new to chickens

Date sort Score sort
Y

yashn

In the Brooder
Feb 19, 2020
5
25
13
I am new to caring for chickens. I've been on the farm for two years but only recently became responsible for the chicken coop. Everything has gone well until recently, and when I was researching my problem I found this site.
I will have to learn a lot more about what kind of chickens we have. All I know at this point is that we have 25, down from 32 from very bad rats. All of the hens we've lost came in about 18 months ago as rescues from the slaughterhouse. They came without feathers. Our original chickens have all survived the rat attacks.
 
Welcome to BYC! Post pictures of your chickens and we can help tell you their breeds. For rats I have read that bucket traps work well. If you have a farm and barn cats are an excellent addition to help with rodent control. Keep chicken food locked up at night so rodents can’t get to it then. Adding your location to your profile can allow us to help you in other ways. Good luck with your new chicken responsibilities.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC! :frow

So sorry for your losses. Yes, chicken wire will not keep rats out. I would suggest 1/2 or even 1/4 inch hardware cloth/mesh. The rats not only can't fit through but they can't chew through it either.

Make yourself at home here and welcome to our community! :)
 
thank you all for the welcome! I appreciate every piece of advice. I will take photos. We did just get 3 barn cats 2 days ago to try to help us get this under control. We used to have a farm dog but the rat/vole problem has gotten out of hand in his absence.
The rats were originally only eating the chicken food. They ate through a Rubbermaid container. We moved the chicken food into an old fridge and the very next night we lost our first chicken.
As for the chicken wire- the rats were able to get into our coop. I'll do some research and take a picture of the coop and then ask more specific questions.
I did post a question in the injuries forum, because I helped clean and bandage an injured hen this am.
After we bandaged her she began foaming at the mouth. At first we assumed it was not the rats, because no other hen has survived and she has a bad leg, but because of the foam we wonder whether another hen or rooster has caused the puncture or if this is part of the rat problem.
I'm on the other side of the farm now but we are worried about her, and because we handled her. Mostly with gloves, but a little without.

thanks so much...sorry for my lack of knowledge!
 
yashn said:
thank you all for the welcome! I appreciate every piece of advice. I will take photos. We did just get 3 barn cats 2 days ago to try to help us get this under control. We used to have a farm dog but the rat/vole problem has gotten out of hand in his absence.
The rats were originally only eating the chicken food. They ate through a Rubbermaid container. We moved the chicken food into an old fridge and the very next night we lost our first chicken.
As for the chicken wire- the rats were able to get into our coop. I'll do some research and take a picture of the coop and then ask more specific questions.
I did post a question in the injuries forum, because I helped clean and bandage an injured hen this am.
After we bandaged her she began foaming at the mouth. At first we assumed it was not the rats, because no other hen has survived and she has a bad leg, but because of the foam we wonder whether another hen or rooster has caused the puncture or if this is part of the rat problem.
I'm on the other side of the farm now but we are worried about her, and because we handled her. Mostly with gloves, but a little without.

thanks so much...sorry for my lack of knowledge!
Click to expand...
I hope your hen is ok. :hugs

We were all new at this at one point, that's what makes BYC such a special place. We have all learned from each other. :)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom