How big of a problem is a rat?

[Happy Helper]

I'm on it! I already ordered that Rat Killer - Just one Bite from Amazon. I can see that this is really a problem. I don't know if they can jump 6 ft up into the roosts but maybe they can climb up the walls and onto the roosts. I'm not going to wait to see! They are coming up from under the ground from the barn into the coop.
Helen

 

[animaltracksfarm]

Tonight I found a rat in the coop. I'm wondering if this one rat is a danger to my two chickens. I have no baby chicks. I collect the eggs daily and don't leave food out, but our bird feeder has been getting raided, and something knocked over a container of dog biscuits in the barn. Obviously where there is one rat, there are two, and where there are two, there are multiple. We have eight outdoor cats, so I don't feel a real need to panic yet. Or should I?

Unfortunately we had just one at first. Killed adults and ducks after more came. Do not keep food out at night. Hide poison that is safe for the cats. They will die off and then any that escape will leave. Cats won’t repel much but a few mice. Rats carry disease to humans and other animals. They chew through most anything including cement. We found out the hard way. Finally gone now. Bad experience.

 

[Tinkrbell96]

We are having th is problem too!! I’d love to know what works for you, if you find a way to solve this problem! I’ve gotten every rat deterrent available with no luck!! I am ready for traps but I want something humane.

 

[dawg53]

This will get rid of rats for sure. They love this: (Just One Bite.)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Farnam-J...bing&affiliates_ad_id=566719&campaign_id=9383

 

[dawg53]

Additionally, ammonia works great in deterring rats. After birds go to roost and are locked up for the night, hang soaked ammonia rags knee high going around the chicken pen. Just hang them through the chicken wire. Bye bye rats. Remove the rags the next morning before letting your chickens out for the day. Avoid putting the soaked rags near vents on the coops. Do this for 3 or 4 nights in a row and the rats will get the notion not to return.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Not necessarily true. Secondhand poisoning can happen but is rarely fatal. If a animal eats the poison directly then yes. I use bait stations and put the bait stations in pet carriers on shelves in our barn. Rats are good climbers and nothing but the rats can get to the poison baits. I have also noticed tunnels around the coops which I think the rats have made. I did not find dead rats laying around so I assume they went into their tunnels and died. I had a coop that was infested and when I renovated the coop, dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. During renovation I did find rats nests in the ceiling and walls.

https://www.nativeanimalrescue.org/rat-poison-is-killing-birds-of-prey/

https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-toxins-poisons/dangers-rat-poison-dogs-and-cats

 

[Folly's place]

I did the same thing, shoved bait cubes into the tunnel, and covered with a big paver. Nobody came out, and when no more bait was eaten, closed it up permanently.
Mary

 

[Al Gerhart]

First thing is to get a treadle feeder so you aren't feeding the rats. Without a major source of food they will be forced to leave. If you don't have a lot of money, find some do it yourself plans for a wooden treadle feeder and make it yourself. If you have $100 extra buy one as it will be much better than a homemade feeder. Do your homework and don't fall for the fake reviews. The negative reviews are always the place to start as those are the ones where people actually had a rodent problem. Once you weed out the few crazy people complaining about things like packaging or the thirty pound raccoon getting into the feeder you are going to get a good idea of if the feeder stops rodents.

There is one review site for chicken feeders that can easily be found using Google.

 

[Happy Helper]

We have woods beside our barns and chicken coop. We have a natural paradise for fox, racoons, skunks, lots of squirrels, an Eagle's nest down the road from us and lots of hawks both red tailed and coopers. I'm sure I could name a few more critters that are around here! I pretty much have to babysit them when they go out for a few hours during the nice days.

I just checked my pictures timeline and te rats were foraging around in the coop from the time the chickens went to bed until they got up - about 8 total hours.

Helen

 

[Happy Helper]

Glad to hear it. I can see where they are coming from so I am going to put some down their hole and cover it with some metal sheets and add bricks for weight. Hope it works.

We have very few snakes here. A garden snake here and there and maybe we see a water snake in our ponds sometimes.