Help!!! Rat infestation

[Lrosell31]

When I first moved into my place it was infested with mice. I had to get cats. I have one outside cat and two inside outside cats. I taught my cats to leave my birds alone. Which was really wierd because my outside cat has eaten wild birds before but he won’t touch my chickens turkeys geese and ducks.

 

[fairfeatherfriend]

I'm currently getting estimates from Pest Control companies regarding our rat problem. The rats can't get into the coop at night since we've done pretty well with exclusion there. but they are burrowing under the coop into the dirt. Our coop is only 6x8', but it is hard to rake under the coop in any way, since it's close enough to the ground. I'm wondering if I could flood them out somehow? Then perhaps dig down a bit with chicken wire and surround the bottom of the coop to exclude further nesting there. My biggest concern is that if I do some sort of poison baiting, as most are suggesting, they will burrow under the coop and die there. Any ideas?

 

[Folly's place]

Most rats will die in their burrows, which may or may not be a good thing. In the walls, nasty. Underground, maybe just fine.
This is a big disadvantage of having a coop with a raised floor. Do fix it so no critters can live under it. Chicken wire won't do. Snakes, mice, rats, and weasels can all get through chicken wire, and so can small chicks. Raccoons and dogs will chew it up.
Mary