NEEDADVICE-RATS EATING CHICKS-GETTING DOG TO HELP-ADVICE PLEASE

[Chicken Heel]

My precious poodle/terrier mix Millie was one heck of a mouser. She would lie under the coop for hours on end killing every one she saw. Sadly, I lost her to IVDD in September 2016.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I have a male Panamanian MUTT that came to live with me when he was about ten months old. He was taught by his former pack (and human family) to kill rats, mice and other rodents (squirrels come to mind). He was also taught the difference between these pests and animals that were to be protected by him, specifically chickens, ducks and their offspring. Since he's moved in with me, he also protects my quail. HOW they taught him this, I don't know. I do know that it's possible, because I have living proof of it with my good-boy.
If, in the meantime, you are able to trap some of these rats, they can be fed to your chickens in the morning. You will be entertained by the raucous game of 'keep away' while giving your flock a taste for, and desire to hunt rats on their own, for fresh meat. I have successfully used this method as well (before I got my rodent killing dog). Chickens will teach their offspring the hunting technique for killing rats, so you only need to do the training once.

 

[imnukensc]

So much for the "dogs won't kill rats" theory. Not sure what kind of dogs these are, but most look like they have some sort of terrier in them to me.

 

[jvls1942]

Jack Russel,,,rat terriers are natural rat/mice killers.
there are videos on youtube that show these dogs in action.
however I have read that jack russels are difficult to train to leave chickens alone..
I M H O I think the training was the person's fault..
It usually is. I have had many breeds and mutts of dogs and never had any of them bother my freeranging chickens..
I do not care for poison except in extreme cases. those rats are not choosy where they go to die.. I have had them under my enclosed porch, under my deck and even on the top of the foundation of our house.. A very unpleasant odor until the rat finally decomposes.. usually about a week..

 

[cmom]

a dog will not kill rats your better off using poison

I don't know if this is true, but I use poison. I have posted this on another thread. One of my coops was so overrun I resorted to poison. I tried the water bucket, traps, but there were just too many. This coop was infested with rats until I renovated it. There were rat nests in the wall we put around the bottom of the coop. It was our first coop we built, live and learn. When I started to renovate the coop dozens of rats came out of all sizes. Way too many to trap. I had seen a couple in our barn which is behind the coops. I resorted to poison. I also bought a couple of rat bait boxes so nothing but the rats and mice could get to the bait and put them in places other critters couldn't get to them. I put the bait boxes in our barn which is behind the coops and I had seen rats in there so I figured they were going back and forth between the barn and the coops. There is a little window above the bait so I could check it daily. Surprisingly for the number of rats that came out I only found a couple of dead rats that I disposed of. I had noticed some tunnels around the infested coop and figured they were made by the rats. I think that most of the rats went down into their tunnels and died. It worked. As time went on the baits were touched less and less. I'm sure a rat may try to move in but the bait boxes are always loaded. This is what I used. That was just my choice of how to get rid of them. Good luck with whatever you do...

 

[50-45-1]

https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Top-10-Dog-Breeds-Ideal-for-Catching-Rats
it sounds like you need more hardware cloth installed in the areas where you keep your chickens and chicks. Rats can not get through it. keep your chicks in a safe area until they are big enough to flee, fly, or otherwise evade them.
i attached a link to a list of the best rat dogs. all of them are small which makes sense as you will need a small dog that can fit in small spaces. a large dog will not fit in many situations that a rat can flee to.
your local dog pound may have some likely candidates.
realistically i think you are going to have to use many different measures to control your rat population.
traps, poison and predators like your dog idea. even some cats will prey on a rat.
depends on the cat.
i have no problems with rats, if fact i have never seen one.
i have weasels, they are a natural predator of a rat. my coop is fortified with hardware cloth and nothing gets in after i close the poop door.
good luck!

 

[TheChiggens]

Jack Russel or rat terrier? There is a rat hunter guy on youtube. He gets hired to have his dog bag and tag those rats. Harden the pen if they are night time losses with hardware cloth to exclude the rats(cheaper than fully vetting a dog) and faster than the training you need.

Agreed.
Terriers are the best. Or for me a really tough cat...

 

[AllenK RGV]

even some cats will prey on a rat.
depends on the cat.

Erhrmm, I must be lucky with my 14 pound beast as he is more bobcat than cat, in the last 2-3 years we have counted at least 4 full size possum and probably 20-30 dead mid sized juveniles. No idea what his rat kill count could be. We get those presents 2-3 times weekly they come for his cat food and stay for the rigor mortis.

 

[Sea Wolf]

Secure your pen with hardware cloth as many above have said. Yes, you can get a small terrier to kill rats. No, you can't leave it in the coop or outside 24/7. It will be cheaper and easier to properly protect where your chicks are. If need be, completely redo the structure. You also need to set numerous traps. Rat traps (Victor brand) and live trap types. Bait with peanut butter for the snap traps and kibble dog food for the live trap types. Place the kibble so they have to trip the trap trigger to get to it. Get a container deep enough to cover the trap with water and drown every one that you catch. Reset the traps and keep them set even if you finally stop seeing rats. They will keep coming to you from the neighbor.

 

[123RedBeard]

Most all terriers are good "ratter's" ... pick one, or three, train it to leave your chicken's alone!

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/terrier/