How to get rid of rats in the coop

[2Old2Crow]

I’m confused. A rat trap with peanut butter and the pests are gone. We have a lab, so we put them out at night once he’s in. We’ve trapped dozens of rats. Not many around as I write this!

 

[Dylan Lambert]

I’m confused. A rat trap with peanut butter and the pests are gone. We have a lab, so we put them out at night once he’s in. We’ve trapped dozens of rats. Not many around as I write this!

I have have gotten over 20 already they have gotten smart. The avoid the traps. Still see rat poop, but not catching rats.

 

[cmom]

I use hanging feeders and haven't had any issues with the rats getting in the feeders that I know of. I haven't seen any rat poop in them. I know most people won't agree with this method but I had a lot of rats. I went the poison route. I had a coop that was infested. It was the first coop we had built. We had put inner walls in around the bottom of the coop and a ceiling in it and the rats got in and made nests. When I started to renovate and removed the ceiling and the walls in the coop, rats of all sizes poured out. I put rat bait boxes in my barn which is right behind the coops because I had seen some in the barn. I also noticed tunnels around the coop. I didn't find any dead rats so I'm pretty sure they went down into their tunnels and died. The baits haven't been touch in quite a long time. There is a little window in the bait boxes above the bait to check it and other critters can't get to the bait. Good luck.

 

[Dylan Lambert]

I have really contemplated using poison. I think that it would work best but im just worried that my dog or chickens would get a hold of a poisoned rat.

 

[cmom]

The rats don't die instantly and I didn't find any dead rats around. They usually have tunnels and I'm pretty sure they went into their tunnels and died and that is why I didn't find any dead rats.

 

[Dylan Lambert]

The rats don't die instantly and I didn't find any dead rats around. They usually have tunnels and I'm pretty sure they went into their tunnels and died and that is why I didn't find any dead rats.

Yea i have tunnels everywhere lol
I thought about smoking them out

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

I have had rat problems in the past. Try (if possible) taking the feeders away at night. Put them somewhere rats can't get to them. I've also had rats or mice drown in my chicken waterer before. Try to take a gallon pail full of water for your chickens to drink from and keep it in the coop overnight. Just keep an eye on it, because if you do catch something, you probably don't want your chickens drinking from that water anymore.
Good luck!

 

[Ellie in FL]

Suggest to remove every food source when the chickens go to roost. Put in Metal garbage can. They run about $20.00 each at True Value or Ace Hardware. No reason to leave out food overnight, chickens do not eat at night. Put out in Day, does not have to be at sunrise, just day time, and remove hour before sunset. Or last feeding. If You have tunnels, to the grain room or barn. Call a pro like Truly Nolan, Terminex, or Douglas Pest control. I live in Florida, do not have a problem, but boy did we have a big one in New Jersey. For the amount of money we spent in NJ, we could have hired a pro 5 times over, and fixed the problem.
Your landscaper can help you out too, with referral, or work with the "Bug Guy" and end the problem once and for all. Does not hurt to ask the Landscaper, if you use one. He or She already knows you have a problem. If they work together, you will save money. Any Pest control person DOES NOT WISH TO HURT YOUR PET. Your Yard guy or Landscaper probably is done with the problem too. Good Luck, the problem can be fixed, faster than you can imagine. First easy thing to do is no food no water, don't give them a reason to come.
Only feed when needed, no open house buffet 24 hours 7 days a week. Ellie in FL

 

[Rainwing]

You can continue to use rat traps, you just have to switch it up, so try homemade ones, different brand, bait, etc. Rats will eat nailed down cheese, peanut butter, Reeses peanut butter cups, tootsie rolls, sunflower seed.. just about anything.
I wish I still had my cat, he'd hunt rats the size of the ones in New York. Fearless feral cat, and neutered without becoming lazy too. But I haven't had bad luck with trapping yet.

 

[cmom]

Currently I have around 400 birds including chicks in a dozen coops. I hang my feeders. I can't put the food away every evening and put it out every morning so my route was to hang the feeders and I haven't had any rodents get into them.