How do you get rid of rats? Do they kill chickens or just the babies?

[dandydoodle]

What do you think the most effective way to get rid of rats are??? Put out two of those snap rat traps and the one that the rat goes in and it kills it with electricity last night. NO LUCK, does it take a few nights of them checking it out before they will try out the trap. I know they were around it because, there was rat doo beside the electric one. The instructions said to use peanut butter is there something better.

One of the rats killed one of the babies my broody was sitting on 2 nights ago. Stole it right out of the egg. So I know they kill babies that are in eggs will they also kill chickens? I have 3 10 week old chicks down there are they in danger. I am trying to get rid of them but, I don't know a quick effective way. I feel like I am just sitting here waiting on them to kill another baby in an egg or for them to discover and kill the pullets. Will they kill full grown chickens? Any help will be greatly appreciated. They are going back into the woods in the day and coming to the coop at night to feed.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

How are they getting into the coop? Can you find the entry point and block it? Do you leave food out all night? If so, I would advise putting the food away in a secure container at night.

 

[columbiacritter]

The only effective method I've found is a bait called ONE BITE. I made enclosures out of chicken wire that a rat can get into but not a chicken and set them around the outside of my coops on a regular basis. The bait disappears and I don't have rat issues. I also drop chunks of one bite into any suspect rat hole and cover it with something chicken proof.

When I stopped doing this for a while we lost 2 bantams to a rat in a week.

You have to bait regularly especially in the spring and summer when they are trying to raise babies and are hunting hard for protein.

 

[feliciamckee]

Can you get a cat? or cats??? We have 4 outside cats that kill every rodent around. They kill the squirells too though and we like them. My kids are always trying to rescue them.

My chickens aren't intimidated by my cats because they are BIGGER! I have JGs.

 

[lampshadeee69]

I realize this forum is a tad out dated, but i block entry points into the coop with steel wool. It shreds their insides and they cant throw up, so it effectively kills them

 

[chickiewhite]

Rats killed my full grown 8 pound hen while she sat on the nest.

 

[Cowgirl75446]

Just One Bite works great, just keep it out of reach of other pets.

 

[alessano1]

What we did is set up the nest on an old big aquarium so the rats cant penetrate inside. It works really well.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Rats killed my full grown 8 pound hen while she sat on the nest.

Oh my gosh that's terrible!

I deal with mice. What my mom uses is Chili Pepper (or hot pepper) flakes and sprinkles it in their food to keep mice from eating because chickens don't taste the flavor, the mice do! But with rats if they eat chickens, I really have no idea.

 

[LG95032]

How do you keep the chickens from only getting in? and not the rats...cant the rats get in the same way the chickens do?? Can you take a picture of your set up?