How big of a problem is a rat?

[MissouriDogMom]

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?

 

[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.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

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?

‘Tis the season! I have been trying to trap them recently seeing them in the evenings.I have seen three or four, so I figure there is probably four times that amount! I can usually trap them pretty easily but these ones seem to know what’s up! I caught two last night! These ones have to be tricked! They don’t go near the traps, so I have to leave them un set and baited for a night or two before they take the bait when set. They will nibble on your chickens while they are roosting if there is enough of them! They also spread disease and have fleas that can be transferred to your chickens.

 

[McChooky]

They need to be dispatched whatever method of catching them you use.They can't be relocated or they'll become someone elses problem or starve.Its more humane to kill them .

 

[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

 

[Callender Girl]

I fought rats all through one winter. They were tunneling beneath the frozen ground and traveling between two of my coops/runs. Because they carry disease, eat feed and can harm chickens, I was nearly hysterical.

Although I hate to kill critters, (except mink; they started the war with me when they killed three hens and a runner drake), I tried several strategies.

1. I already stored all extra feed in metal garbage cans, but I started making sure that there was no leftover feed in the runs and coops at night.

2. I installed hardware cloth under EVERYTHING -- inside the small runs, under the floor of the tall coop, outside the runs where I made aprons of the wire and put concrete square stepping stones on top of the hardware cloth.

3. I plugged all the tunnels I could find and stuffed essential-oil soaked cotton into them. I think all that accomplished was making the rats smell better.

4. I did catch a few with the giant snap traps that look like oversized mouse traps. The advantage to these is that they can be placed outside the runs at night. I hot glued dog food to the trigger so the rats would have to work at taking the food, and I attached a chunk of 1-by-6 lumber to the bottom of the trap so no one would wander away to die elsewhere with my trap still attached. One downside is that you have to get mighty close to a mangled rat to clear the trap.

5. I bought a battery-operated electronic trap that I could put in the bigger coop. The opening doesn't allow chickens in, but will easily accommodate a rat. It is electrocuted immediately and you don't have to touch the corpse.

Good luck with your battles!

 

[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]

Just wanted to add, if you have cats or dogs DO NOT use poison or bait blocks. The rats will wander off into your yard and die and become an easy snack for your pets and can kill them.

It can also unintentionally kill wildlife, as other animals will pick up the rat carcasses to eat and become poisoned.

 

[cmom]

I don't know if this will work but it may be worth a try. Just put it where the cats can't get to it like inside a pet carrier. I use it for flies, it is very sticky. If I touch it I have a difficult time getting it unstuck. Put some irritable bait in the middle of a sheet. Available at most TSC stores. I would use something to stick it down or tape to hold it in place. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

Just wanted to add, if you have cats or dogs DO NOT use poison or bait blocks. The rats will wander off into your yard and die and become an easy snack for your pets and can kill them.

It can also unintentionally kill wildlife, as other animals will pick up the rat carcasses to eat and become poisoned.

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. There are little windows above the bait so it can be checked often. 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.