Predator safe floor ideas needed

Ruralhideaway

Crowing
5 Years
Sep 21, 2017
2,801
4,659
396
Upstate NY
So winter is well and truly here. My run expansion has to be on hold for now while my war on rats heats up!

I have 15 9 week chicks who are getting locked in the brooder at night and need to not be, they are getting too big. Some might roost but some won't yet I'm sure, and I don't think they would be safe piling on the floor with rats getting in there.

They were definitely digging in under the built in brooder floor so I tore it apart and dug wayyyy down and installed galvanized lathe. That held.

Then they dug under a horse stall and ate through some old slightly rotted wood. So I dug up the entire 20+ foot wall adjoining the barn and installed more galvanized lathe. That held too.

They found their way through a few broken welds in hardware cloth under one exterior wall. So I retrenched and installed galvanized lathe. That held.

They dug out some old loose concrete in the 3 inches next to the fresh concrete collar patch that was poured this summer. Patched with wood. They ate the corner of the wood.

And the kicker? They somehow have made a hole in the concrete sidewalk in front of the coop. Now everything is frozen solid here so maybe just maybe there's a crack or seam there I can't see under the ice. But seriously now.

I haven't patched the last two, seems futile. I devised a way to keep snap traps safely in the coop with the birds. Box within a box, offset entrance holes etc. All I'm getting is mouse-sicles in the mornings. Considering poison but very reluctant despite previous conversations about it's safety. They laugh at my live traps, ate doughnuts out of them all last week without triggering them.

Sooo, I wish I could pour concrete but that's out for a few months. I'm considering either
A. Dig up the dirt floor, lay HC or lathe run up the inside walls a bit, cover with a layer of gravel then the dirt.
B. Install pavers squeezed in seamlessly tight and anchored to the walls with construction cement. Nothings square here so this might be tricky.

Anyone have an opinion of which could get those chicks out of he brooder soonest? While I try to figure out how to kill them. They are making weasel sized holes. I've caught a mink in my barn on a hens back years ago, have to fix this asap and I'm getting real tired of digging trenches!
 
Wow, that sounds seriously frustrating! :he

Sounds like your problem requires a more persuasive solution.

I also don't choose to use "poison".

However, I stumbled across a recipe that I will share even though I'm not 100% sure of it's effectiveness... It is said that rats can't pass gas and it should not effect other non rodent animals...

Equal parts corn meal, baking soda, and sugar. Placed in a small dish or made into satchels and tucked into hiding spots for them to find and chew into. Not saying it is humane, but neither do ANY of the traps I set seem to be.

If you aren't collecting and putting up your feed, then you might consider that. Even though I do put mine up every night they still come for the shrapnel left behind.

I hate rats, and the war is on at my place to! :mad:
 
The only food left out now is in the brooder. I'll make some of that mixture up, thanks! Worth a shot anyway. Still i think i need a rat proof floor, should have concreted when I still could. I love dirt floors for animals when possible though. Guess it's just not sometimes.
 
I poured concrete for the run area of my coop which was built early this year. While it was an extra expense, I'm soooo glad I did use concrete. I cover the concrete with a thick layer of straw and pine shavings. It's easy to clean and replace and I have no issues with a muddy run which is a big deal where I live due to all the rain.

I have no issues with rats/mice and I never worry about anything digging under and into the run. I covered every inch of the run with 1/2" mesh and not once have I seen any type of rodent.

I also use a treadle feeder which the chickens have to step on a metal plate to open it to get to the food. So even if a rodent got in, they wouldn't be able to get to the feed unless it was a really big heavy rat or something.

The other alternative would be to feed the chickens on a schedule and remove what they don't eat so it's not just there for the taking by rodents. But that could be a real pain depending on your own schedule.
 
I had rats in m coop last spring, awful! They came in and colonized an insulated wall, now gone.
My coop is built on an old farm building foundation, with a broken concrete floor. It's been wonderful UNTIL THIS YEAR!
A few mice turned into a serious infestation this fall, as soon as it was too cold to pour more concrete. How do they know?!? The mice are living under the broken concrete, and coming up at night when the birds are roosting.
My barn cat, who has moved to an indoor home, was too afraid of the chickens to lurk in the coop hunting.
Too many for traps! I have resorted to poison, set up in an area the chickens can't enter. Definitely not the best plan, but desperation set in, so here we are. The first warm spell, new concrete will be installed.
The only thing that works for rats is poison, IMO, unless you have an effective little terrier. Who won't kill your chickens.
Mary
 
Here's my terrier. About as useful as she gets. :idunno
20171030_213718.jpg
 
The only food left out now is in the brooder. I'll make some of that mixture up, thanks! Worth a shot anyway. Still i think i need a rat proof floor, should have concreted when I still could. I love dirt floors for animals when possible though. Guess it's just not sometimes.
My chicks who still have a heat source get a non light emitting one. Either a ceramic coil that goes right into the light socket, other black light type, or mama heating pad. All chicks sleep in the dark and all food is collected. Though I know of some who rats just upped their game to eating the chicks and chickens once food was removed. I know where plenty of my entry points are and will work to eventually resolve them. Just don't know what good a concrete floor will do if they chew through that too. :barnie

That cat sounds great! Your terrier is very cute. Awesome that there's plenty of left overs for you to enjoy as well! :sick :lol:
 

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