Rats eating the Ducks' food!

[Bonnienonnie]

We have two young (born April 1st) ducks living free range in our back yard which includes a pond. At night we put them in the large chicken coop with our 8 hens (also born April 1st). Have been putting Purina Start and Grow out for ducks when I let them out of the coop each morning. The last two days we have seen rats eating it!

My question is - from what I read online, ducks are omnivorous and can pretty much survive well on their own. Do I need to supplement the weeds, aquatic plants, insects, lettuce I put out, etc.? Is the Start and Grow really essential to their diet? If I could eliminate it, we could hopefully end the rat problem.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Bonnie

 

[PetesMom]

Do you leave feed out for your chickens all the time? If so, unfortunately the rats will probably always be around. We had a huge problem with them in our duck coop...I'm sure they are in there at night searching for food but I've cut how much I put into their feeder by alot and they finish it within about 15 minutes.....my goose has killed a couple too. And we also slip some chunks of poison in their little burrows.

 

[ducksinarow]

Sounds like you needs some barn cats.

 

[Amiga]

I feed our ducks with pans, and pull the pans in at night. There is some spillage, but I keep that fairly well picked up, most days, anyway

I try to minimize rat food, but it is not an easy situation to change.

I prefer traps or bubble gum to poison, since weird things can happen and I don't want my cats or ducks poisoned.

 

[Bonnienonnie]

Thanks for the input - We've done some of the suggested things -

The chickens in the coop have two big tube automatic feeders which we close off at night, and I clean up any spillage daily.

I stopped putting out the chicken food for the ducks (the rats were eating it in broad daylight!!!!) - instead I gave the ducks some scratch early in the morning while they were still in the chicken coop for the night. They actually ate it dry. I had read they need water in order to swallow, but evidently they can eat it without water (There was water a couple of feet away).

So we're hoping the rats will have far less to come after.

We're cat lovers, but my husband is highly allergic, so can't do that. Don't want to keep cats outside all the time...

Thanks again for comments!!

 

[Amiga]

I have wondered if rat terriers might be a good breed . . . .