Rats! I have bad rats!

[Sunshine_Chick]

I had a horrible problem with rats. I tried humane methods and homemade traps, but nothing worked. I closed up all the feeders at night, and even stopped using some extra feeders that I had because the rats would chow down on those during the day. I finally bought bait blocks and bait boxes. I've been using them for about 2 months now. I went from a dozen rats scurrying away to zero. I never see rats now. I load the bait boxes about once a week.

Are you using the green poison blocks? I am putting a list together for when I have transportation again.

 

[nuthatched]

I'd recommend RatX, highly effective.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

I'd recommend RatX, highly effective.

Thank you!

 

[Alabama Fly]

I had a large rat infestation that caused me much anxiety and had me considering liquidating all of my stock because I was so repelled. The sheer amount of waste in the feeders and waterers every morning, and the fact that they had no fear of me at night had me frantic. I decided to declare war on them. I tried many types of bait without much evidence that I was doing anything more than feeding them. Through extensive research I came across the Jaguar place packs. I chose a central location outside of my many coops and pens,up off of the ground out of reach of dogs . There I placed a feed pan with chicken feed in it. Each evening I removed all feeders. The first night the rats found the left out container and began feeding. Each night I opened a place pack poured it into a ziplock and pulverized it with a small sledgehammer. I wanted very small pieces because of the tendency of rats to carry off their food and stash it. I didn't want it stashed in any of my coops with the chance that the chickens could scratch it up or dropped into their pens as the rats ran through the rafters. Then I mixed a small amount of poison in with the feed ,after a few nights it was mixed60%feed 40%poison. It was completely consumed nightly.within a week I was picking up dead rats several times a week. I think I read that the reason why this is so effective is because it's slow kill so vermin don't connect there dying with something that they have been eating for a long time. It takes some dedication also, this was a war of at least 3 months! When I could finally go out at dusk to close coop doors and not see the glowing eyes in my flashlight and hear the scurrying and scratching of scrambling monsters I felt like celebrating . I found the Jaguar poison on Amazon. Hope this helps.

 

[getaclue]

The cat litter containers will work just fine. I'd like to add, that when they are no longer eating baits, and there are no more droppings in, and around the feeders. Remove the baits, and bucket, and store for later. Eventually the will find their way back, and the whole thing can be repeated. The reason I say to pick it all up after they're gone, is so they don't attract more. Wildlife that feeds on rodents won't accidentally be poisoned. The object is to kill the ones that are affecting your coop, but not to kill the ones that are not affecting your coop, and serve as food for other wildlife.

 

[Willowspirit]

You are not alone with the rat problem here's my story:
I didn't know I had rat(s) until I tried to go to the store Wednesday. My car wouldn't start. While on the phone with my mechanic trying to diagnose the issue I discovered a nest & the darn thing has eaten the wiring harness to the computer of my vehicle. Mechanic can't even look at it till the end of next week. My next door neighbor took everything out of their garage last weekend & bet I know why now. I have no idea how much it is going to cost IF he can even fix it. To think it happened in just a couple of days. I had 2 packets of rat poison I bought at the feed store when I saw someone else buy them for $1.00 each BUT I was hesitant to place them around & not seeing rats, but so cheap I felt compelled to buy them. All the boxes of stuff in my garage they could have made a nest & they chose my car. When I have wheels again next month I will be buying more. Mechanic told me to put moth balls under the hood because they will be back he said. A friend brought me moth balls as I am incarcerated in my own house without wheels.

I had one get in my engine and DIE there. I didn’t know until I was driving somewhere and the engine heat made it smell. Car wash detail guys removed it and cleaned the engine. It was beyond gross!

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

I had one get in my engine and DIE there. I didn’t know until I was driving somewhere and the engine heat made it smell. Car wash detail guys removed it and cleaned the engine. It was beyond gross!

I'd take a dead rat any day over a dead car!

 

[Luxorna]

I am in South GA, and have what neighbor called ‘tree rats’. They seem to be getting in through the coop roof, maybe in a ventilation area, since the roof isn’t damaged. I‘ve searched For the hole, so far haven’t found it. Once found and fixed, do I need to bait and kill those who have learned of the easy meal? If so, how do I bait in such a way that my hens don’t find the poison?

 

[hayley3]

The poison should be in a box that only a rodent can enter. I put mine inside a box and then put that box inside a large dog carrier, that way they could not drag off the bait and the chickens couldn't go in it. I checked the ground daily for any pieces of bait but my chickens only slept in there so I was lucky they didn't spend much time in that location.

 

[hayley3]

Hey guys! I have 13 chickens out in the country that live in a large coop with 5 gallon bucket feeder and waterers. I don't go down to the coop daily (automatic door) and collect eggs every couple days. No problem for the last 3 years.

It has been raining non-stop for the last 3 months and the rats have come to live in my horse barn and chicken coop! The amount of rat poop in my nesting boxes makes me want to throw up and stop eating eggs! So super gross.

I have read a lot of past posts, and get that feed and water sources have to be picked up or removed, and poison is probably what we need to get things under control.

My problem is that my coop works for me because it is low maintenance - I work 12 hour shifts and do chores on my days off. I want to keep the 5 gallon feeders and waterers. I was thinking of doing some rope and pulley to the ceiling so I could raise and lower them each day for a few weeks while the rats get the poison bait instead. I am accepting that I need to make an effort for 2x/day coop trip for a while, but I want to make it as fast and easy as I can.

Any idea on how high I would need to raise them? Any DIY squirrel baffles so the rats can't climb down the rope? My nesting boxes are elevated about 24 inches off the coop floor, and I am not sure how the rats are climbing in there - I guess up the vertical wood walls? Can I cover the walls with something to make it too slick to climb? Does peppermint oil repel them? Is bleach ok to disinfect my boxes?

Thanks for any suggestions as I prepare to go to war! Hopefully Spring comes soon and the Kingsnakes wake back up to help!

Lisa

This is why people should make sure their coops are locked up tight and stop killing the rodent killers, just because you saw one.