Pest problem

[Kmooneyhan3910]

If you have them bad enough they sure do come out in the day time.
They figure out your feeding schedule and show up as soon as you feed and turn your back.
Rats are an underrated predator. They will come out any time of the day or night and will eat or eat on the chickens feed, eggs, chicks, juveniles and adults.
They're one of the hardest things to coop proof for. They'll go through, over or under to get in.
Not to mention they can populate so fast that it becomes a war to get ahead of them.

I have a 30 lb feeder and a 5 gallon waterer that I fill up every time one of them runs out

 

[Folly's place]

You've unbalanced their feed by adding grit, which should be fed separately, and especially the corn, a yummy treat that they will eat FIRST and ignore the layer feed.
Mary

 

[Hyroler]

If you think it might be rats make this trap and put it inside coop.If its rats you will know right away.spread peanut butter all over plastic bottle and fill bucket with about 8 inches of water.

 

[Hyroler]

rats and mice run up board jump onto bottle to get peanut butter bottle spins they drop into water and drown.If its rats bucket will be full of dead rats next day

 

[Hyroler]

it is safe trap to put in coop unless you have small chicks.if they fall in water they might not be able to get out but full grown chickens can get out no problem.

 

[Hopperkiller]

You have rats?
I've had rats do that.
They just put a little hole and suck egg through it.
And rats eat anything it seems so wouldn't put it past them to eat mustard.

Then you have well trained rats. Rats around here in the daytime. Tomcat adopted us and fewer live rats are seen.

 

[The Moonshiner]

If you think it might be rats make this trap and put it inside coop.If its rats you will know right away.spread peanut butter all over plastic bottle and fill bucket with about 8 inches of water.View attachment 1329921

Been there done a 1/2 dozen of them. They are useless. May work a couple times but then rats wise up.
Rats won't run up a ramp then dive onto something they aren't sure about. They also don't like to get onto anything that isn't stable unless they know it is safe.
You have to get it just right so when they stretch out to reach for it that as soon as they touch it it rotates and they fall.
Not an easy task because they are pretty wary about over extending themselves to the point that they could lose balance.
I've tried every trap known to mankind. Even the ones that worked are no match to keeping up catching them faster then they breed.
Poison heavy then continue to leave bait stations out forever is the only solution if you have a serious rat issue.

 

[Kmooneyhan3910]

You've unbalanced their feed by adding grit, which should be fed separately, and especially the corn, a yummy treat that they will eat FIRST and ignore the layer feed.
Mary

Why can you not feed grit with feed? I feed the 30 lbs and add just one solo cup full of the grit should that harm anything?

 

[Kmooneyhan3910]

it is safe trap to put in coop unless you have small chicks.if they fall in water they might not be able to get out but full grown chickens can get out no problem.

This is a good idea, if I tried it, it would be on a weekend when I’m home all day so I can make sure birds don’t fall in, and can chickens eat peanut butter?

 

[Hyroler]

Been there done a 1/2 dozen of them. They are useless. May work a couple times but then rats wise up.
Rats won't run up a ramp then dive onto something they aren't sure about. They also don't like to get onto anything that isn't stable unless they know it is safe.
You have to get it just right so when they stretch out to reach for it that as soon as they touch it it rotates and they fall.
Not an easy task because they are pretty wary about over extending themselves to the point that they could lose balance.
I've tried every trap known to mankind. Even the ones that worked are no match to keeping up catching them faster then they breed.
Poison heavy then continue to leave bait stations out forever is the only solution if you have a serious rat issue.

Trap is to find out if rats are the problem.