Help, please? What am I doing wrong? Rats!

[Sandy16]

We have a huge rat problem too, so I apologize to the OP, but I also want to ask a couple of questions:

1.) when you put out any of the poison and they eat it, do they die in their tunnels/nests? If so, how do you dispose of the dead rats...I can just imagine the smell...
2.) we have dogs and our neighbor has outdoor cats...how can we be sure that they don't eat the poison?
3.) **grasping at straws here**....is there anything we can use to scare them away without having to kill them? we seriously have too many to try and trap them all.

thanks!

 

[jjthink]

The only lasting solution is preventing access, i.e., rat proofing. Hardware cloth WILL work. It's a pain to initially do all the work with putting it everywhere that there could be an access breach but once you're done, you will probably never have to endure the problem again. You can bend the wire in the shape of a "L" with the bottom of the "L" serving to provide an additional deterrent, because a critter would have a lot of digging to do to get under all that......

Because poison is indiscriminate and there could easily be unintended victims, I will never use it.

JJ

 

[N2Shown]

Quote:

 

[Okie Amazon]

Another method you might try WHILE THE CHICKENS ARE ALL WELL AWAY is to fill your mower or other gas operated engine with gas, stick a heat resistant metal pipe (like dryer venting pipe) on the exhaust, stick the other end of the pipe in the hole and run out tank of gas. Carbon monoxide kills. We have used this for gophers with great results. They don't smell it, so they don't wall off tunnels or flee to avoid.

 

[kimntep]

We do also have squirrels, but I'm sure these are rats, judging from the poop. I have been using a bait that is supposedly for warfarin-resistant rodents and I do think the amount of poop is less and less each day, so maybe it's working on littler ones, but not the big guys. For now, I think I'll find something to reinforce the perimeter of the coop, all the way around the slab, and sink it into the ground several inches. Just came in from locking everyone up for the night and the poison I put out this morning is gone, so I dumped the rest of the bag into the two holes. I am careful not to get any where the chickens can get to it and I don't spill any, but this one says it will not hurt them if they mess with or eat a dead rat. Wish me luck and thanks so much for all of the advice!

 

[Sassafras]

Be careful with the pellet poison. They take it away and put it somewhere else. I once found a stash in a bale of hay.

 

[kimntep]

Sass, thanks for the heads up..I just assumed they were eating it! They hang out in the next boxes, so I'm headed out to check right now!

 

[kimntep]

One pile of bait is gone, but the other is still there untouched AND there's a new dig-out-from-under-the-coop hole, but this time it's in the babies' side. GRRRRRRR!! I'll be going to Home Depot today to get the 1/2" hardware cloth. If that doesn't do it, nothing will. I will also get some stronger baits as was suggested. Thanks, ya'll!

 

[Chicky Monkey]

How about a good 'mouser' cat? I'm new to this, but I've heard that cats usually don't bother older chickens and maybe a cat or two will deal with the rats.....I'm so sorry you are dealing with this!

 

[aprophet]

I use lye in the runs it is like roachpruf it takes a little bit to get all of a coupla weeks most times I also use a muskrat size ( 110 size) body grip traps on the runs and then switch to a long spring type trap size 1 1/2 after a few have been caught after you get them gone you can stop using the lye if they ever show up again do not delay in reapplying it .