Is pet rat poop okay for the chicken run?

[Robin Leffert]

Hello fellow chicken-owners! We recently acquired some pet rats. We use bedding for them that is 100% recycled brown paper. I'm wondering if it would be okay to dump the used bedding (with rat poop and pee) in our chicken run. This seems like it would be much more environmentally friendly than bagging it up in plastic and putting it in the trash every week.

My husband is concerned that the rat poop isn't okay in the chicken run, but I know there's a colony of feral rats that live in our backyard, so presumably there's feral rat poop in the run already...

Thoughts?

 

[JadeFarms]

Why would you use dirty bedding for the chickens?

 

[black_cat]

Why would you use dirty bedding for the chickens?

x2?

 

[AngBantamLuv]

The odor will attract more wild (which are not the same as domestic) rats as well as predators to your area if you are dumping that where your chickens are. Rat pee and poop has the potential to spread disease, I would definitely get rid of it.

 

[JadeFarms]

Please get rid of feral rats. It can make your animals sick. There are live traps, also get the rat poop out of the coop because chickens will unknowingly eat it.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Feral rats are actually a problem. If you're doing deep litter, you COULD dump your domestic rat bedding in the run and it would be harmless IF your feral rat pop were dealt with.

 

[JadeFarms]

Feral rats are actually a problem. If you're doing deep litter, you COULD dump your domestic rat bedding in the run and it would be harmless IF your feral rat pop were dealt with.

That’s true, but the bedding is already dirty so the more it sits the more disease it’s attracts. And it could attract feral rats.

 

[Aapomp831]

Hello fellow chicken-owners! We recently acquired some pet rats. We use bedding for them that is 100% recycled brown paper. I'm wondering if it would be okay to dump the used bedding (with rat poop and pee) in our chicken run. This seems like it would be much more environmentally friendly than bagging it up in plastic and putting it in the trash every week.

My husband is concerned that the rat poop isn't okay in the chicken run, but I know there's a colony of feral rats that live in our backyard, so presumably there's feral rat poop in the run already...

Thoughts?

NO. NO.... just NO

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If your concern is environmental friendliness, use a closed barrel composter to break down the spent rat bedding. As far as you can get it from your home, your chickens, etc. Off the top of my head, I don't know if that will be the usual 50/50 brown/green compost ratio, or more spent bedding than green, due to the higher moisture content already present.

Otherwise, its bag and dump.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

That’s true, but the bedding is already dirty so the more it sits the more disease it’s attracts. And it could attract feral rats.

That's not how disease works. If her rats are healthy it's irrelevant. People have a very misconstrued idea of rats as being disease ridden animals - they aren't. Especially domestic rats. Chances are good her chicks poop has WAY more dangerous bacteria and parasites and protozoa in it than rat bedding would, and if you use deep litter that just sits there too, until - like the rat poop would - it gets stirred in.

OP - Do some real research into how composting animal poop works and go from there. Please don't fall for fear mongering. But DO deal with your feral rat problem - feral rats are a draw for predators and they themselves will gladly chew up chickens if they're desperate.