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frankster said:
Greetings,

Frank from Portland Oregon here. I have raised chickens in the city for about 20 years and I joined this site (again - I am sure I was a past member with a different account some years ago) because I am having some issues with the gals in my new neighborhood. To cut to the chase, rats...

I have had birds at three different properties in Portland and never have I had a rat problem. However, this past summer, the rates showed up in FORCE. I had a wonderful garden full of food and seeds and probably wasn't careful enough with the feed. And because my new (old) house is a fixer with plenty of porous exterior, I was in a real battle in the yard and occasionally in the house! At this point, I have the rat issue under control and I haven't seen one in more than a month. But having the chickens around is probably not something I can afford any more. Something about this new neighborhood just doesn't seem conducive to keeping them, and my next door neighbor hasn't been too happy about it either...

I have 4 birds just under 2 years old. And 1 rescue. Not sure how old she is but she lays well and is very people focused. Perhaps I'll post some pics when the sun is up.

I am looking to rehome these gals. If you are interested, please let me know.

Frank
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Have you ever pondered getting a macaw parrot? I have two B&G and it's said they keep varments away, but out here we have a border collie, corgi, and three cats that are probably more responsible for there being no rats here.
I also know for a fact, as I did it once a couple of decades ago, that if you can shoot near one but miss it, it will run back to the rest of them and they'll all move elsewhere.
I'd check out that trap someone posted though.
Good luck!
 
Debbie292d said:
Have you ever pondered getting a macaw parrot? I have two B&G and it's said they keep varments away, but out here we have a border collie, corgi, and three cats that are probably more responsible for there being no rats here.
I also know for a fact, as I did it once a couple of decades ago, that if you can shoot near one but miss it, it will run back to the rest of them and they'll all move elsewhere.
I'd check out that trap someone posted though.
Good luck!
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Hello :) Yes I did check out that trap - I have seen it all at this point! Good advice all around. I have a dog but he'd rather be sleeping than ratting. I am allergic to cats but have considered it, especially during the summer when the rats were a daily sight. At this point I am easily over $1000 dollars or more into my rat war and I am raising my white flag. I think the issue is my new neighborhood is just too urban. Apartments, bars, restaurants, dumpsters. Too many attractants here and the rat population in the city has exploded according to several pest control companies I have talked with.
 
Maybe a rat terrier? The parrots do an ear-piercing scream about once or twice a day. I guess rats can't take it. The trap idea or the rat terrier would be way cheaper though. I was thinking if you lived in the country more, you could get a couple "barn cats" free from the Human Society, but that wouldn't work if you live near others.
 
frankster said:
At this point I am easily over $1000 dollars or more into my rat war and I am raising my white flag.
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WOW ! Have you ever considered any type of glue traps? Link is below.

If your rat infestation is that bad you obviously need to make some drastic improvements into what you have going on.......

Start be taking away their food source and habitat. Clean up any junk and or, wood piles you have around your place for them to take up residence and thrive.

Then clean up and don't leave any extra food out for your animals until you have the rats under control.

The rat infestation in your OP has obviously been caused by what you have been doing. If you start by cleaning things up, they will go away. No need and or sense to try and trap a rat if you have a rat infestation out of control until you start be taking away their habitat first. Best of luck and please keep us posted. pics are always welcome :)

https://gemplers.com/products/heavy-duty-rat-mouse-snake-glue-traps-pkg-of-2
 
416bigbore said:
WOW ! Have you ever considered any type of glue traps? Link is below.

If your rat infestation is that bad you obviously need to make some drastic improvements into what you have going on.......

Start be taking away their food source and habitat. Clean up any junk and or, wood piles you have around your place for them to take up residence and thrive.

Then clean up and don't leave any extra food out for your animals until you have the rats under control.

The rat infestation in your OP has obviously been caused by what you have been doing. If you start by cleaning things up, they will go away. No need and or sense to try and trap a rat if you have a rat infestation out of control until you start be taking away their habitat first. Best of luck and please keep us posted. pics are always welcome :)

https://gemplers.com/products/heavy-duty-rat-mouse-snake-glue-traps-pkg-of-2
Click to expand...
All of what you said is true. The garden is gone (mostly - its winter), I do not leave food out for the chickens (although rats will still eat their poop). I have used glue traps, poison, conventional traps all with success. The money I spent was about half on pest control company and a good portion on patching crawl space doors, rebuilding the old cellar door, adding rat cloth and caulk and general upkeep around the house. As my previous post said, the situation is under control. But getting rid of the chickens is the next line of defense, unfortunately.
 

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