Rat Problem

[cluckmecoop7]

@Weeg what do rats give to chickens?

 

[Weeg]

@Weeg what do rats give to chickens?

Here, I quoted this from the article- They are known to be carriers of a number of horrific things such as fleas, mites, plague, salmonella, hantavirus and hemorrhagic fever.

My chickens got Mites and lice form rats. It was horrible! The Mites were SO bad! It was the blood sucking red mites too, so even worse! Have you read the article? That is most important, it is SO informative.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Oh no! I better start killing the rats.

How did you get rid of the mites????

Also, what would happen if I poured water down a rats hole?

BTW - THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!

 

[cmom]

I recently had a rat infestation in my chicken coop. I was shooting them and trapping them and they just kept coming. One night I snuck down there and 9 rats were in the run eating leftover food on the ground from the feeders. I was even seeing them during the day. Unfortunately I had no other choice but to call a pest control company. They set up a couple baitboxes and assured me the dead rats wouldn't cause secondary poisoning if something were to eat it. It's been about a month now and I haven't seen any rats or droppings and the girls are all healthy!

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.

First , I use the rat bait stations with poison. I had a coop that was infested. When I renovated it dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. They had built nests in the ceiling and wall that I took out. I tried a lot of different things. I finally bought some rat bait boxes that only the rats could get into and put them in the barn which is behind the coops. The rats didn't seem to care for the bait that came with the bait stations but did like the bait I got from the feed store down the road. I had noticed some tunnels around the coops which I'm sure were made by the rats. I didn't find any dead rats laying around so I assume they went into their tunnels and died. The baits haven't been touched in quite awhile and I haven't seen any signs of the rats. This is what I used. The bait station has a little window above the bait so I can check it daily.

 

[Weeg]

Oh no! I better start killing the rats.

How did you get rid of the mites????

Also, what would happen if I poured water down a rats hole?

BTW - THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!

I used a hose to flush the rats from there holes, and eventually, it just goes into the ground and disappears. To get enough water, you need a hose though. Check you hens for parasites tonight with a flash light. Mites, come out a night and will be all over there faces, sucking blood. Check of rice during the day, by pulling back feathers and looking for little bugs, and egg sacks, here is an article on mite and lice ID- https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/ You will need to use differ treatment form what the article suggests, and I can give you that info if you find your hens have parasites.

 

[Weeg]

First , I use the rat bait stations with poison. I had a coop that was infested. When I renovated it dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. They had built nests in the ceiling and wall that I took out. I tried a lot of different things. I finally bought some rat bait boxes that only the rats could get into and put them in the barn which is behind the coops. The rats didn't seem to care for the bait that came with the bait stations but did like the bait I got from the feed store down the road. I had noticed some tunnels around the coops which I'm sure were made by the rats. I didn't find any dead rats laying around so I assume they went into their tunnels and died. The baits haven't been touched in quite awhile and I haven't seen any signs of the rats. This is what I used. The bait station has a little window above the bait so I can check it daily.

This is the best way to use poison as a last resort if you ABSOLUTELY need to! But, look at the article, and try EVERYTHING ELSE, before the use of poison! Our dog ate rat poison, and we had to take her over night to the vet, it is dangerous. Great contribution Cmom!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thanks @Weeg! I'll look at the article!

 

[Weeg]

Thanks @Weeg! I'll look at the article!

Thank you! Glad I could help! I you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!

 

[cmom]

I had a mite issue too. I have previously posted this, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. The first thing I tried was DE. My birds weren't improving after treating them for a couple of weeks. I used the poultry dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the pests can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. Wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...

 

[Weeg]

I had a mite issue too. I have previously posted this, the best product to get rid of the mites and lice in my opinion is permethrin which is very cost effective. The first thing I tried was DE. My birds weren't improving after treating them for a couple of weeks. I used the poultry dust on the birds and in their nest boxes and sprayed inside of the coops, every crack and crevice, on and under the roosts, ceiling, walls, floors, anywhere the pests can hide. It's best to clean out the coop before you spray. I use pine shavings in my coops. Wear special clothing including a mask and gloves. Permethrin only kill live pests, not the pests eggs. TSC and Amazon carries the permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the concentrate. It did not affect the birds but I did keep them out of the coops while it dried. I spray my coops as needed and when I spray I do weekly spraying for 3 or 4 weeks then stop as I don't want the pests to develop a resistance to the permethrin. Repeated weekly spraying is necessary because again, it does not kill the pests eggs and as an added benefit is there is no egg withdrawal period. There are other products available but much more expensive and in my opinion the permethrin works great. Good luck...
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Yep, this is a great way to get rid of mites, and lice! I used the permethrin dust, and permethrin spray! Thanks Cmom!