Is it too late to try and rat proof this coop?

[citychicks99]

My brother built an 8'x10' coop for the chickens but didn't rat proof the bottom. My dad then put wood flooring but there are cracks and rats can get in. There are also rat nests below their coop. I do have some hardware cloth but I'm not sure how I would even rat proof it now that it's already been built. Do I need to start over? Would it be possible to get rid of the rat nests below?

 

[Debbie292d]

It looks light enough that you could empty it out, tip it over, then run your hardware cloth all over the bottom and up the sides. Steel wool can fill holes.

Try killing them. Mix equal parts of corn meal and baking soda. Jiff cornmeal mix is cheap and works well as it's got a little sugar and salt they like in it. My farmer neighbor di this and put it in a small bucket with a lid and hole in it a rat could fit through. That way the chickens couldn't get to it. If a rat eats it, they run off to die as they can't fart or burp the gases this makes. She had dozens laying all over the place.

It's safe for a chicken if they'd come upon a body.

 

[citychicks99]

It looks light enough that you could empty it out, tip it over, then run your hardware cloth all over the bottom and up the sides. Steel wool can fill holes.

Try killing them. Mix equal parts of corn meal and baking soda. Jiff cornmeal mix is cheap and works well as it's got a little sugar and salt they like in it. My farmer neighbor di this and put it in a small bucket with a lid and hole in it a rat could fit through. That way the chickens couldn't get to it. If a rat eats it, they run off to die as they can't fart or burp the gases this makes. She had dozens laying all over the place.

It's safe for a chicken if they'd come upon a body.

I'm not sure I could tip it over. It's 8'x10'x12'. My brother used a ladder to get up to the roof.

I think the rats mainly come out at night. I'll remove the chicken feed and only leave out the corn meal mix so that's all they have to eat.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm not sure I could tip it over. It's 8'x10'x12'. My brother used a ladder to get up to the roof.

I think the rats mainly come out at night. I'll remove the chicken feed and only leave out the corn meal mix so that's all they have to eat.

I hope it works. Please let us know.

Once you get rid of that nest under your coop, you could bury the hardware cloth about 6" around your coop and attach it to your coop. I'd pile rocks around it then too. (We happen to have lots of them, but if you don't, perhaps you have bricks or pavers you could use.)

 

[Luv Ducks]

It looks light enough that you could empty it out, tip it over, then run your hardware cloth all over the bottom and up the sides. Steel wool can fill holes.

Try killing them. Mix equal parts of corn meal and baking soda. Jiff cornmeal mix is cheap and works well as it's got a little sugar and salt they like in it. My farmer neighbor di this and put it in a small bucket with a lid and hole in it a rat could fit through. That way the chickens couldn't get to it. If a rat eats it, they run off to die as they can't fart or burp the gases this makes. She had dozens laying all over the place.

It's safe for a chicken if they'd come upon a body.

I wonder if shrews would eat that??? I have seen one on the outside of the coop before and am afraid of putting anything in the pen that could hurt my ducks.

 

[Debbie292d]

I wonder if shrews would eat that??? I have seen one on the outside of the coop before and am afraid of putting anything in the pen that could hurt my ducks.

I'd assume a shrew would eat it, and it's extremely cheap to just try it.

If you think the ducks would get into that bucket idea, just put it in a bowl and set it inside a cage that varments could get in, but your ducks can't.

 

[Amber Wall]

I sympathize with you very much. Rats can be a big problem in this. I read somewhere that they can even gnaw through concrete. Maybe you could put a thin sheet of steel on the floor? But top it with wood so your chickens don't get too cold (or hot) from the metal.

 

[Folly's place]

Easiest to add hardware cloth to the floor on the interior, and run it up the walls a couple of inches. then cover it with exterior grade plywood, not particle board, apply a sealer, and use pine shavings of something on to, about six inches deep, for good footing.
Rats will eat eggs and kill chickens, and carry diseases dangerous for you. Must be eliminated!!!
Also, where's the ventilation? And, one layer of particle board is not predator or rat proof...
Mary

 

[DLA]

There's a product called RatX by Ecoclear. It's not a poison and isn't typically harmful to other animals if the rat is eaten after it dies. I still wouldn't let my chickens eat the RatX of course so it should not be anywhere they could get it. You need to take steps to keep the rats out and secure the coop a little better (some good advice on that in the other replies) but once you do that this should get rid of any rats lingering around.

 

[citychicks99]

I hope it works. Please let us know.

Once you get rid of that nest under your coop, you could bury the hardware cloth about 6" around your coop and attach it to your coop. I'd pile rocks around it then too. (We happen to have lots of them, but if you don't, perhaps you have bricks or pavers you could use.)

I put away the chicken feed last night and only left out the corn muffin and baking soda mix. The rats did not like it. They killed two more of my chicks one was dragged out of the coop and eaten and another one was just killed, I think just to spite me. They were roosting on the lower part. I have the remaining two younger chicks on the higher roost with the adult chickens. Hopefully the rats can't get up there's. It's about five feet high. I'm going to have to take care of this rat problem this weekend.