Rat problem

[T.E.R.]

What do folks do aboutr rats have triedsome posions not very effective. Any ideas?

 

[crazyhen]

I have fought with this too. They were tunneling in from below ;so I have put hardware cloth on the floor and covered with the soil. I guess you could floor the coop and close it at night. Gloria Jean

 

[Lady_Cluck]

I had a major rat problem last spring. The got in between the walls and soon it became their rat city!!! It was awful.

I refused to use posion ever again -- years ago I used some to combat some rodents and the rodents spread the blue pellets all over the barn. Some chickens and a duck found it and died.

Instead I tried all of this: first, I made sure no food was out overnight. None at all. I swept up every little crumb in the evenings and tossed it. Then I moved everything away from the walls so the rats couldn't hide behind it and run against the walls. And, I got two rat zappers. Google for the web page -- they are great; they work and aren't messy like a trap. I also gave the chickens free range of the barn, which really helps too. I think the chickens hate the rats as much as I do, because when they see one they chase after it in hopes to catch it and eat it.

"It's a treat and it moves! Get it, girls!"

That's what I did and it seems to have worked. I've seen only one rat since last summer. But it took a long time to get rid of them!

Good luck!!

 

[underground chickenman]

I finally caved in and let my indoor cat be an outdoor cat. Actually an indoor and outdoor cat, which I hate--it's one or the other and I prefer strictly indoor, but I think he was an outdoor cat before I saved his sorry butt from the pound. Anyway, since becoming an outdoor cat a few weeks ago, he has already deposited two rats on my front door step. I know, I know, but I understand they consider it a present to their family. I am supposed to be honored. Well, I don't know about that, but I haven't seen any rat signs around the coop lately. I am sure there are more, but it looks like "Ivan" will keep them under control. So, I recommend you get yourself a nice coop cat.

UGCM

 

[pacetruckguy]

They say if you see one rat there's 20. Rats are looking for three things. Food, water, and a place to nest. Once you have them it's nearly imposible to get rid of them. My expierience with poison is they will die, but there is no gaurentee where that's going to happen, and it takes a long time for that smell to go away. I have them under my house because I hear them scratching every now and then. I have tile floors, so they haven't showed up inside yet. If anyone knows an effective way of elliminating them please let me know.

 

[dchickenman]

I've got much less experience with poultry than many here, but I do know a little about trapping rats. Wiping out an infestation CAN be done, just takes time, patience, and attention to detail.

Do all the prevention stuff that others have mentioned above. Rats are there for food, period. Take that away, and that's half the battle.

Forget about any trap that kills the rat. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself, but take it from me- rats DO learn to avoid most traps once they see a fellow rat get whacked.

Get yourself a couple of good cage traps, rat/squirrel size (some call them "live traps"). Take a good look around your chicken coop, find out where the rats are spending a lot of time. Look for feces, tracks in the dust, gnawed holes in the floor, etc (a prime spot is where they enter or leave the coop, from the outside). Set your traps in these high-activity areas. For bait just use some chicken feed, or whatever else they're used to eating. Other good baits are sardines, peanut butter, dog food- almost any smelly food. A word of caution- if the trap is outdoors, baited with sardines, stake it down or chain it to something solid! It WILL become a raccoon toy.

Check your traps every day, disposing of any rats, then reset. Great thing about cages is they don't spook the rest of the rats when they're holding one, because the rat in the cage is still alive & unharmed.

I also refuse to use poison. A couple of years ago I worked at a kennel that had a rat infestation. Poison was of course out of the question, because of the dogs. Took me all summer, but I single-handedly wiped out the entire colony of rats with just three cages and the occasional handful of kibble for bait. Try it.

Good luck!

 

[Noncentzter]

I agree with dchickenman...I just captured and drowned four rats, including the mother, that were in my basement by using a live trap...they work!

 

[pacetruckguy]

Good advise, I'll try it with the sneaky little suckers under my house.