My land is a certified wildlife habitat and I have many birds, rabbits, fox, deer and more species that live here, so just having "barn cats" on the property is too much of a danger to my wildlife population.
I've kept chickens for 16 years, in a predator-proof run and coop (never been breached by anything other than rodents and snakes). I currently have 26 birds, both full-size and bantams. I keep my bulk feed in sealed containers in a separate storage cabinet and I use peppermint and other oils and cayenne in this enclosure, so no rodent problem there. But in the coop and run I still have an ongoing rodent problem and this scented deterrent requires constant refreshing and even then doesn't really have any effect in these large open-air spaces. I've tried different types of feeders, but none work well as feeders or rodent control. I keep a few traps but, again, this is labor intensive (forever) and doesn't provide a permanent solution. Because of my protected wildlife habitat, poisons are not in the conversation.
I am a "cat person" having had indoor cats for 48 years and a few outdoor feral cats as well. To my knowledge none of my feral cats ever bothered my chickens even when they free range, but eventually I have lost all outdoor-only cats to predators. So, I have been considering bringing in a young feral cat to live inside my enclosed cat run. This cat would have access to the run and the coop, in hopes it will reduce the rodent population. Hopefully keeping it inside their enclosure would negate its ability to kill the wildlife that live on my property. I'm thinking that if a get a young feral and it becomes accustomed to the chickens, it will not harm them. My run is approx 300 square feet and has a separate enclosed area (approx 60 sq.ft) that I can use as the "cat house" when I open the run up for free-range access. I'm wondering if anyone has experience housing a feral cat inside their chicken enclosure for rodent control.
Please tell us or show us what kind of chicken feeders that you used. Specifically, did you ever try a treadle feeder?
The scented oil and hot pepper for repelling rats just isn't going to work. Enough scent in an enclosed space, maybe, if it was eye watering strong. But you already have experienced that.
There is only one thing that is absolutely needed to control rodents; stop feeding them.
There are three paths to dealing with rodents;
Sanitation, bulk feed in metal containers, clean up the pathways that rodents use to travel to the food source so natural predators can get to them, and using a proper ratproof treadle feeder. Narrow and distant treadle, spring pre loaded door heavy enough to prevent rodents from just pushing the door open. All metal, no plastic. Do your research and don't trust any recommendation that comes with a link to purchase. Pay more attention to the negative reviews than the positive reviews. Figure $120 to $140 for a good feeder with the shipping included. And the labor to clean up the pathways.
Exclusion, a fort knox coop. Hardware cloth, no openings larger than a nickel. No free range. Going to cost a lot of money and maybe 16 man hours of labor for a small coop. Plan on a few hundred to a thousand bucks depending on the size of the coop. It does work though.
Elimination, traps and poisons, never ending work and expense, plus you have already rightfully rejected going there. Cheaper than a treadle feeder if it works long term but it rarely does. Over the life of the coop, it is likely more expensive.
A cat in a chicken coop? Might work, but would you want to live in an area covered in chicken crap? Especially if you licked your paws to clean them? No kisses from that kitty.....
