Egg eating pest?

[Momma*chicken]

So we have a pest problem of some sort. Some people have said it might be rats, but I'm wondering if maybe it's something else? The droppings it's leaving behind look like they might be too long for rat poop. Whatever it is, it's eating their eggs, crapping everywhere, and has multiple holes under the coop leading into the coop. Here's some pix of the holes and the droppings. Any help would really be appreciated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you give some measurements?
Setting up a Game cam to see what type of critter it is would be a good idea.

I'm gonna take a GUESS. Skunk or Weasel.

That said, this would be my reaction to finding something like this in my coop and then thinking of my hens eating it... (you know they probably would!)

 

[Momma*chicken]

Can you give some measurements?
Setting up a Game cam to see what type of critter it is would be a good idea.

I'm gonna take a GUESS. Skunk or Weasel.

That said, this would be my reaction to finding something like this in my coop and then thinking of my hens eating it... (you know they probably would!)

Whatever it is, doesn't seem interesting in eating the chickens, just their eggs and feed.
Yes! Quite disgusting! Lol

 

[mowin]

Definitely not a weasel. If it was, you would find dead chickens.

Looks like a rat issues.

 

[Momma*chicken]

Definitely not a weasel. If it was, you would find dead chickens.

Looks like a rat issues.

What about those droppings? They don't look like rat droppings to me. They are very long, mushy, and look like they might have some fur mixed in there?

 

[mowin]

Well, rats will eat other dead critters, so the hair isn't uncommon. I'd like to say, " I know my S--t", I'm just not sure. The tunnels definitely scream rat.

 

[Momma*chicken]

Well, rats will eat other dead critters, so the hair isn't uncommon. I'd like to say, " I know my S--t", I'm just not sure. The tunnels definitely scream rat.

If they are rats, have any experience with riddex? Does it work? Cuz we can't use poison, we've got a dog and a cat

 

[SandyRiverChick]

The hair could chicken feathers. If this was my coop I'd use a bag of quikrete concrete on the end of the hole/tunnel in the coop. In the other end = Just One Bite. I have dogs and cat's too. I've just made sure that when I use Poison, they can't get to it. Place something very heavy over the tunnel like a railroad tie, cinder blocks and/or push it deep into the tunnel with a stick.

 

[mowin]

If they are rats, have any experience with riddex? Does it work? Cuz we can't use poison, we've got a dog and a cat

Fortunately for me, I've never had a rat issue.
If I did, I'd use the most effective poison I could find, and do my best to keep my dogs from any dead rats.

 

[Momma*chicken]

The hair could chicken feathers. If this was my coop I'd use a bag of quikrete concrete on the end of the hole/tunnel in the coop. In the other end = Just One Bite. I have dogs and cat's too. I've just made sure that when I use Poison, they can't get to it. Place something very heavy over the tunnel like a railroad tie, cinder blocks and/or push it deep into the tunnel with a stick.

We live in the country, so our dog and cat go outside freely. I'd have no way to know for sure that they can't get to a dead rat that's been poisoned. We had a dog die 2 years ago that got in to a neighbors farm poison. We had to put her down and it was devistating.