Major Rat Infestation

[Nutterbutterdiablo]

I'd bring the babies inside. We don't have any rats here (Alaska) but we sure do have mice in the coop. I ordered some of that mint spray to try. Not really convinced but I'll post on here if it works. Desperately looking for an answer. What is hot wire you mentioned?

 

[Birdielee]

Since killing the most recent 3 rats, we finally got 2 ripened tomatoes. We've just been watching them get picked and eaten green all summer.

 

[Compost King]

I wonder if wild fires in California are causing rats to scurry into new neighborhoods in large numbers.

 

[Howard E]

An electric fence won't help with rats.

Considering where you live and as you describe things, you may be dealing with the smaller roof rats vs. the larger brown or Norway rats. But the process remains the same.

Sanitation, Exclusion and if that fails, work on elimination.

https://www.domyown.com/how-to-get-rid-of-roof-rats-a-334.html

Will only mention one more thing, if these are roof rats, they tend to run along the top of fences, etc. That means you may get a shot at them using a different kind of trap than most are aware of. Try a 110 body grip with a pan trigger, placed in their runway. Or......a #1 or 1 1/2 long spring trap in same runway.....along base of wall or top of fence. Both traps will kill rats and does not require them taking any bait. At best, trapping won't eliminate rats, but may lower the numbers a bit. A never ending partial solution.

Since you have ruled out rodenticide bait blocks, you need to double down on the sanitation and exclusion part.

 

[cmom]

I used poison after trying several other ways. I had a coop that was infested and when I started renovating it, dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. I had seen some in my barn which is right behind my coops. I put rat bait stations in the barn where only the rats could get to them. Eventually the baits weren't being eaten on but I keep the boxes loaded. There is a little window above the bait so it can be check daily. I didn't find any dead rats laying around so I'm pretty sure they went into their tunnels I saw by the coops and died. Good luck with whatever you do...

 

[Folly's place]

Rats will eat eggs, and kill chickens at night. Unless your coops are 110% rodent proof, day and night, you will have them invade your coops and cause major issues.
Here we had some move into coop wall that we insulated, foolishly, as it turned out. We removed all that insulation, and used poison in bait stations, and they were gone. Most will return to their burrows and die there, so are not available for other critters to find.
I hope you can manage this without using bait, but don't count on it, and protect your chickens!
Are you in an area with plague issues? Then, remember that it's not only your birds, and your risk of getting Leptospirosis, but also plague. Rodents are a very real risk to your health, and that of your dogs and cats, at least.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I had walls in my coop too but didn't have insulation in them but the rats had built nests in the walls and ceiling which I removed. There were a lot of rats. Again, good luck with whatever you do...

 

[Al Gerhart]

Rats cannot survive on tomatoes, they are most likely eating the chicken feed during the day. Get a good treadle feeder, do a search on this forum for "rats and chickens" or "treadle feeder", there are hundreds of threads.

Once you secure the feed including during the day, the rats will not find enough protein to survive and they will be forced to leave for another location that has a food supply. If your birds are large enough to operate a treadle feeder this will always work unless there are other sources of food very close by. Rats will not travel far for food, dozens of yards at the most, traveling is dangerous for a rodent due to natural predators.

 

[WindingRoad]

Rats cannot survive on tomatoes, they are most likely eating the chicken feed during the day. Get a good treadle feeder, do a search on this forum for "rats and chickens" or "treadle feeder", there are hundreds of threads.

Once you secure the feed including during the day, the rats will not find enough protein to survive and they will be forced to leave for another location that has a food supply. If your birds are large enough to operate a treadle feeder this will always work unless there are other sources of food very close by. Rats will not travel far for food, dozens of yards at the most, traveling is dangerous for a rodent due to natural predators.

I've yet to find a treadle feeder that works, because the chickens just bill the feed right out over the trough. They eat on one end and push the feed away until it builds up and overflows. The rats are brazen and come out in the day time. Stand on their hind legs and feed while the chickens are eating. And because of the plastic slippery treadles my birds were not able to activate the treadle. I had to move the spring to a lighter position and the rats could push the door in climb into the feeder and feast. When I would go out to check water levels or eggs I would hear them munching away INSIDE the feeder. Waste of money. I am going to fermented feed in the spring. Feed twice a day and take it up. The birds will learn. I am getting hanging waterers also. With nipples. I have a cheapie feeder now Red feed holder with red trough. The rats were coming in my coop this winter as they gnawed the wood around the threshold, because of the snow pile up unable to fix that. They were feasting in the feeder. I cover the fill area with Duct Tape. They can't get into that part. At the moment I think I only have one rat. In the summer they would come around in groups but I see no groups now. I will move my coop onto a concrete pad and put metal thresholds and vinyl siding so the rats can't get a purchase. Good luck they are very hard to get rid of. One kernel and they are around. Almost impossible not to "feed" them once they invade.

BTW I'm the only person within 4 miles with chickens or any other livestock. There is no where else for them to go. I don't have a garden nor do my neighbors. My neighbors have Bull Mastiffs. Those do a good job keeping out the "big" predators. I inherited these rats when a fox got neighbors chickens early last summer. I've had chickens since the summer of '18 without rats until last summer.

Besides them going doesn't solve the problem. Dead is the only solution. Or depopulation.

 

[Howard E]

Which treadle feeder or feeders have you used......exactly. Please provide the name and a photo of it or them if you can. Yours would be a good testimonial on what not to buy.

I have the Rat Proof Treadle feeder and my birds do not.....cannot.....drag feed out of it. I even ordered the extension just in case, and it has never been needed. Nothing gets feed out of it but the chickens.