Guinea hens and rats

[LindsayRae]

I read that guinea hens will chase or kill rats until they don't come near the coop. We had one or two, now the rats are among us. I'm hesitant to use poison because we live by a creek where they will die(according to pest control).

Is this true? I figure rats are nocturnal and guineas are not.... So, how would that even work?

 

[Al Gerhart]

Treadle feeder with a spring loaded door and a narrow and distant treadle step. The rats are coming for the feed, not the chickens, control the feed and you control the rats. Practice basic flock sanitation, bulk feed in metal cans or barrels with lids, treadle feeder, clean up the area so they have to travel in the open to get to the coop so their natural predators will thin them out. Rats will happily steal feed during the day so no use taking the feed in at night as they will just eat their fill during the day.

They might chase, kill, and eat mice. It takes a pretty good size predator to take on a rat.

 

[cmom]

I use poison but I use rat bait stations and put the bait stations in pet carriers on shelves in my barn where only the rats can get to them. I seldom find any dead rats. There are tunnels by the barn and coops so I assume they go into their tunnels and die and that is why I haven't found any dead rats. Good luck...