Help me get rid of my nightly visitors!!!!!

[Grannysfuturefarm]

So sorry I lost 2 special chickens today. Broke my ❤ hesrt.my rooster loved being held and followed me everywhere. I lost 4 this month.

I’m sorry for your loss. It’s so hard when we lose an animal member of our families. I’m sending you a hug

 

[Grannysfuturefarm]

I finally hired an exterminator, becasue I had rats, mice, hornets, stink bugs and carpenter ants. I am 82 and widowed, my results were always temporary at the best. Iknow it is expensive, $125 a quarter, but all problems solved after only 3 visits, so worth the cost.
Not just the rats, but the carpenter ants were eating the big 2 by 10s that were the foundation of the barn. In order to take care of this I ahd to get up a ladder at least 12 feet or hire someone to do this. So, like I said, money spent very worthwhile. Have not seen one rat or mouse dropping for a year. Hornets controled and stink bugs gone for good. The bait stations are large black boxes and the they pomise that if one of my animals chews on a rodent tht got the bait, it will not harm them. Good luck, so far.

I thought I’d let you know, my exterminator was here today. He’ll be back Monday with poison bait and bait boxes. It’s only costing $200 then about $60 every couple of months to refill the bait as needed. Also, it wasn’t just rats. I only saw rats because I had the camera set to film at night. We have a lot of ground squirrels too and he’s gonna take care of those. Thank you so much for your comment. I’m so so glad you convinced me to at least call him. I see light at the end of my vermin tunnel now!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

But

What happens when one of the pets doo eat a dieing rat?

I am only sharing my experience. I have never seen a dying rat, never had a pet get ahold of one in 30+ years of chicken keeping, so I can’t answer your question.

 

[BDutch]

You got a lot of tips/advise -futurefarm. I stopped reading after 7 pages. Best tips I’ve read imho: make it impossible to get to the feed. Clear the surroundings and block all the tunnels and entrances that lead into the coop.
Better not use poison with you’re old dog around (my mother poisoned our dog by accident when I had a kid) . Besides most poisons accumulate in predators and even pollute the environment/ insect life.

There is one a friend of mine did, I havent seen here yet: Relocate the flock temporarily if you have a friend that can take over you’re flock (who has a spare barn/coop) for a couple of weeks. Then break down you’re run and coop and rebuild it with lots of HWC.

I had rats around here in the first years I had chickens. They took the life of a few chicks. I cleared the surrounding. Took away the feed, bought more HWC to cover the run at places the rats could chew through the netting, and had no more problems after that. But I kept seeing them in the garden every now and then.

I think my neighbours chicken/rabbit coop/run was part of the problem. After a few fox attacks they stopped keeping rabbits and chickens. The foxes probably took the rat infestation away too. They eat rats and mice. And some of my neighbours have cats that chase birds and mice and possibly rats/baby rats too. So eventually cats, foxes and other wildlife can be a blessing if you have a Fort Knox for you’re chickens during the night and early mornings.

I hope you find you’re remedies and good luck!

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

I am at my wits end. We tried to figure out what was getting into the chicken run and coops. Bought a trail cam and it’s rats!!!! And OMG there are quite a few!! Please tell me there is hope to get rid of them. The neighbors cats are trying but I think there’s too many. I know the exterminator is gonna cost me a fortune. Any suggestions to try first? You cannot imagine the horrible painful death I’m wishing on every one of them

Hm, how long have they been there? Normally my chickens will kill and eat rodents.

 

[BDutch]

Hm, how long have they been there? Normally my chickens will kill and eat rodents.

I know that some chickens catch and eat mice. But this is the first time I hear/read that the kill rats too!

Now I wonder… What kind of breed do you have? And what/how much do you feed them?

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

I know that some chickens catch and eat mice. But this is the first time I hear/read that the kill rats too!

Now I wonder… What kind of breed do you have? And what/how much do you feed them?

We have Easter egger, black sex-link, cinnamon queens and cuckoo Marans, my hens pretty aggressive towards things that aren’t human, goat or chicken…. (The black sex-link all the rest are pullets and one cockerel)

 

[bobbi-j]

Hm, how long have they been there? Normally my chickens will kill and eat rodents.

Here the rats come out at night when the chickens are sleeping, so they wouldn’t be eating them.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

I know that some chickens catch and eat mice. But this is the first time I hear/read that the kill rats too!

Now I wonder… What kind of breed do you have? And what/how much do you feed them?

Oh and I just fill up it up daily (or when it’s empty) and leave it, they rarely eat it, they free range, I forgot the brand but it’s a no corn or soy chicken pellet feed

 

[McChooky]

I wouldn't poison because other animals/chickens could be harmed.
We had a rat we couldn't get rid of trying various traps. We finally got a live trap at TSC and it worked like a charm. Just be sure to take the rats at least 2 miles away or they will come right

my hubby dumped in a big hydro field down the road. No other homes nearby. Otherwise he would have just killed them after trapping.

Vermin need to be killed .If you have that many it likely a public health hazard. You can't haul hundreds of rats off by yourself. It took me 6 yrs to get rid of rats after I moved here(the previous owner had garbage everywhere.He never hauled it off and didn't pay for garbage service.