Rats eatting flesh off birds.... options for stoping this?

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Yes, rats climb very well; yes, they tend to be nocternal.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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That's more than big enough for a rat to go through

You need 1/4 inch hardware cloth to stop them, but the poison would be more cost effective

Can rats climb?

There's hardly anywhere a rat can't go​

Not the dead rat the cats got... I could have put a leash on it! Honestly... it was at least 4 inches wide, it's head the size of a 1 or 2 graders fist.... that particular one... it couln't ave got in the holes, no way.

I'm familiar with rats and mice... my father used to breed them, and I seemed to always have pet mice. This rat was the biggest rat I have ever seen... like the ones you here urban legends about in NYC. (only I'm in SE TN)

No, I am pretty sure it was the sag in the roof where the mesh met the solid part.....there even was a spot where the dust was wiped away in that sagging part and it was about 5 inchs wide... like the size rat taht was dead flattened out a bit to fit in.


Yes, they climb, and jump... a can chew metal and everything else. They can make a hole if they can't find one in just one night. That is why if you keep pet rats or mice or breed them... glass tanks are best. Those wire hampster cages are nothing to them... heck hampsters can get out of them!!

Trust me, they can still get through those holes; even as large as you describe. If there was an easier access, they did probably take it, but .... The roofrats we were heavily infested with were that large and certainly could fit through 1x1.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
That's more than big enough for a rat to go through

You need 1/4 inch hardware cloth to stop them, but the poison would be more cost effective


There's hardly anywhere a rat can't go

Not the dead rat the cats got... I could have put a leash on it! Honestly... it was at least 4 inches wide, it's head the size of a 1 or 2 graders fist.... that particular one... it couln't ave got in the holes, no way.

I'm familiar with rats and mice... my father used to breed them, and I seemed to always have pet mice. This rat was the biggest rat I have ever seen... like the ones you here urban legends about in NYC. (only I'm in SE TN)

No, I am pretty sure it was the sag in the roof where the mesh met the solid part.....there even was a spot where the dust was wiped away in that sagging part and it was about 5 inchs wide... like the size rat taht was dead flattened out a bit to fit in.


Yes, they climb, and jump... a can chew metal and everything else. They can make a hole if they can't find one in just one night. That is why if you keep pet rats or mice or breed them... glass tanks are best. Those wire hampster cages are nothing to them... heck hampsters can get out of them!!

Trust me, they can still get through those holes; even as large as you describe. If there was an easier access, they did probably take it, but .... The roofrats we were heavily infested with were that large and certainly could fit through 1x1.

There is no way without it bending the metal (which is thick guage and not bent anywhere).... the skull was at least 2.5 inches wide. It's physically impossible for a solid skull of 2.5 inches to fit in the 1 by 1 inch hole without bending or stretching it. I know that rodents can bend and move in crazy ways. Like I mentioned before, I grew up with them as my father was a breeder, I just don't think you are getting how big this rat was. Now, the mice I have around... yes. they would get in without a problem... but mice didn't chew up these pullets like this. I don't even know how the SLW is alive. Just the spot on her back goes from her vent up halfway to her head (her spine is now exposed) and goes out in both directions under her wings and back around to her vent. Her hips and spine are exposed and all the flesh gone. That is just one spot on the same girl. I know I should probrably put her down but she is up and acting normal (in quarentine, of course). When I found her like that she was in pain and shock, you could tell... huddled and not moving much. But once I got the Alusheild on and the EMT on her wounds... she sat about a half hour and then started acting normal again. If she does live her and the cochin are going to have to get their own coop so other birds don't pick. I may still have to put her down, though... since the skin can't be pulled back over the wound and touch each side, there is no hope of stapling it together (not regular staples... my father is a RN and has his own surgical staple gun he was volunteering for use), there is little chance the wound will ever fully close up. That leads to chance of infection. Maybe I'll just put her out in the grass and let her have a good day with snacks and bugs and then make it quick for her.

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

An exterminator told me once that smaller rats can enter through a hole the size of a pencil. I have seen them chew through solid walls and climb down the outside of ductwork. I am convinced it is impossible to entirely rat proof a coop though I have tried with 1/4 inch cloth.

I also learned on BYC and did some more research and found that ferret scat is supposed to clear them out quick. We have rats here, my good cat brings them home. I am terrified of this happening to my birds. I got a ton of spent ferret litter from a ferret rescue place and spread it all around the perimeter of my chicken area. Then I made a perimeter around the entire property. I get a batch of litter every few months and refresh. There is a commercial product that is made of various weasel "extracts" that are supposed to deter rats. But I say if you can get a hold of some ferret litter it sure won't hurt. You can get it for free easily, ferret owners are only too happy to help, or a pet store. I put an item wanted on CL and had several sources right away. So far so good.

For good measure I pee around my coop and near the run. My granddad taught me to do it and he knew everything

Also, I'm so sorry that this has happened to your birds. It's awful. I hope you are able to kill off many rats.