Rats? A Cat? Something Else? What killed my chickens?

[McChooky]

My run was built (with lots of help from my family) about 8 years ago, when I was very much a chicken newbie. I've learned a lot since then, and there are a lot of initial design mistakes that need to be fixed. Current project is getting everything secured with washers and screws. I know this will have some people clutching their pearls (and I get it!), but there are even some sections that were done with chicken wire instead of hardware cloth. I'm piece by piece taking out the chicken wire and replacing with hardware cloth. But you know, $$$$. I'm replacing from low to high, figuring that critters are more likely to try to get in at ground level.

My big project for this summer is digging around the run to put in a new apron.

I didn't have anyone helping me attach my wire so I used a staple gun and zip ties to get it up then went back over it with heavy duty fence staples.I keep a 25 watt light on at night to deter predators.I got lucky when I bought my hw cloth.Lowes had a close out sale so I was able to save a lot of money by buying it there.The only problem was it only came in 2 ft wide rolls

 

[BDutch]

I did have chicks and so I had some feed out and unguarded. I think that the treadle feeders really cut down the rat population, but then they had a little boom with the access to the feed for the chicks. Two weeks ago the chicks finally got old enough to work the treadles, so no more open buffet.

I'm hoping that the combination of winter and no open feed/only treadle feeders will drive off the last of them. I do realize that any time I go back to having feed available in the run it will pull them in again, but I'm hoping not to do chicks for a while at this point after so many this summer.

Sorry for your losses.

The rats are probably very hungry bc they no longer have access to food.
A hungry rat can take a sleeping/resting chicken down at night to eat from her.

The injuries are not what I would expect from a member of the weasel family.

A new rat-proof coop to roost in, is probably the best solution for now.

A cat that hunts baby rats and traedle feeders are a good solution to prevent that you get more rats. And make sure no spilled feed is left after roost time.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Rats cannot survive without a source of food and it is always from humans. Clean up the food and the rats cannot hang around. In the wild, rodents always have territories and small ones at that, which they have to defend. Just not enough food for a rat colony in most situations.

 

[McChooky]

A rat just has to bite a chicken. Once they draw blood the flock will attack its own and kill them.The rats will eat the dead

 

[Anon112]

A rat just has to bite a chicken. Once they draw blood the flock will attack its own and kill them.The rats will eat the dead

These attacks both happened at night, well after dark and everyone was roosting. From the blood spatter it seems like they were attacked on the roost and pulled down. Very baffling. But a few months ago one of my chickens was absolutely covered with blood, and I do suspect that it was a rat bite.

I have a Ring camera in the run (installed after the attacks), and I reviewed footage from today. At 5:30pm, about 20 minutes after the sun goes down, four rats emerge and do like a search of the run. They are looking all over and do sort of a sweep, but don't seem to find anything. Then they leave and have not reappeared in the last 4 hours.

At this point I'm sort of hoping it was a mink or weasel, because I think those entry points have been sealed.

I opted to spend my daylight hours this weekend installing hardware cloth and doing a really careful inspection to find any possible larger holes. But I did buy materials to create a large wall unit that would exclude predators and I'm going to try to construct it over the Thanksgiving break.

 

[McChooky]

These attacks both happened at night, well after dark and everyone was roosting. From the blood spatter it seems like they were attacked on the roost and pulled down. Very baffling. But a few months ago one of my chickens was absolutely covered with blood, and I do suspect that it was a rat bite.

I have a Ring camera in the run (installed after the attacks), and I reviewed footage from today. At 5:30pm, about 20 minutes after the sun goes down, four rats emerge and do like a search of the run. They are looking all over and do sort of a sweep, but don't seem to find anything. Then they leave and have not reappeared in the last 4 hours.

At this point I'm sort of hoping it was a mink or weasel, because I think those entry points have been sealed.

I opted to spend my daylight hours this weekend installing hardware cloth and doing a really careful inspection to find any possible larger holes. But I did buy materials to create a large wall unit that would exclude predators and I'm going to try to construct it over the Thanksgiving break.

Weasels enter rat tunnels in pursuit of baby rats and will find their way in your coop or run (depending on whether you have a floor ).If rats are raising their young under your coop or run you have a problem. I don't know how you'll get rid of them safely with chickens living inside.

 

[Anon112]

Weasels enter rat tunnels in pursuit of baby rats and will find their way in your coop or run (depending on whether you have a floor ).If rats are raising their young under your coop or run you have a problem. I don't know how you'll get rid of them safely with chickens living inside.

Yeah, it's troubling for sure. I think constructing a more secure nighttime space for them, continuing to use the treadle feeders and clean up feed as much as possible, then trying to close up the rat holes once they leave?

The rat numbers are definitely dwindling. The population was huge, went down when I got the treadle feeders, had a boom again when I had chicks (and thus feed out), and now seems to be dropping. What I've read suggests that rats will not breed as much in the winter, so I'm hoping the combo of no food and cold temps will knock the population down even more.

I think that I need to fully dig out the perimeter around the run (which, UGH, is going to be over 50 feet of digging) and install a really good apron. But realistically that will have to be a spring/summer project. The ground is already getting too hard to dig easily.

But building them a "safe room" this weekend is definitely on the agenda. At the very least I want to give them more security at night.

 

[McChooky]

Yeah, it's troubling for sure. I think constructing a more secure nighttime space for them, continuing to use the treadle feeders and clean up feed as much as possible, then trying to close up the rat holes once they leave?

The rat numbers are definitely dwindling. The population was huge, went down when I got the treadle feeders, had a boom again when I had chicks (and thus feed out), and now seems to be dropping. What I've read suggests that rats will not breed as much in the winter, so I'm hoping the combo of no food and cold temps will knock the population down even more.

I think that I need to fully dig out the perimeter around the run (which, UGH, is going to be over 50 feet of digging) and install a really good apron. But realistically that will have to be a spring/summer project. The ground is already getting too hard to dig easily.

But building them a "safe room" this weekend is definitely on the agenda. At the very least I want to give them more security at night.

If they have another food source close by they may not leave on their own. A warm dry coop or run with fresh water and spilled feed is a good place for raising young.As you've already discovered they will attack chickens and aren't above killing one if they get hungry enough

 

[McChooky]

If they have another food source close by they may not leave on their own. A warm dry coop or run with fresh water and spilled feed is a good place for raising young.As you've already discovered they will attack chickens and aren't above killing one if they get hungry enough

Rats are known to carry bait from one place to another .If you buy anything to get rid of them get the type that won't kill your pets and chickens.Rats are hard to get rid of if you feed your cats and dogs outside or feed other farm animals

 

[Anon112]

Rats are known to carry bait from one place to another .If you buy anything to get rid of them get the type that won't kill your pets and chickens.Rats are hard to get rid of if you feed your cats and dogs outside or feed other farm animals

I'm pretty set against using poison, as not only could it get my chickens or local cats that wander, I also live in the woods and would hate to imagine some fox or possum or hawk dying from eating a poisoned rat.

I feel like some people have talked about a product that is safe and I need to do more research on that front. But I also feel like poisoning is a short term solution, because there's always another rat ready to move in.