Multi-faceted pests/food/protection question

[ChickenMarc]

Hey all!

I have a multi-fasceted question regarding a rat problem I am having (at least two rats). I live in a suburban area that is well known for a rat problem (thus I know I can't get rid of them completely). I have a coop with no bottom (two story). I have tried several strategies to keep the rats out - none seem to work. I actually noticed that rats created a nest underneath my air conditioner right next to the coop!

I plan on attacking this issue as follows:
1) Get rat proof wire (if that exists) and build a bottom for the entire coop. I then plan on placing large flat rocks on top of the wire in order to ensure the chickens do not injure themselves. Above this I plan on putting sand for sanitation purposes.
2) Remove all food and water at night.

I generally let my chickens roam freely during the day - however when I am not home I put them back in the coop. Thus, I generally put their food back with them during the day. However, this leads to spillage in the coop and thus creates the attraction for rats. I considered only feeding them outside the coop - however I don't know if that is a good strategy. How much food do they need (6 total - rhode island reds)? Also, do they need to have access all day to food or can I feed them on a schedule?

If I continue feeding them inside the coop - however have a bottom - will the rats still get in? I heard that rats can basically chew through anything and the coop does have wood/mesh parts.

I also thought about creating a door to the second story of the coop in order to lock the hens in at night - however I fear they would overheat.

I appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Marc

 

[Clucksworth]

If you have rats visiting your chickens there is no way to prevent them from stealing your chicken's food, as you have pointed out rats are quite determined little pests and will stop at nothing to get to a nice food source ( and they favour chicken food ). Rats will chew through any wire and through the wooden sides of a coop to get a food, they will also burrow underneath runs where you keep your chickens and continue to eat food and squeeze themselves through large hole in the mesh.

Another nasty fact about rats is that they will also steal and eat your chicken's eggs and will take chicks ( is you have any). And as a general rule " for every rat you see there are 7 more".

As you can't prevent the rats from coming in to visit your chickens, I would recommend maybe setting a couple of humane rat traps or the standard metal snap traps. Another way to rid your self of the rats is to put poison down for the rats to eat instead of your chickens food ( put the poison down a rat hole and then cover the hole up so the poison won't be eaten by other pets).

Sorry I can't give you any positive ways of deterring the rats, but I hope this helps.

 

[Kelsie2290]

We have a huge rat/mouse problem at times, especially when they combine the fields around us in the fall and all the rodents that have been happily living in the fields want to find new homes, with our set up we can't really exclude them since the main chicken coop in the winter is in an old bank barn, so I have had the best luck with three lines of defense ...

1... control food access... I usually put the chickens feed in a bowl that is in a larger pan, this can also go on a wire platform on a tray (like what some people do for water) so when the chickens scratch or beak out the feed it goes in the pan or falls through the wire into the tray and you can just dump it back in the bowl. This is a little labor intensive but it really cuts back on the loose feed. I free feed during the day but will pick up the food at night if there is a rodent problem. Scratch, treats etc are given in the morning so it is cleaned up by night (in our case other animals are also mainly fed in the morning so the chickens have time to clean up any spilled grain). With their access to the chicken food limited, rats are much more likely to get hit by step two or three ...
2... poison... we always have rat poison out ... We use the big rat station boxes everywhere and check the bait at least once a week, when the rodents are really on the move we may actually have to replace it every week, we replace it in general at least once a month so it stays pretty fresh. We also rotate poisons by what active ingredient they have since rats seem to get used to them.
3... electric rat traps ... Rat Zappers (the real ones, not the imitations)... love these things, especially in places where you really don't want poisoned rats/mice dying in the walls. We bait these with a few pieces of dry cat food. Rats/mice that are wise to the poisons don't seem to figure out the Zappers.

I really think that excluding rats, who can climb, dig or chew their way into about anything, and where there is a big population rotating through that "knows" where the food is, is about impossible, so you really have to control/kill them.

 

[ChickenMarc]

So if I understand correctly building a mesh bottom is useless and a waste of time? Control food and kill the rats seems to be trend. If I kill the rats won't another just replace the previous?

 

[Kelsie2290]

I think putting down a wire/stone/concrete floor is a good idea in general for predators, but I don't think that putting in a new floor is going to solve your rat problem unless you also control food and get rid of the current problem rats one way or another. If the population of rats there now "know" where the food is, they are going to be much more determined to get back in than a new rat who is just passing by is... which pretty much means you would have to have 1/2" wire or metal over everything they can climb on, dig under or chew through etc etc etc. So you need to get rid of the current rats as best you can, and make the place as unattractive as possible to new rats... and if you have rats in the neighborhood, there will be new rats coming around.
You should also remove any potential nesting/hiding places the for the rats from as far around the coop as you can asap. Remember rats will also happily tunnel under the floor, so keep the area directly by the outside coop walls clear, keep watch under whatever steps or ladders to the coop you have etc.
I don't think it matters if you feed them inside or outside the coop unless you control spillage (unless you are feeding a really long way from the coop). And, if you feed outside, you will also probably have bird problems pretty soon.
I usually free feed during the day and pick the food up at night if I have to, just because it is easier. I have fed on a schedule sometimes when I have had to keep birds up because of the weather etc, but unless the birds are free ranging they seem to get bored pretty easy and I am always afraid if I limit food too much they more likely to pick on each other.

 

[ChickenMarc]

Thanks for the all the advice. I did as suggested and spent a good deal of time removing any food and I stopped feeding the chickens inside the coop. It solved the problem! As quickly as the rats came they left again! I did end up making a mesh door for the upstairs sleeping area of the coop so I can lock the chickens away at night. I realize rats can chew through anything, but felt this additional layer couldn't hurt. It would at least prevent the casual rat from strolling upstairs.

Thanks again!

 

[ChickenMarc]

Also - forgot to add .. my Border Collie has taken a super active role and loves chasing the rats away. She now actually asks to be let out more often at night and goes straight to the coop ... circles it ... then goes to the fence. She is awesome with the chickens and can be left unsupervised when they free range with them. Awesome dogs!