Help NEEDED BAD!!

[Foster Reds]

We've been trying to catch rats in our coop and hen house for weeks but have had no luck, used traps with bait but there smart little suckers!! (not so little anymore) Now there are babies .. Anyone have a solution?? Please HELP

 

[lizanne]

I've been having the same problem. We have 3 at this point, and I've tried everything. I've even had them step on a sticky trap and pull it across they yard before getting away. At my house they run under the coop and into my garden. I've even sat out at night with my BB gun, waiting.... They are too fast....

 

[Marty1876]

You must :

1. Make coop less desireable. Can you spray under the coop? Send a black snake, they work amazingly well.....

2. Wire the floor and around the outside of hen house, to make it impossible to get under 1/4" mesh is great. Bury it just below dirt line.

3. Try sticky traps, and not baited ones. They only baited traps that work are enclosing traps, not snap traps so much.

4. They don't like moth balls, buy a few boxes and load them up underneath.

5. Borrow a terrior. They have zero tolerance for such pests. Somebody would probobly be happy to lend you their rat or jack russell, both of who would
LOVE THE JOB.

6. Last Resort - poison, but if they die in your hen house and the hens eat them, well this could be bad.

 

[Foster Reds]

Yes we have tried sticky traps also, they dont work at all !! Kids want to try the BB gun method but They are fast Suckers.. Thanks and goodluck too you..

 

[Foster Reds]

Thanks for ideas, wondering if I try putting poison in the holes then putting down the mess!! Maybe that might work.. Im ready to give anything a try at this point!! Very frustrated

 

[Marty1876]

why not?

 

[maratila]

One thing I've learned is that johnson's baby shampoo will kill them. It killed two of my pet rats, only a drop. I don't know if this will help at all.

Besides that, I agree a working terrier would be nice, if you are willing to risk the dog getting hurt or diseased, or a dachshund would be wonderful working dog too. My dachshund that I use for earthdog competitions, LOVES to hunt rats (it literally will make her go crazy if there is one near), but I use cages to keep her from killing them when we practice.

Besides that, try more mouse traps or poison? How are the rats getting into the hen house? How big is it?

 

[Foster Reds]

Going to try this tomorrow and just keep the girls out for the night.. Kids are on patrol for tonight!!

 

[Foster Reds]

yes I have Labs and they go nuts when they hear them outside in the coop.. The rats have dug there way in , It seems to be a mother and her babies!!

 

[Greyfox Farm]

A clever trap is a 5-gallon bucket, half full of water, then drop in enough sunflower seed to cover the water. The sunflower seeds float. Put two or three short boards leading up to the top of the bucket like ramps. Sprinkle more sunflower seeds around the area. The rat/mouse/squirrel goes up the ramp, sees the bucket full of seeds and jumps down into what he thinks is a bucket full of seed.......see how long he can tread water. They drown in less than half an hour. Safe, clean, cheap and no colateral damage as you might easily have using poison. You'll have to keep this out of reach of "the girls" or they'll probably try to jump in as well.