I saw a rat/mouse

[Monchicks]

My 3 girls have been outside for many weeks now and tonight when I went to tuck them in to bed I saw a rodent scurry away - this was outside the coop. The girls are free range during the day and their feed sits in a bucket with those white screw in hole things which I cap off when I tuck them in but I do leave it outside. I have noticed the edges of the white things have been chewed/scratched up so that explains that and sometimes a cap is off.
I would say the coop is rodent proof and besides the water there is nothing in there the rodents would want.

What do I need to do? Will traps be a danger to the girls do I just leave traps out overnight and put them away in the morning?

Thanks!

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

You may want to remove the food for a few days and put it only where they can access it in the rodent proof area?

 

[nuthatched]

Get some traps and put them under milk crates or something only the mice can reach.

 

[debid]

If raccoons can get to the bucket, they'll scratch at it and learn to open those caps. Rats will chew right through the plastic to access the feed. You can try trapping but ultimately, not having food out at night somewhere these creatures can access is the solution.

 

[Al Gerhart]

You have done great if you already have a ratproof coop. How about keeping the plastic feeder inside the coop so the rats and coons cannot get to it?

If you prefer to keep the feed outside, you will need a treadle feeder and one that is actually ratproof so watch the negative reviews closely and believe them over the five star reviews when it comes to rats.

As far as trapping, there are never people that trap all their rats, there are people that think they can trap all their rats. Rats are smart and refuse to mess with strange things. Traps will catch a few of the younger dumb ones and the effectiveness drops after that.

You have the first method of rodent control, a ratproof coop. The only other method is the sanitation method.