Rats and gravel?

[teisharocz]

Hi, everyone.

We're almost done with the coop and burying the chicken wire so nothing can dig underneath it, but if something like a rat would try to move in would gravel discourage them from digging? Or l small to medium size stones? I would surround the coop with it cause it also looks nice.

I know Raccoons can tear right through it which is why we still lock the chickens up at night.

Thank you!
Teisha

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We get rats in our big shed every fall, gravel does not stop their digging, nor does concrete as the just go around and find the cracks. Rats are extremely destructive. It's better to have a plan on how to deal with them, we use poison when we start seeing their tunnels, and the feed goes faster than it should. I think they will even chew through chicken wire, which will corrode quickly in the ground anyways, so use hardware cloth instead.

 

[jolly wattles]

I know Raccoons can tear right through it which is why we still lock the chickens up at night.

Do you plan on watching them during the day too? Racoons, coyotes, and fox can tear right through it during the day as well. They are not always nocturnal.

 

[TalkALittle]

Rats can bite right through chicken wire. If they've invested time and effort into digging a tunnel and encounter hurried chicken wire, it's likely they will either chew through or just squeeze through.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Gravel won't deter rats but if you want to add some for decoration, it doesn't hurt.

Definitely consider switching to hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, which is not only too flimsy but also has hole spacing large enough that a small rat or mouse could easily fit through.