Rat problem

[Kessel23]

I need some suggestions for killing and trapping these rats. First time in years that we have had them in the coop, the last time they were here I was still too young to remember anything.

They are very cautious, I have killed one and I have known about them being here for several months. I set lots of snap traps for them and a few live traps, after the first one was killed I did not see any or catch any on the trail cam for several weeks. Turns out they had completely switched their location to the old rabbit burrows on the other side of the coop. There is a hole underneath the straw by that one. Every time I switch something up in their environment they don't go near it. This trail cam is set on top of a feeder full of grain and they did not come within a foot of the feeder all night because they were scared of the camera! I need a suggestion besides poisoning, I can't poison because they are chilling in the rabbit burrows with the rabbits. Also I have dogs and lots of wild animals visiting and don't want to kill anything on accident. For bait I have tried scratch, whole corn grains, and peanut butter. For traps I have tried box live traps and several types of snap traps.

 

[IamRainey]

First of all, how many would you estimate you have? Your chances of eliminating them are best if your population isn't already out of control.

Second, every night when the chickens go up into their coop, remove every bit of food that the rats can get to. Then the bait in the traps may be more enticing. You might also consider various types of traps. Besides spring loaded traps there are battery-operated traps that electrocute the nasty buggers. And some people report a lot of success with baited 5 gallon tubs that drown them.

Third, your camera can be very helpful. Observe their behavior at night. You'll be able to see where your traps should be set up close to a wall or barrier where they move. You may also see where they're nesting. Then you can wall them in or out.

I also found it helpful to get a pellet gun. I set up flashlights with red bulbs so I could see them when I went out there at night. I don't know if I ever got one. Maybe I just harassed them away but either way I got rid of them. I have to note, though, that I was only dealing with 3 and I acted quickly before they could breed.

Once you've gotten rid of them, make sure you've blocked them out. I put 12" concrete pavers around the outside of my run and coop. You may want to put them around the interior perimeter of your enclosure. And I also jammed steel wool into anything I could see light through. They can squeeze through incredibly small spaces!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Good luck killing those nasty critters!!!!

 

[Kessel23]

First of all, how many would you estimate you have? Your chances of eliminating them are best if your population isn't already out of control.

Second, every night when the chickens go up into their coop, remove every bit of food that the rats can get to. Then the bait in the traps may be more enticing. You might also consider various types of traps. Besides spring loaded traps there are battery-operated traps that electrocute the nasty buggers. And some people report a lot of success with baited 5 gallon tubs that drown them.

Third, your camera can be very helpful. Observe their behavior at night. You'll be able to see where your traps should be set up close to a wall or barrier where they move. You may also see where they're nesting. Then you can wall them in or out.

I also found it helpful to get a pellet gun. I set up flashlights with red bulbs so I could see them when I went out there at night. I don't know if I ever got one. Maybe I just harassed them away but either way I got rid of them. I have to note, though, that I was only dealing with 3 and I acted quickly before they could breed.

Once you've gotten rid of them, make sure you've blocked them out. I put 12" concrete pavers around the outside of my run and coop. You may want to put them around the interior perimeter of your enclosure.

Thanks. How many rats do you see in that picture? I can't tell if it's one or two. Every other picture I have gotten of them only had 1 rat in it.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Catch all your rabbits, fill the hole/burrow & remove all feed at night. My BOs trapped a rat (came in from the front door during the day), Hubby shot (pellet gun) several times (horrible shot & bounced off), I got the shovel

 

[IamRainey]

Thanks. How many rats do you see in that picture? I can't tell if it's one or two. Every other picture I have gotten of them only had 1 rat in it.

That's excellent news! I wasn't sure if I saw a second one either. And then there may be some you don't see. Keep observing! But act fast!

 

[Kessel23]

That's excellent news! I wasn't sure if I saw a second one either. And then there may be some you don't see. Keep observing! But act fast!

I will try to get some new traps tonight, thanks for the help!

 

[Kessel23]

Catch all your rabbits, fill the hole/burrow & remove all feed at night. My BOs trapped a rat (came in from the front door during the day), Hubby shot (pellet gun) several times (horrible shot & bounced off), I got the shovel

I might be able to fill the burrow when the weather warms up, right now the ground is harder than a rock.

 

[Wezdin]

I have learned with rats what you see is only the tip of the iceberg, there is probably more than it looks like.

 

[Acre4Me]

Poison is most effective. A variety of traps in quantity will help. Removing all feed/food and warmth sources is also key. Blocking all access points is another key point.

All poisons are not created equal, there are different poisons that act on the animal in different ways and some have much less risk of secondary poison. However, I’m not well versed in the differences myself. Most people will use bait stations so the rat cannot remove the poison block. Nothing else will get into the bait stations. The majority of time the rat will go home to die (burrow). I’m pretty sure rabbits don’t eat rats dead or alive.

However, if you don’t want to ever use poison, which is your prerogative, then you must be diligent in removing all food sources and access. Some people use treadle feeders. Some people use the pvc elbow feeders (placed inward into a larger container) and on a small base that a rat cannot climb on and high enough they cannot jump into.

@Howard E has posted several good threads on rat control, so search them out. These include some good videos.

Several people have dealt successfully with rat eradication, such as @cmom.

Some have funny/horrifying stories of discovering (to their dismay) how they grew a colony of rats unbeknownst to them. The poster (can’t remember who) that had used pallets to line their run due to mud/wet and stuffed the pallets with straw comes to mind...they discovered the huge colony and ended up dismantelling the pallets into a fire..apparently with rats running everywhere and jumping on that person too (the stuff of nightmares, really).

So, you want to address the rat problem sooner rather than later!