knock the numbers down.
The warfarin based poisons take a LONG time to kill them. You may want to go with a heavier poison.

Be sure to walk the property a few times a day looking for the bodies. No need for a secondary poisoning.

 

[SilkieLover7]

If putting poison out it should be in a bait box that the rats cannot haul around.

They will drag bait out and leave it where others (chickens, cats, dogs etc) can find it.

Be very careful with that poison please.

James,
If you are seeing them during the day you have many. It will take time even with poison to knock the numbers down.
The warfarin based poisons take a LONG time to kill them. You may want to go with a heavier poison.

Be sure to walk the property a few times a day looking for the bodies. No need for a secondary poisoning.

Yes do be careful especially with the bodies because the chickens will eat them if they find them.

 

[21hens-incharge]

So the bait box will prevent them from dragging the poison out?

Bait boxes specifically made for rats yes. They prevent random drag outs of poison.
Use the type of poison the box is designed to dispense....compressed cube, pellets etc.

 

[BDutch]

.... I don't worry about secondhand poisoning. A rat eats so little. ...]

I do worry about spreading poisoned rats. Predators that eat poisoned rats get sick and eventually they will die.
Here in Europe/The Netherlands I read several studies about poisoned owls and other predators. Most plagues are in towns where people feed birds and ducks. Its best to eliminate the food and make a natural environment in which predators that eat rats have a place.

If you poison the predators (and rats always come back) you get even more problems the next time. Rats can develop more quickly then predators and some rats do become imune for poison.

The only good solutions are these:
Make it impossible for rats to eat chicken food and left overs. Provide food in a hanging basket. Remember chicks can fly a little. Rats don't but are extremely good climbers.

Protect you're chickens from the rats in the night. Make a secure cage where they sleep.
Eliminate hiding places/bushes near the coop and run.

Get yourself one or two cats that loves to catch mice and baby rats.

I had rats here 4 years back. Living near water and a neighbour who had severe rat problems and even had rat holes in the chicken run. I lost 2 chicks because of rats. People where telling me to use poison too.

But I hate poison. Was stubborn and was reading about rat plagues and sick predators. Reading tips to feed just chickens and not the rats.
1. I removed the bushes around the run. No hiding places near the run and coop.
2. I repaired and secured the run with more mesh. (I already had a fence with hardware cloth in the ground)
3. Gave only 2x a day a short time layer feed to the chickens in several bowls. So they could all eat while I was around.
4. I made a special feeding table on a slippery iron stick for the rest of the day where the chickens could jump on. And the food could not fall off.
Neighbour cats and a mother fox hunted down the numbers. And I was lucky the neighbour stopped with keeping chickens and rabbits 2 years ago.
The rats dissapeared. I gave the food again as usual and didnt check the run anymore. After 2 years I had one rat in the run again. Yes. There was a hole underneath the mesh were I could not dig because there were roots. So I put mesh on the ground and put a layer of clay with lime on top. So far the rats didn't come back. Its two years now since I saw a rat.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I agree with @21hens-incharge if you're seeing them during the day you have lots of them. I would use poison, but do be careful, and definitely use bait boxes. Rats are awful, and in my experience they're harder to get rid of than mice. Good luck.

 

[cmom]

I have never used the bait boxes posted. I don't worry about secondhand poisoning. A rat eats so little. From my research any predator that eats a poisoned rat is not likely to be poisoned but there may be exceptions. I had a coop that was very infested. I used this bait and rat bait box. The box has a little window above the bait so it can be checked and replaced as needed and only the rats and mice can get to the bait. I did notice some tunnels around the coops and only found a couple of dead rats that I disposed of. I think the others went into their tunnels and died. I'm not crazy about using poison so I place the bait boxes where other critters can't get to them. I tried traps but still had oodles of rats so I resorted to the poison and the bait boxes. I haven't had to replace the baits in quite awhile, nor have I seen any rats. Good luck...

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I don't have rats in my coop or run, however, this being the time of year field mice are always looking for a warm place to spend the winter. A friend of mine who is a farmer recommended a product called "RatX." It is a natural "poison" that interferes with the rodents ability to eat. It is safe to use around livestock and pets and there is no risk of secondary poisoning. Good luck with your rodent "clean-up."

 

[CarpCharacin]

I put out both bait boxes when the poison arrived on Thursday, and I went out and checked them tonight, and all of the poison blocks were eaten. There were 6 cubes in each box. There was still a little bit of poison in the tray below the wires which hold the poison blocks, but not much. I refilled them, again with 6 bait blocks in each box. I wonder how long it will take for the entire colony to die.