We have had a rat infestation for quite some time now. Only successfully trapping 4. We thought we got rid of their nest, but now we are getting worried. Tonight we saw 2 rats chasing each other across the yard and another sat and watched. We set up many traps outside after seeing this, even the last resort glue trap. We took a flashlight and saw many rats, including an enormous one that ran across the yard whenever we turned off the light. But rats aren't the only problem, we saw some mice in our wall vines, meaning we have rats AND mice!!!! Later we checked a trap with poison bait, we hadn't checked it in a while because there was no progress. We found it half-eaten, yet no signs of dead rats or mice! I think are after chicken food because we found poop where there was old feed, but we moved the feeder inside with only a small amount of it leftover outside. They used to eat peaches from our peach tree, but they just finished! Why so many animals, what are they looking for?! I'm actually surprised there are no owls helping. Last time it was all just mice and there was an owl on the scene immediately. Does anyone know how to fix this problem or have any idea why they're here in the first place?
You can place a cake or bar type poison called OneBite inside a shed or building where your other animals cannot access. They have to nibble off pieces of this and eat it there instead of storing it like they would the granule or pellet type poisons. It takes a couple of days but you should definitely see a lessening of your rodent problem. I'd just keep a fresh bar or cake in that area at all times in case a new colony moves in when these are gone. You won't have to worry about your cats or dogs eating the dead rodents....mine never seemed to touch them. Must have known they didn't die naturally and had no desire to eat them.
I think the feed brings the mice and rats. Maybe you could put some of those safe traps in the coops with your birds. The ones that they run in and can't get back out, but they will not hurt the birds. I let my cat in the coop with my birds for a little while, but there isn't many cats that will not go after the birds. I was told by a woman to get a kitten and raise it up with the birds, but I really do not want cat poo in my coop.
get a barn cat how big are your birds? we've never had a problem with cats and chickens, but we never incubated them before this spring. we did buy them as chicks and kept them in a brooder until they were feathered out, then they went to the big girl's pen as far as the poisons, we have lost a couple cats over the years due to eating mice and rats that died from poisoning.
I agree with the barn cat plan. Call your local animal shelter, explain that you want a former stray to work in your barn, and they may have one for you. Often these cats are the hardest to place because they're unsocialized, and while it may never cuddle you, it'll do it's job. Out here for $40 they'll bring 2 fixed barn cats (you want them fixed) and will help with anyshots they need. (idea being to have the fixed cats use up the food suppily, rather than supporting a new population of strays. Of course, you know to pick up all the poisioned baits first, so that the cats don't get secondary poisioning, which may be why you're missing owls this year.
I just got rid of my rats. We had someone come out to deal with it, and all he did was put these blue little cakes out for them to eat and take back to their nest. Two days after the cake went out, the rats were dead or close to dead. I suspect they were eating the chicken poop because now that the rats are dead, the run is a little more poopy and the flies are back. I made a joke to my hubby about keeping one of the rats as a pet and letting it into the run and coop once a day to "clean" it out for me. haha.
Keep the feed in a galvanized steel can, even if it's indoors. And in the feeders, mix in a good dose of cayenne pepper - chickens don't mind it, but mammals do. That'll help keep from attracting new rodents. For the existing ones, cats and poison, like the other folks said!
OneBite is a brand of bromadiolone. I use it, too. Very effective. And yes, the feed attracts them. I have watched a mouse climb and leap from a shelf to get into the feeder when I've been in the coop at night, more than once. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=606272#p606272
