How to Feed Chickens Without Feeding Rats??

[Tracyree]

Quote:
Same here, but mine were mice. They'd crawl down the chain and drop into the feeder.

 

[Impress]

I am happy I discovered Tomcat bait stations, they are meant to be used for poison, but they are shaped perfectly to fit one good rat snap trap in. The rats just run in after whatever they smell and SNAP! I have them set up behind the coop, out of the reach of the chickens but along the side where they should be running to get into the coop.

 

[southerndesert]

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How the heck they getting to it? We use "One Bite Rat Bait" around the ranch to keep the numbers down, and X-2 to what Fred said.... We keep them in check and never have that many rats around, WOW!.

 

[Al Gerhart]

They jump into the hanging feeder.

This afternoon I went out to check the new feeder and saw a rat run out from under it. There is a 10" x 12" x maybe 1 1-2" opening under the floor of the feeder so I picked the feeder up to see if the rats were trying to chew through the plywood into the feeder. About a dozen large rats were hiding under it. The rats hadn't started chewing on it but they know the feed is there and are trying to find a way in.

 

[macdoogle2]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it since I've heard about it here. 'Just One Bite' I buy it at my feed store and place it under my coop where I know my hens cant get to it. It works.

 

[wyododge]

One of the best mice and rat traps we used on the rigs. The trailers there are often infested with mice. Very simple, no poisons, and entirely safe for other pets.

Take a five gallon bucket, drill a 1"hole at the top, 1" down from the rim, and another directly across on the other side.
Place a 3/4" dowel though it and put a large ball of peanut butter in the middle of the rod so it is right on the center of the rim of the bucket.
Fill the bucket half full with water. Place a board up to the rim of the bucket so the mouse/rat can climb up to it.

The mouse/rat will climb up the ramp and see the peanut butter and head out onto the dowel, the dowel will roll and the mouse will fall into the water and drown.

We literally caught them by the bucket full. we came up with this because F&G would not allow us to put out any kind of poison outside or inside the trailer.

If a chicken climbs up the rod will stop them from falling in, but even if they do the bucket is not full enough for them to drown, just po'd.

If you can use poison, if you drill 1" holes in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and put the bait inside of it with a lid on top, other critters will not be able to get at the poison meant for the mice, a bigger hole would be needed for rats. We have one of those for our travel trailer while it sets parked next to the shop to help keep mice away. I also glue the bait with hot glue to the bottom so the cats don't get into it.

Food for thought...

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

Quote:
Pun intended, right?

Thanks for the great ideas - our neighbor finally cleaned out his back 40 and disrupted packs of rats. My other neighbor set out traps along the fenceline - the rat highway - and has been catching fat and happy rodents every night. Glad he's doing it ... and will be sharing eggs with him once my teenagers start laying!

 

[Nambroth]

For folks with hanging feeders and problems with rats climbing down the chain, may I suggest a squirrel baffle put on the chain? You can get these most anywhere that sells wild bird feeders. In my experience, rats can not navigate around them.

 

[Chris09]

Hanging feeders will not work in keeping Rats out of the feed....

If you are hanging the feeder they (the rats) will simple climb down what ever you are using to hang the feeder.
If you have the feeder on a platform they will either climb up the platform or jump onto the feeder.


Also don't be fooled by the so called "Rodent proof" feeders/ treadle feeders, most are made out of wood that rodents and eat trough or they have a lid that does not latch.

Most of the time when you have problems with Rats in the chicken coop your either over feed you birds and the extra feed are drawing the rats in or you are using deep bedding/litter in the coop. Bedding/litter (like shavings, straw and manure ) in a coop that is deeper than 3 inches will also attract Rodents because they are looking for a warm safe place to sleep.

Chris

 

[speedy2020]

Here is how solve rat problem.