Rat in coop

[Grits&Eggs]

Kill them, kill them all!!! Ugh-It was a nightmare - finally my rat problem is gone, they would leave droppings and eat a ton of food - when they didn't have food they would munch on anything, toys, plastic trays (used to catch food dropping). Ended up being multiples, even though I only saw one at a time on the camera....and then they had babies!!! I used snap traps which I removed during the day, but in the end I caught the last two (after they ate the poison I set out, in the live trap as they were running for water. I shudder to think what would have happened if I left them, they breed each and every year - yuck.

 

[EggyTheHen]

I'm sorry you all had such terrible experiences with rats, it sounds really awful. Fortunately, the rat ate the poison that was set out and is now gone. The poison trap is still out to catch any others that may be there.

 

[sueandthe6]

I recently saw with my own eyes the rat problem I have. since fall I've seen what I figured were tunnels but I never saw critters so kind of lived in denial. late last week I drive by the coop (its on the way out my driveway) and saw three rats run for cover. So I am not dummy- I realize if I saw 3 there's probably 30...and I'd love to just do snap traps and done- but how do you keep the chickens from getting snapped?? I've looked at the videos of the 5 gallon buckets (mine would be no water- I raise rabbits and process myself so will figure out cervical dislocation after they are in the bucket- i cant let them drown) but again in denial really would just prefer snap traps and dead. Also wondering about poison but worried the chickens might peck at that- if I drop the bait blocks right down the tunnels will the rats eat it? I dealt with the sparrows eating the feed all winter and hoped come spring and other options they would go away. Now the rats are eating more than the chickens and sparrows combined. UGGGGG!!!!!

 

[cmom]

I had one of my coops infested. I renovated the coop and put plenty of rat bait boxes in the coop and in our barn where I had also seen rats. When I started renovating the infested coop, I was surprised how many rats came out. I had no idea there were so many. There were some tunnels. I'm pretty sure most ate the rat bait and went down into their tunnels and died. I did find a few dead ones that I discarded, but for the number of rats that came out of the coop when I began renovating, I didn't find a lot of dead rats but did notice no more rat poop. I put a game camera out there and didn't see any more activity on the camera. The bait is secure in the bait boxes so other critters and pets can't get to the bait.