Rats attacked my Roo

[MiniChickenMommy]

I went out to my coop this morning to let my 2 chickens out, and found that my roo had a few small cuts on his comb and his nostril was full of dried blood.
Upon checking the coop, I found 2 rat droppings. I am aware of a rat issue and have been laying traps and thus far have caught 2 but know there is AT LEAST 2 more.
They have never attacked my chickens before now though.

**** What can I do immediately to keep my chickens safe? ****

They are in a small wooden coop raised a few inches from the ground, and I have found 2 places where the rats have chewed through the wood giving them access to the coop, the food and my chickens!!

Also, I am wondering are rat bites lethal, like snake bites? I know they carry diseases and things, so is my roo likely to get ill after receiving these bites to his comb and face?
Sorry I've never had a rat issue before and this is all completely new to me, so any help and advice anyone could give would be great! Thank you

 

[deidreg]

Sorry for your roo. I'm not an expert on rat bites, but keep an eye on him. If I were in your situation, I'd want to get control of the rat infestation quickly. Lots of threads on the topic under the pests and predators forum. Good luck.

 

[MickWithChicks]

You sure they're rat bites? My chickens scratch their combs and wattles regularly in the day-to-day foragings. The scabs left look very much light those seen on your roo.

With that said, definitely get on top of any rat infestation early. Easier to control 2 rats than it is to control 100.

 

[MiniChickenMommy]

I know, I'm trying - I've just got some rat poison and bait boxes in addition to the traps that are already set!
I'm pretty sure the marks on his comb and face were caused by rats, they weren't there when I put them to bed at 9pm last night and as I said earlier, I found actual rat droppings in the coop this morning ....
I've put some antiseptic on the cuts and he seems to be his usual self today, so hoping they wont cause him any trouble!

 

[cmom]

If you have two rats I'm sure there are plenty more. I had a coop that was infested. I tried about everything to get rid of the rats. When I started renovating the coop, dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. I eventually got some rat bait stations and put them in our barn which is behind the coops. The rats didn't like the bait that came with the bait stations so I bought the bait they used at the feed store down the road and the rats seemed to like it. I put the rat bait stations in a pet carrier and the pet carrier on a shelf so nothing but the rats could get to it. There is a partition down the middle on the inside of the bait stations that the rats have to go around to get to the bait to keep them from bringing the bait out of the bait stations. Eventually it got to where the baits weren't being touched and I wasn't seeing anymore rats. I didn't find any dead rats laying around so I assumed they went into their tunnels that were around the coop and barn and died in them and that is why I didn't find any dead ones laying around. I'm not advocating poison but it seemed to work for me. The bait stations I used have little windows above the bait so it can be checked often. Good luck...

 

[Tired old Rooster]

If having a pet dog is your thing, buy a Chinese chow dog.

 

[Folly's place]

Bait in bait stations, and hardware cloth everywhere!
Rats will kill chickens, carry nasty diseases, and will chew through wood very easily. Can you add hardware cloth all around your coop so they can't get in from underneath? The rats are very happy with your slightly raised coop, not a good thing.
Bring your birds into a safe place, at least overnight, until this is resolved. A dog crate in the garage?
Mary

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

If it's any consolation, the rooster probably attacked the rat. Check for blood around an exit point. My friend had a rat trapped in her coop one night and the ladies attacked it while it desperate chewed through the door to escape (and did, barely alive) it was a horror movie scene.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Do a forum search for Howard E.'s posts on rodents, the best advice out there. I posted one of his posts with some links to some resources on other rodent posts a few minutes ago so just read any of the rodent posts and you should find Howard's links.