Official BYC Poll: How Do You Keep Rodents Away From Your Coop?

[papajoesfarm]

Hi Maizie - "Barn Cats" is just a label for stray cats that start hanging around your place. If you want to get them interested in helping you out i rodent control, provide a water dish, some dried cat food, and a shelter. You can buy shelters on Amazon, but in our case we have a barn that they can stay in, although they seem to prefer the utility trailer. If you want to put cats up for adoption, there are "no-kill" shelters that would take them in. Domestic cats tend to not survive any further out than the suburbs, due to the coyote population expanding.

A large, hungry cat can attack and kill small poultry. You need to keep them confined to a run for safety.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Hi Maizie - "Barn Cats" is just a label for stray cats that start hanging around your place. If you want to get them interested in helping you out i rodent control, provide a water dish, some dried cat food, and a shelter. You can buy shelters on Amazon, but in our case we have a barn that they can stay in, although they seem to prefer the utility trailer. If you want to put cats up for adoption, there are "no-kill" shelters that would take them in. Domestic cats tend to not survive any further out than the suburbs, due to the coyote population expanding.

A large, hungry cat can attack and kill small poultry. You need to keep them confined to a run for safety.

I have stray cats that come by and live in the country. I think they are someone else's barn cats. But, I guess my question with that was will the shelter adopt out a cat knowing it would be a barn cat.

Thanks for the insight with the small poultry. I've only had the polish for 2 months now - not sure if they grow much more.

 

[PeepOverlord]

I don’t honestly think much can be done. A good outdoor cat or door is cat if they are a known mouser. We’ve had some animals that are great at it and some are useless. We have one cat that will take creatures as big as 5 or 6 pounds. I know a few people on here shoot rats with a pellet gun but I don’t have that kind of patience and I doubt I’d be accurate enough. I think some people also set up bucket traps outside.

As far as rats and mice, think "Rodent Tidal Wave". Until after the second hard frost. So, like August thru January. Its awful.
"Hi, Sticky Trap company? Yeah, do you take custom orders? I need several ROLLS of sticky rat trap paper six feet wide by 200 feet long...... "
Even the tree rats (squirrels) are out of control here because they have no predators.

 

[Double J Farms]

I have 3 cats. Max, Crazy, and Sweetheart. Max is worthless for rodents. But the other 2 are straight up rodent eliminators. Sweetheart has a belly full of kittens right now. Hopefully a few of them will turn out to be as good as she is

 

[GingerRose]

We have an adult peacock and some peahens that are free to roam. They hang around the coop, hen house and feed storage area..
We don't have much of any smaller pest problems. (rats, mice, snakes, feral cats, frogs... etc)

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

We have a donkey who keeps our birds safe.

 

[MROO]

I have stray cats that come by and live in the country. I think they are someone else's barn cats. But, I guess my question with that was will the shelter adopt out a cat knowing it would be a barn cat.

Thanks for the insight with the small poultry. I've only had the polish for 2 months now - not sure if they grow much more.

Many shelters offer spayed/neutered/vetted barn cats for a minimal adoption fee. Some will give them to you for free. These are not cute, cuddly kittens. They're feral, wanting little to no human attention. If you pen them up in a barn or garage for a week or two, so they know where the free food, water and shelter hide, most will stay and keep your pests under control. We've had REALLY good luck with our ferals. While one stayed outside and standoffish her entire life, the other two have become real love-bugs - to the point where we no longer have "barn cats." We have two very spoiled house pets. You'd never know that they started out as terrified ferals!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Many shelters offer spayed/neutered/vetted barn cats for a minimal adoption fee. Some will give them to you for free. These are not cute, cuddly kittens. They're feral, wanting little to no human attention. If you pen them up in a barn or garage for a week or two, so they know where the free food, water and shelter hide, most will stay and keep your pests under control. We've had REALLY good luck with our ferals. While one stayed outside and standoffish her entire life, the other two have become real love-bugs - to the point where we no longer have "barn cats." We have two very spoiled house pets. You'd never know that they started out as terrified ferals!

I asked the question 4 years ago. I have found they do have barn cats that they adopt out since then. But, I have yet to get one. Glad to hear you were able to tame yours.