Rat Problem

[Weeg]

Also, if the rats drink the chickens water/roam all around in the run could that hurt the chickens? ( Make them sick? ) And do rats attack chickens???

A starving rat may try to attack a chicken, or to protect its food, rats also spread parasites, and chickens can get diseases from rats, by eating/drinking water, that rats have be drinking and eating.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi i was going to comment on an issue that could arise if u remove the rats food source but dont kill the rats, when u asked the question. I.e. yes rats can & sometimes do attack chickens, esp with no other food source available. I have plenty of snake species around that keep rodent population under control during the warm months. But every winter i do use poison. In the sheds, under my house, & in the coops behind the layer boxes where chickens cant access. I also have dogs, & also barred owls in the woods, but after reading so many horror stories about coops being invaded by rats, i decided poison during the cold months to keep rodent population from taking hold was the only realistic way to go.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

This is the exact same design as the one I am suggesting buying, but, rats will chew through any type of wood and thickness of wood, in a matter of hours. In one night, that wooden feeder will have a hole in it, and the rats will be gorging. The only things rats can't chew through, are steel, and glass.

Ah, yes, didn't think of that. We do not have rats here However, you could put thin metal sheet over the top of the wood.

 

[Weeg]

Ah, yes, didn't think of that. We do not have rats here However, you could put thin metal sheet over the top of the wood.

Yes, it would have to be steel, because I beige other types of metal rats can chew through. They can also chew through cement, brick, any type or thickness of wood, plastic, chicken wire, drywall, and lead pipes, basically anything that isn't steel.

They can also jump 8 feet in the air, can tread water for 2 days and swim a quarter mile. They can fit through a space the diameter of a quarter, and can las longer without water then a camel. They will eat almost anything, veggies in the garden, and your livestock.

They will kill and eat chicks, and in desperation attack full grown chickens. I took all of this info from the article I linked in my first post.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Yes, it would have to be steel, because I beige other types of metal rats can chew through. They can also chew through cement, brick, any type or thickness of wood, plastic, chicken wire, drywall, and lead pipes, basically anything that isn't steel.

They can also jump 8 feet in the air, can tread water for 2 days and swim a quarter mile. They can fit through a space the diameter of a quarter, and can las longer without water then a camel. They will eat almost anything, veggies in the garden, and your livestock.

They will kill and eat chicks, and in desperation attack full grown chickens. I took all of this info from the article I linked in my first post.

YOWWWYYY! HELP

 

[Weeg]

Hi i was going to comment on an issue that could arise if u remove the rats food source but dont kill the rats, when u asked the question. I.e. yes rats can & sometimes do attack chickens, esp with no other food source available. I have plenty of snake species around that keep rodent population under control during the warm months. But every winter i do use poison. In the sheds, under my house, & in the coops behind the layer boxes where chickens cant access. I also have dogs, & also barred owls in the woods, but after reading so many horror stories about coops being invaded by rats, i decided poison during the cold months to keep rodent population from taking hold was the only realistic way to go.

Using poison is a last resort! I don't want to argue, but I will quote this from the article, it has LOTS of downfalls! -

I'm going to say this right at the start: beware the use of poisons. This should be your last resort if nothing else is working. I know it seems like an easy fix to a big problem, but using poison to get rid of rodents could lead to bigger problems down the road. If a poisoned rodent were to die anywhere out in the open, it could be eaten by your chickens, your cat, your dog, or neighborhood wildlife. This means poisoning the rat is effectively poisoning other animals as well.

Another downside to poison is that over the years rats have developed immunity to many poisons, and others they’ve just learned not to eat it. This means you’ll have to frequently change the type of poison as one won’t work for long.

Even if you do manage to get the rats to eat the poison and they do die from it, they will likely die in a very hard to reach place, such as underneath the coop or within its walls, and you’ll be reminded daily of this horrible mistake by the stench.

 

[Weeg]

YOWWWYYY! HELP

Ya! I know! I was surprised at firs to! This article decimated my rat problem!

 

[Sequel]

Rats carry all sorts of bad cooties! If you’re having problems with spilled feed, there are a few things you can try without a big investment. Locking the feeders in a metal garbage can overnight helps. Also raising feeders up to help reduce billing out. Then feeders that require the birds head go all the way in such as those pvc pipe feeders. People claim those are very effective at reducing waste, they are not expensive to make and can be capped overnight.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I'm going to

Rats carry all sorts of bad cooties! If you’re having problems with spilled feed, there are a few things you can try without a big investment. Locking the feeders in a metal garbage can overnight helps. Also raising feeders up to help reduce billing out. Then feeders that require the birds head go all the way in such as those pvc pipe feeders. People claim those are very effective at reducing waste, they are not expensive to make and can be capped overnight.

Thanks the the advice!

 

[Weeg]

Rats carry all sorts of bad cooties! If you’re having problems with spilled feed, there are a few things you can try without a big investment. Locking the feeders in a metal garbage can overnight helps. Also raising feeders up to help reduce billing out. Then feeders that require the birds head go all the way in such as those pvc pipe feeders. People claim those are very effective at reducing waste, they are not expensive to make and can be capped overnight.

As long as the pipe feeders are make of steel pipes and steel caps, they can't be chewed through. Locking food and water up is a good idea, as long as you are putting it in a steel or glass container, it should be fine!