Desperate!!!!!!!!!

[dandydoodle]

If you have rats getting in your coop and killing your babies how do you get rid of them permenantly without hurting your chickens. I need help, I lost a baby chick last night and I don't want to lose another tonight.

 

[stargirl]

Oh I'm so sorry for you!
I think the only way is to make the coop fully rat-proof. If you can post pictures of your coop we will be able to help identify the problem areas and help you figure out what to do

 

[mulewagon]

You can put poison out in a metal bait station, but tiny chicks would be able to get in.

I had the same problem with snakes getting in and eating lots of chicks. And we can't snake-proof this coop - they can get into very small openings. So we covered a big cage with hardware cloth (it took hours to tie down the edges with wire) and I put the surviving chicks and their mom in there every night. They've made it through two nights so far...

 

[dandydoodle]

What exactly did you cover with hardware cloth? It would be really hard to quickly make the whole coop rat proof. I thought about raccoons and everything big but rats never occurred to me. How old does a chick have to be before they will just leave it alone? Thanks for the help. They are my babies and I am ready to sleep in the coop with a bat, I need help.

Quote:

 

[dandydoodle]

Where do I get a metal bait station?

 

[mulewagon]

We just covered a cage - we have several for moving chickens, separating injured ones, etc. You can get them at Tractor Supply or Farmtown, or similar places. We cut the hardware cloth to fit and then tied it to the cage with pieces of wire, to eliminate any little gaps. Then I put the chicks and their mom in there each evening, after they've settled down.

Ask at those same stores about bait stations - old-fashioned feed or hardware stores might have them too. I prefer the heavy metal ones, so the chickens can't turn them over and spill the poison. Just make sure the chicks are too big to reach inside!

 

[justtoni44]

Oh, I am sorry...
We had this happen last year,and had a broody in a cage we thought was safe.
She was screaming when we went to the barn, picked her up and there was a baby rat under
her destroying the eggs. Also lost some babies in a brooder.
We made 2x4 cages out of pegboard.about $12.00....had an 8 ft. piece cut at home depot.
Tied these together with slip ties.(then easy to break down).we put wire cloth on the top and bottom.......
NOTHING GETS IN..............
I am really sorry about your loss.
Good Luck.
And we used one bite for rats.............it worked.
Nearly rat free now and just put ot out occasionally.......
We hit hard with it the first go round.
It would poison if the chickens ate it.but will not if they eat a dead rat.