Rat Problem

[Danny188]

Hmm, I can think of a bunch of ways to kill these rats, start up the ol' lawn mower and hook up a hose going into the hole from the exhaust use tin foil around a garden hose to fit it to the exhaust unless you have a less restrictive hose. If they do come out they will be drowsy and easy to step on/shoot. You can also make bucket traps really easy with a skinny tube like an arrow shaft and a pop can there are way more designs too if that doesn't work just go on YouTube and search mouse bucket traps. Fill the bucket with cooking oil instead of water though only fill it to where they can't touch the bottom .

 

[paloozaparty]

After a while they do work the traps out!

Get a CAT! no. 1 solution, keep the cat happy and you will never see another rat again.

Except, my cats are eating on the mice--then, they come inside and barf all over the place. So, cats may not always be a good solution.

 

[Weeg]

Except, my cats are eating on the mice--then, they come inside and barf all over the place. So, cats may not always be a good solution.

Google- Regurgitation is the way cats get rid of fur and undigestible bones too large to pass through the intestines. They will frequently do this after eating birds and other small mammals like rats and mice. That said, such vomiting should be a single instance affair. This doesn't solve your problem, but it does explain it.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

@Weeg - I went out to set the traps, and I saw a rat run by the coop!

 

[Weeg]

@Weeg - I went out to set the traps, and I saw a rat run by the coop!

Ya, you need to lock down. IF you re seeing them in the day, you have major infestation. You need to fill in the rat holes with steel wool and hard where cloth on top. You need to try different raps because it sounds like that rats are avoiding the traps now, hence the fact you aren't seeing/catching any. Have you secured the food and water so they can't get to it? You need to do that or you will never get rid of them. Try the electric zapper traps that were suggested earlier in this thread. Pick up all clutter, and make the area as bare as possible, giving the rats almost no where to hide. Read the article, or skim it, and do whatever is in there you haven't done. Hope this helps! Our infestation was huge! We caught so many with live traps too! The best ones are multiple catch, they worked REALLY well. Good luck! Avery

 

[Al Gerhart]

Hey my rats love fancy feast laced with ex-lax, ducolax, and oxycontin. I did find one dead rat right on the ramp going into my coop. It was just lying there: dead..... It's not a rat proof feeder that we need we need a feeder that is no waste. I haven't found one yet. The one have is a treadle feeder but I have it rigged so the door will open for my light weight birds. And the rats just get on their hind legs and push the door open. My birds eat at the end of the trough and flick the feed to the left/right and eventually it fills the trough and over flows. Also, the rats will stand on their hind legs and eat WITH my birds during the day.

As for being predators my chickens must have skipped school the day that lesson was taught. VBG

You need to get a feeder lip extender on that feeder to stop that feed waste! Around $6.00 including the $4.05 for mailing it. We do not make any money off those but it solves the problem.

And get the spring back on that feeder please so the rats cannot push the door open! The light birds will learn to eat when a larger bird eats. I would also set a concrete block on either side of the feeder to force the birds to come in from the front. Or a gallon can filled with water with a lid on it, anything to make them come in from the front.

Are you feeding mixed feed? That is the most usual reason for flicking feed.

 

[Sue Jess]

Advice please?

My chicken run is invaded with rats. I shot one with my pellet gun ( and I'm almost 100% sure it died ) and trapped one with my old rat trap ( 100% dead, sorry no pics) There are a lot of rat holes and stuff where they are happily eating left over chicken food in my run EVERY NIGHT. The security like I have (which I originally put up to alert me when a raccoon came) comes on like....20 times per night! I'm looking for advice, not a fight on different traps that people use, etc. Your ideas are welcome, but please NO arguing!

Shot one with pellet gun. Oh I SO NEED a pellet gun! WHAT? No pics of dead rat? Damn! This post is just what I needed to cheer me up. I don't know what to do about my rats either. They're so large you could saddle them up and ride the buggers. You've made my day.

Advice please?

My chicken run is invaded with rats. I shot one with my pellet gun ( and I'm almost 100% sure it died ) and trapped one with my old rat trap ( 100% dead, sorry no pics) There are a lot of rat holes and stuff where they are happily eating left over chicken food in my run EVERY NIGHT. The security like I have (which I originally put up to alert me when a raccoon came) comes on like....20 times per night! I'm looking for advice, not a fight on different traps that people use, etc. Your ideas are welcome, but please NO arguing!

 

[neon1206]

Advice please?

My chicken run is invaded with rats. I shot one with my pellet gun ( and I'm almost 100% sure it died ) and trapped one with my old rat trap ( 100% dead, sorry no pics) There are a lot of rat holes and stuff where they are happily eating left over chicken food in my run EVERY NIGHT. The security like I have (which I originally put up to alert me when a raccoon came) comes on like....20 times per night! I'm looking for advice, not a fight on different traps that people use, etc. Your ideas are welcome, but please NO arguing!


I had a huge rat problem too - I removed the feed at night and placed regular rat traps along the edges in the run - about 4 or 5 traps each night. It was a lot of work, but eventually they got killed and/or moved on. Let's hope they learned their lesson!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Shot one with pellet gun. Oh I SO NEED a pellet gun! WHAT? No pics of dead rat? Damn! This post is just what I needed to cheer me up. I don't know what to do about my rats either. They're so large you could saddle them up and ride the buggers. You've made my day.

Well I'm glad I made your day

 

[Hotarf]

Advice please?

My chicken run is invaded with rats. I shot one with my pellet gun ( and I'm almost 100% sure it died ) and trapped one with my old rat trap ( 100% dead, sorry no pics) There are a lot of rat holes and stuff where they are happily eating left over chicken food in my run EVERY NIGHT. The security like I have (which I originally put up to alert me when a raccoon came) comes on like....20 times per night! I'm looking for advice, not a fight on different traps that people use, etc. Your ideas are welcome, but please NO arguing!

I may be a bit late to the game here but here's my 2 cents.

I had a rat problem late last year-- they had built a nest in a neighbour's shed and then eventually moved into nest in the coop itself.

I used the traditional spring-loaded traps with stinky cheese as bait and set them out every evening once the hens had gone to bed in the henhouse. I cleaned away the sprung and unsprung traps every morning before letting the ladies out for the day.

Most mornings I had a carcass.

It took a few weeks but I eventually killed all of the rats. I then re-wired the coop with 1/2" hardware cloth and buried it 8" under the dirt all around the perimeter to prevent rodents digging under. I haven't had any rodents in the coop since-- not even mice.

I'm not sure if this method will work for your setup but it worked for me.

Rats were a deal-breaker for my wife so it was "get rid of the rats or the chickens gotta go".

good luck!