Rat Control

[cmom]

I had a coop that was infested and when I started renovating it taking out the ceiling and walls dozens of rats poured out of all sizes. I found nests in the ceiling and the walls. I put the bait stations in our barn which is behind the coops. The bait can be checked daily through the window on top of the bait box. Good luck...

 

[Al Gerhart]

You said you have chicks, full grown or actual chicks? A treadle feeder will stop most rat infestations. Poisons are hit and miss, kill the natural predators of rodents, and many rodent colonies are smart enough to figure out what is killing their buddies and start refusing to take the bait unless they are starved out using a treadle feeder. Full size birds though, a few banties or silkies if you have other larger birds to operate the feeder so they can eat when they can.

Good luck.

 

[cmom]

If a person being irresponsible with poison bait, there could be some secondary poisoning but from research I have done often times if a predator eats a rat that has been killed it may get sick but it's not usually fatal. If a predator actually eats the bait it will probably kill it. Put the baits where only the rats can get to it and not other critters and in something. I use the bait stations inside a pet carrier and I can guarantee nothing but the rats and mice can get to it. Several years ago I had baits coming up missing night after night. I finally put a camera out to see how the bait was disappearing. It turned out to be a possum. I wondered how the possum could be eating the bait night after night and not die. I did some research and found out they are immune to the poison. I don't recall how but the baits didn't affect them. The possum actually destroyed a couple of bait boxes to get the bait so I started putting the rat bait stations and in a locked pet carrier up on a shelf in our barn. No more issues. The rats did dig tunnels. Since I haven't found any dead rats I think they went into their tunnels and died.
Here are a couple of the tunnels I'm fairly certain the rats made.

 

[apryl29]

If you are using poison make sure you are very diligent about checking frequently for dead rodents. Your chickens will eat them and it can kill them. I had a snap trap just outside my chicken run and it killed a mouse and my chickens pecked through the fencing and ate the exposed Mouse.

 

[City farm]

We use 1 cup of all purpose flour to 1 cup of plaster of Paris, MIX WELL. I also add 1 tablespoon of baking soda when I change it out every other time.
PUT UP AWAY FROM CATS, DOGS & FLOCK
this mixture is safe if the rodent dies outside, won’t hurt the owls or hawks like a poisonous one.

Photo for fun

 

[cmom]

Possums are naturally resistant to all poisons except neuro-toxins. They have a peptide in their blood that’s capable of countering the poison without causing any damage. Rat poison does not have any neuro-toxins in them and it is not going to do any harm to the possums.
It kept coming back night after night for the rat baits, until I figured out what it was and then put the bait in new bait stations, since it had wrecked the other bait stations, and in locked pet carries up on a shelf. Now only the rats can get to the baits.

 

[TARDIS37379]

I use standard rat traps and I bait them with anchovies. Then right after dark the rats show up and get caught. This also cleared pit the feral cats that live in the area.

 

[emily_the_chicken_girl]

hey! i have two types of bait that i would recommend, we've been using both of them for years.
d-con amazon.com/D-Poison-Bait-Station-Refills/dp/B07CNYGBVQ
this stuff works great! we put it downstairs, where the rats were digging up into the coop from (we have an unfinished basement) and they were all gone within i want to say a month, month and a half?

the other one is called tom cat - https://www.amazon.com/Tomcat-Kille...child+and+dog+resistant&qid=1612129417&sr=8-1

this also works great, but tbh i would always choose d-con over this.
hope this helps in any way!

 

[cherylgladys]

If a person being irresponsible with poison bait, there could be some secondary poisoning but from research I have done often times if a predator eats a rat that has been killed it may get sick but it's not usually fatal. If a predator actually eats the bait it will probably kill it. Put the baits where only the rats can get to it and not other critters and in something. I use the bait stations inside a pet carrier and I can guarantee nothing but the rats and mice can get to it. Several years ago I had baits coming up missing night after night. I finally put a camera out to see how the bait was disappearing. It turned out to be a possum. I wondered how the possum could be eating the bait night after night and not die. I did some research and found out they are immune to the poison. I don't recall how but the baits didn't affect them. The possum actually destroyed a couple of bait boxes to get the bait so I started putting the rat bait stations and in a locked pet carrier up on a shelf in our barn. No more issues. The rats did dig tunnels. Since I haven't found any dead rats I think they went into their tunnels and died.
Here are a couple of the tunnels I'm fairly certain the rats made.
View attachment 2508815View attachment 2508817

Thank you so much. Your comments are so helpful. I have a pest control coming out now and he assured me that only rats and mice can get in the traps. This was a week ago he set them out, liquid and bait, and he checked yesterday and no signs of them eating the bait yet. But this morning, I found another mound INSIDE the coop where the chicks (3) sleep and its freaking me out. As I mentioned before, the coop is a prefab and moving it in the space I have is going to be very challenging as it could basically fall apart. It's not an ideal situation. A friend is going to help me with the problem tomorrow and maybe we can put some 1/4 inch wire on the bottom. Right now, the rat is smarter than me. Praying for wisdom for sure.

 

[cherylgladys]

You said you have chicks, full grown or actual chicks? A treadle feeder will stop most rat infestations. Poisons are hit and miss, kill the natural predators of rodents, and many rodent colonies are smart enough to figure out what is killing their buddies and start refusing to take the bait unless they are starved out using a treadle feeder. Full size birds though, a few banties or silkies if you have other larger birds to operate the feeder so they can eat when they can.

Good luck.

Thank you, that is great information. I have been looking at treadle feeders, actually online last night. Is there one that you can recommend for my 3 chicks? My chicks are full grown and I am sure I could teach them with treats to use it.