RATS ARE INVADING MY COOP AT NIGHT. Hens getting injured fighting them off

[linlinssilkies]

Do you leave feed inside at night? If so you might want to start there. Bring food in so rats and critters aren't attracted to the food.

Yes, I am going to try that as well as cleaning it out and keeping the feed bags in Metal bins. thank you!

 

[seminolewind]

My neighbor had chickens and feed spewed all over the place for 5 years. When he stopped having chickens, I think I was contending with hundreds of rats (in Florida where they multiply like roaches).
My plan worked but any plan includes maintenance. Not just a one shot cleaning. Rat traps won't work because if you have 100 rats, catching one at a time will not even keep up with how many babies they have.

You absolutely must make sure there is no feed on the ground at night. Or feed left out. None. Even scratch if they leave some on the ground. Lock it all up.

You will have to use bait stations with poison. There's no other way to remedy a mass invasion. I had 4 bait stations and kept them stocked. They keep the bars inside and the rats can only chew on them. Having no feed available and bait as the only food handled the problem very well. So maintenance was not having any feed on the ground at night and keeping the bait stations loaded.

If you have a hen being picked on, you have a serious problem. You may want to put her in a protective cage at night .

 

[mowin]

This is my biggest fear... rats.. The normal predators like 'coons, fox weasel, ECT are no problem. Even bears are easy. Rats scare the hell out of me.

Good luck..

 

[123RedBeard]

Gotcha. You can set a conibear trap in front of the hole. You should be able to find a 110 size trap for a few bucks at a feed store.

A 110 will easily kill a dog with that size foot prints ... a 50 or 60 is more than enough to kill a rat ... while narrower, a small dog could still get it head in to one ... conibears are non-discriminatory ... they will kill a snake as easily as a rabbit or cat!

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As said ... remove chicken food, supply rat food (poison)

 

[Gamefowl22]

A 110 will easily kill a dog with that size foot prints ... a 50 or 60 is more than enough to kill a rat ... while narrower, a small dog could still get it head in to one ... conibears are non-discriminatory ... they will kill a snake as easily as a rabbit or cat!

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As said ... remove chicken food, supply rat food (poison)

Here’s a crazy idea. Don’t let the dog near the trap.

 

[123RedBeard]

Here’s a crazy idea. Don’t let the dog near the trap.

Yep ... will work if successful ... but if dog slips out the door and pokes it head in trap ... well, dead dog ... mistakes happen ...

 

[Gamefowl22]

Yep ... will work if successful ... but if dog slips out the door and pokes it head in trap ... well, dead dog ... mistakes happen ...

The point is you’re more likely to find a 110 for sale at a feed store than a 50 or 60. If someone isn’t comfortable with the responsibility of setting traps then by all means they shouldn’t.
Dog could eat poison too. Mistakes happen.

 

[cmom]

This is what I used. I had a coop that was infested. The rats nested between the inner and outer walls of the coop. I renovated the coop. First I moved the birds out and put several rat baits in the coop, closed it up tightly so no birds had access to the coop and pen, and apparently they started carrying the bait back to the nests and I began finding some dead rats. They also dig tunnels in the dirt and I think after they ate the poison they went into their tunnels and died. I also put rat bait stations in the coop and in the barn which is behind the coop where I had also seen some rats. I haven't seen a rat in a long time but I keep the bait stations loaded in the barn but haven't had to reload them in awhile. I took the bait stations out of the coop and cleaned out the coop and took out the inner part of the walls.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

If you can find where rats are burrowed in underground nests and identify all their exits, dry ice has been proving useful. See online for using this method and legal status in your area.
see also https://www.belllabs.com/bell-labs/product/us/pest-control/rat-ice

 

[123RedBeard]

The point is you’re more likely to find a 110 for sale at a feed store than a 50 or 60. If someone isn’t comfortable with the responsibility of setting traps then by all means they shouldn’t.
Dog could eat poison too. Mistakes happen.

Point is a 110 is wider than 50/60 ... and a rat could slip by and not get caught ... and original mention suggestion of using a conibear did not mention about possible death to non target species ...

Post #12 says to use a "bait station" ... like pictured in post #18 ... keeps dogs and chickens out ...