Rat issue

[River campbell]

Hello. I have a bad rat issue, the eat all the eggs, Ive tried old and eletric traps, somehow none get killed but steal the food, any ideas on how to remove the ninja rats?
(I don't wanna use poison)

 

[-Flash-]

Sorry.... ninja rats!

 

[River campbell]

They litteraly steal the food without setting the traps off, ONCE THEY STOLE A BLOB OF PEANUT BUTTER FROM A TRAP

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Try to set your traps to go off from a wisp of air. Also try tying food to the food pad so they have to pull a little to set it off.
Put unset baited traps all around for a week or so. Let the rats think they have any easy snack, then bait and set them. If you know where they are using as a run, place the traps there without setting them, then when the rats are used to getting food from the traps, place them, set, in the same place.
This is going to be a long term battle. Remove all food from your chickens' coop each night and get a rooster if you can have one, they also kill rats. Good luck
Welcome from New Orleans

 

[cmom]

You can use poison safely. I had a bad rat infestation. I have previously posted this. I had a coop that was infested and I tried many different things. I moved the birds to another coop and renovated the infested coop and dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. There were several rat nests in the ceiling and the walls. I eventually used rat bait stations with poison after trying many other things first. There were just too many rats to try to trap and the traps didn't work anyway. I didn't catch one rat. I tried the bucket trap among other things. I put the bait stations in pet carriers on shelves, rats are good climbers, so nothing but the rats could get to the bait and put them in my barn on shelves which is right behind the coops. I had also noticed tunnels which I assume were made by the rats. The bait stations have a little window above the bait so it can be checked regularly. Eventually less rats and the baits were hardly being touched and I didn't find any dead rats laying around so I also assume they went into their tunnels and died. I'm not advocating using poison only that is what I resorted to and it worked after trying many other things first. Good luck...

 

[Al Gerhart]

If you will do a forum search you will find hundreds upon hundreds of threads on this issue. You have to pick corn out of the poo though as there are a lot of old wives tales that people believe in. One of the best threads on rodents is Howard E.'s threads from a few years back. I copied one of them to post on newbies with rodent problems;
Here is one of Howard E.'s past posts:


"To the OP (and others like them), if you will spend the time, everything you need to know about rats and how to get ride of them will be found in the links below......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-the-video-series.1337456/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-proof-feeder-review.1180514/#post-18610285

This last one is a review of a rat proof chicken feeder built and sold by a BYC member, who is a staunch advocate for the plan of getting rid of rats by starving them out. Remove all sources of feed and they will be forced to move on or starve to death. If you are firmly against the use of poison bait blocks......for whatever reason.......then this is one of the best actions you can take. Bulk food in metal trash cans.....chicken feed in metal rat proof feeders. Can't get to the feed and birds do not spill and waste feed that the rats can survive on."


And the short version of Howard's post? Sanitation, exclusion, elimination.

Sanitation, bulk feed in metal cans or barrels with tight fitting lids, a treadle feeder, clean up the avenues of movement so the rodents have no cover to protect them from their natural predators. In my opinion and experience this is the quickest, surest, and cheapest way to solve a rodent problem.

Exclusion, plugging the holes and building a Fort Knox chicken coop and not leaving an opening for free range. Tough to do and expensive but it could work for rats.

Elimination, poison and traps. Problem is that rats are smart and will quickly learn to avoid both traps and poison bait. Were you to clean them out, the lack of sanitation would mean a new population of rodents would move right in. And there is risk and no end to the process, keeping fresh bait out. However, if you have done your sanitation using poison becomes effective as the rats are starving and will likely try the poison bait. Not needed though, they will leave in a few days as long as you are not feeding the rodents with a compost pile or other animal feed. Not all will leave, your area will have a natural carrying capacity for rodents, natural feed, but that natural ability to sustain rodents is quite small and the natural predators keep them in check and under cover as the rodents hustle to find this natural food.

Sanitation, exclusion, or elimination all have associated costs but you are already paying for the feed and will recover the initial costs quickly with the first method.

Good luck and remember, it isn't just the stolen feed, disease and predators come with rodents.