HELP!! Rats eating chicks?

[denasfarm]

This is the second night we have lost a chick...or noticed one missing since we have (had) about 150 chicks.
First one dead was eaten to the neck bone like a corn cob. Head and body intact. All meat gone from neck.
This morning we found...a wing from another breed.

These are not bitties. They are fully feathered pre teens in a completely enclosed, wired, stall with a top on it. Nothing major could get in. It has to be rats.

What do I do?

 

[momof247371]

yes it could be rats or it could be a mink. Go through and make sure every nook and cranny is fenced in, then i would put rat poison out, somewhere where the rats will get into it but the chickens wont...

 

[M@M@2four]

Sounds like rats. Had the same problem a few weeks ago--go to home depot and buy, "Just one Bite." It comes in a cake-like form and kills rats as soon as they eat it. We packed it in our walls so the chickens couldn't get ahold of it. Just check around your outside first before opening your pens in the morning. For some reason, they tend to crawl out(looking for light or water, I guess)--burn the dead rats. Good luck!!!

 

[denasfarm]

Do you think a rabbit would eat chicks like that? I have a very old pair that run loose in the barn yard, in, out and under the barn.
I dont think they could get into that stall but something is getting in there!

So my next problem would be killing rats without killing my free running bunnies.

I am going to set a humane type flip door trap tonight and see if I can catch something...anything! It wont hurt my rabbits but may give an idea of whats going on down there in the dark.

This is frustrating.

 

[momof247371]

You could set sticky traps too...go through all your options...

 

[Guinea Goonie]

M@M@2four :

Sounds like rats. Had the same problem a few weeks ago--go to home depot and buy, "Just one Bite." It comes in a cake-like form and kills rats as soon as they eat it. We packed it in our walls so the chickens couldn't get ahold of it. Just check around your outside first before opening your pens in the morning. For some reason, they tend to crawl out(looking for light or water, I guess)--burn the dead rats. Good luck!!!

Really, We tried every darn thing we could thing of. I managed to trap a few, the snap traps were worthless and the glue traps were not worth the glue.

The first bite stuff in the ONLY thing that worked. I stuffed it down the little turds favorite hole and viola I got results.

My wifes sister came up for a visit and she went to the barn one night late (just to see what chickens do at night I guess) and got the thrill of her life. She said she saw at least 10 BIG rats scamper down their holes when we opened the barn door.

So, yep you could have rats and I would not take any more from these nasty things.

DO look for bodies in the morning and in the evening. They tend to come up for water and die.

Some you will find alive and I carefully picked them up (NOT MY HANDS THANK YOU) and put them in a bucket of water to finish them off.

Now I have mice from the horse barn as they have migrated over after we got mama barn cat.

I have at least ONE black snake in the barn so i let him do his thing as he is pretty small and just the right size for those mice morsels.​

 

[momof247371]

Do you have any adult birds? I know my adult chickens, peacocks, ducks, and geese have killed rats/mice before...

 

[denasfarm]

Quote:
I have lots of adults but they would pick on the chicks and since this is happening at night I dont know that they would be any help.
I have a pretty docile Roo I could move with them for day control and in a month or so I should be able to move them in with the big guys but for now I just dont know what to do.

Theres way too many to bring up to the garage. I dont own a cat. I wish I had a couple of snakes to put down there but we arent talking mice. These things are the size of a puppy! A snake would eat the chicks first.

My husband bought some rat shot today and plans to sit out near the chick pen and knock them off one at a time. I am afraid he is going to hit the birds accidentally.

 

[007Dawn]

Get a male cat that is neutered. Believe it or not the cat will not hurt the chicks and when the chicks get bigger the cat will submitt to the chicks but the cat will chase away the rats.

I suggest getting a kitten that is about 7-8 months old male so it doesn't come home prego and neutered or when he gets older he will get into a lot of cat fights with the girls.

 

[denasfarm]

Just got back from moving whats left at the barn to the garage.
I have 93 chicks left out of 125 that had not sold (150 original hatched) of the RIR, RIW and Ameraucanas. I am still not sure whats missing on the silkies although I KNOW 3 lavenders,a white, a buff, and a grey are missing. In the dark the blues and blacks look the same so I wont know until morning.

It has to be a raccon, weasel, or a possum. I dont think Rats would do all this.

THIS just makes me SICK!

I set the live trap with sardines in it, keep your fingers crossed I catch the monster thats eating my babies!