rat control/prevention?

[jcskowronek]

I have had chickens in the past, and had a huge problem with rats. I live in Georgia and we literally and to have professionals come in and remove the rats. Part of the problem was due to our set up (the coop was right next to an additional building that lacked proper sealing) but I am very worried about the rats coming back.
My planned prevention measures are:
- mobile coop/run that will be moved every week
- coop secured with hardware mesh at all the ventilation spots
- feeders in coop at night (not left in run)
- feed bags in airtight metal trash can
- fresh vegetables/scraps collected at night (to the best of my ability)

Is there anything else I can do? Also, I haven't fully decided on the material for the coop... does anyone have suggestions of materials that are light enough to be pulled by a tractor but rat and other predator-proof?

I appreciate any advice you are willing to share! Thank you so much!

 

[Naser]

Rodent proof feeder
Rats don't eat vegetables
Give other treats early during the day and in amount they finish in 10 min.

 

[50-45-1]

Rats chew through most kinds of wood but not metal siding or hardware cloth.
Securely Close the coop up at night, and if you are lucky enough to have a resident weasel, co-exist with him as he will keep your rodent population in check.

 

[Callender Girl]

I've been struggling with rats all winter. They have tunneled under two of the coops, and I've had to move chickens into other buildings. When the ground FINALLY thaws enough, I will be adding hardware cloth to the coops' floors (both were purchased from someone else; things built here are built with hardware cloth on the bottom).

My ducks live in what used to be a 3-foot-by-10-foot chicken tractor which has literally been wrapped in hardware cloth. It's pricey, but it's worth it.

I've managed to trap a few rats, but they catch on so fast that I keep having to come up with new ways to eliminate them. I wish you the best in your ventures!!

 

[Howard E]

Since a lot of us seem to have an abundance of time on our hands these days, here is something that might help fill some of it.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-the-video-series.1337456/
Once you get through it all, you begin to realize what you are up against with a large rat infestation. And even the historic videos support what has been know about rats and chickens for close to 100 years now. Rats require a few basic needs to survive.....food, water and shelter. Without those, they are gone.

Now as was the case back the, there are a few basic principles to follow to get after a rat problem.

Sanitation......eliminate a rat's access to feed....(in feeders and in storage), which is what draws them in the first place, and they be forced to move on.

Exclusion......meaning rat proofing a structure. I'd guess that well over 90% of the structures BYC folks use are not rat proof. Not even close. Study the historic videos and other literature about how to rat proof a structure and you find cement floors, metal siding and roofs, and hardware cloth over openings are your friends. It can be done and is not as hard as it seems, and more so if you start out from the beginning thinking rat proof.

Elimination......most folks start here.........which is why they fail. The only one of these that truly helps are poison bait blocks, and most BYC folks seem to have a great aversion to using poisons (for reasons both valid and imagined), so struggle with their rat problem and never do get ahead of it. But elimination always comes last......and may not be required at all if you get the first two right.