Rats! I have bad rats!

[LTreadwell]

Just for an update (thanks for all the advice and comments!).

I put out 3 plastic cat litter boxes modified to hold bait and allow only small rodent entry - 1 in the coop, 1 in the shop next to the coop, and one in our horsebarn about 80 yards away. I used the Chunx bait sold at TSC, as it was a slower rodenticide, so less risk to wildlife/barn cats, and would help get all the rats before they got wise.

I had to put up all the chicken feed before they started taking the bait. They cleaned out the bait in the shop after about a week of waiting, then the one in the coop. I refilled the shop a couple times, and a week with no action, then they cleaned out the shop again.

They finally found the bait in the horse barn a couple days ago. (There was horse feed all over because they had eaten into a bag and scattered it.) and have cleaned the bait out overnight 3 nights running, so I expect it to get really smelly soon....

We found an old chest freezer to keep the horse grain bags in, so the loose feed in the barn won't be a problem anymore. We keep most of our feed in metal trash cans...they were getting the bags waiting to be dumped in the can.

I am still waiting another week or 2 to fill my continuous feeders for the chickens. Right now the chickens are pissed that we only come down once a day to dole out the pellets and scraps, but there hasn't been any visible rodent droppings in the coop for the last week so it's all good.

I've lived in the country a long time with animals, and have never had this level of rodent population where the cats and other predators didn't take care of them. We have had enormous amounts of rain since January and I think that drove them into the buildings more.
Management is key, but sometimes outside factors can tip the balance.

Thanks again for all the help!!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

prefer this bait, over all the rest. They're not instant, but within 10-12 days, your rat problem should be solved.

 

[Granitestater]

View attachment 2032177
these did the trick for me. Find the rat holes, and stuff a place pac down in there. I spent months digging up their tunnels, my mom buried glass, we blocked off the whole basement (chickens were in the mud room at the time) and nothing seemed to work. Then, we Placed these in their burrows, and a few weeks later there wasnt a rat in sight. The only problem is that the poison is little crumbles of poison, so you’ll want to keep them away from your chickens. And be aware of secondhand poisoning and such.... if you find dead ones, I try to bury them at least 4 feet deep in a plastic bag so they don’t smell and attract animals.

Bring the dead ones to the dump in plastic bags!

 

[Granitestater]

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.

Boy u had an infestation for sure. I just had a few but they scared me. Started picking up their food at bedtime religiously and setti g big snap traps. Got some, things much improved. Also we put stone/patio blocks down for floor in coop and quarter inch wire mesh around coop. No more in coop at all. Now i think im getting a bit sloppy picking up their food at nite, my back keeps going out, i am seeing someones digging in a night in the run. Gonna get serious again!

 

[Granitestater]

All my food is safely locked in rubbermaid containers or in freezer or frig.

they do chew thru plastic-beware.