Rats in chicken pen!!!

[Folly's place]

Chickens don't get sick with Lepto, but many mammals, including humans, can get sick. Cats are resistant too, but dogs and cattle can also get very ill. There's a vaccine for cattle and dogs. Just don't drink the water out there! I was horrified a few years ago, visiting Hawaii, and seeing idiot tourists drinking water from a creek. Mary

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Chickens don't get sick with Lepto, but many mammals, including humans, can get sick. Cats are resistant too, but dogs and cattle can also get very ill. There's a vaccine for cattle and dogs. Just don't drink the water out there! I was horrified a few years ago, visiting Hawaii, and seeing idiot tourists drinking water from a creek. Mary

really! Ok, so they cant get it then give it to me. So lepto is only transmittable to mammals then?

No, I don't plan on drinking the water in the backyard. I give them clean water daily so even the girls
don't drink old water.

I set some traps tonight, I hope to report good news in catches tomorrow.

 

[animalgrl]

They are still getting into my run. I haven't seen any droppings in the run, but if I did I would clean them up. I know they can carry diseases, but I am actually less worried about them giving my chickens something and having to sanitze the run, than I am about them bringing plague carrying fleas into the yard where the dogs can pick them up and bring them into the house. I have the dogs on flea prevention, but I'm still a little worried about that. Also hanta virus, but more worried about the fleas. I doubt it is possible to totally eliminate the rats, but I'm trying to rat proof the run as much as I can.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

They are still getting into my run. I haven't seen any droppings in the run, but if I did I would clean them up. I know they can carry diseases, but I am actually less worried about them giving my chickens something and having to sanitze the run, than I am about them bringing plague carrying fleas into the yard where the dogs can pick them up and bring them into the house. I have the dogs on flea prevention, but I'm still a little worried about that. Also hanta virus, but more worried about the fleas. I doubt it is possible to totally eliminate the rats, but I'm trying to rat proof the run as much as I can.

I know what you mean. Living our in the country it is hard to totally rid your yard of fleas and rats. I have just never seen them before.
I always figured that field rats or barn rats were just that, rats that stayed in the barns and fiends. Since they tore down that bard
across the street seems like they are just everywhere. The fleas do bother me too, I don't want them getting in my yard
as well. But since we are in the country we have fleas anyway. I don't have dogs, just two indoor cats that don't get fleas. But
I don't want the chickens getting fleas either.

 

[dheltzel]

A few facts:
1) fleas are very host specific, for example rat fleas cannot reproduce on a dog or cat (nor cat fleas on a dog or vice versa)
2) bubonic plague is extremely rare, especially in the US
3) rats are really very clean animals (compared to, for example, the common housefly), not that you want them around

If there are trash piles or garbage heaps in the area, that is the rat's best hideout, and they may only be visiting, in which case keeping all the food away might be enough. If they are settled in and breeding, you may need to resort to poison bait. Be very careful with that (obviously), and keep it available even after the rats are dead because others are sure to come by and setup housekeeping if these did.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

A few facts:
1) fleas are very host specific, for example rat fleas cannot reproduce on a dog or cat (nor cat fleas on a dog or vice versa)
2) bubonic plague is extremely rare, especially in the US
3) rats are really very clean animals (compared to, for example, the common housefly), not that you want them around

If there are trash piles or garbage heaps in the area, that is the rat's best hideout, and they may only be visiting, in which case keeping all the food away might be enough. If they are settled in and breeding, you may need to resort to poison bait. Be very careful with that (obviously), and keep it available even after the rats are dead because others are sure to come by and setup housekeeping if these did.

Ok, so are you saying that chicken will not get fleas from rats? Do fleas even bother chickens? I know that they get mites and lice, just not sure about fleas.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Ok, I set some traps last night in the pen for the rats and caught nothing.

I have thus far, cleaned out the pen well, removed all food and water sources from
their disposal. My coop is raised off the ground by about 4 feet so they cannot burrow
under it. I check the coop daily and so for have not noticed any evidence of rats in it at all.

When I checked the traps this morning they were undisturbed. I also did not notice
any further disturbance, movement, or digging of the dirt in the pen either.

Is it possible that I have done enough to detour them from setting up shop and have encouraged them
to move on?

Just wondering.

I will set the traps again tonight just in case.

 

[Free Spirit]

Ok, I set some traps last night in the pen for the rats and caught nothing.

I have thus far, cleaned out the pen well, removed all food and water sources from
their disposal. My coop is raised off the ground by about 4 feet so they cannot burrow
under it. I check the coop daily and so for have not noticed any evidence of rats in it at all.

When I checked the traps this morning they were undisturbed. I also did not notice
any further disturbance, movement, or digging of the dirt in the pen either.

Is it possible that I have done enough to detour them from setting up shop and have encouraged them
to move on?

Just wondering.

I will set the traps again tonight just in case.

Sounds like you did an excellent job of making them unwelcome. Good job.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Sounds like you did an excellent job of making them unwelcome. Good job.

Really? do you think so? I hope that I caught this before it became a problem. I covered the hole where I saw them trying to
turnnel into the pen. If that is not disturbed tonight I wonder if they have moved on.

We will see what I find tomorrow in the pen.

 

[Free Spirit]

Really? do you think so? I hope that I caught this before it became a problem. I covered the hole where I saw them trying to
turnnel into the pen. If that is not disturbed tonight I wonder if they have moved on.

We will see what I find tomorrow in the pen.

Yes... I really think so. As long as you don't give them any incentive (i.e. no spilled food or access to food) then they will not have a reason to visit your coop. Healthy coop management will keep the pests away. If you place the trap every night for a week and don't catch anything then I think all your worries are over. Of course, baiting a trap can lure them too so it's a catch 22. But yeah, you've disturbed them and did some cleaning so I'd say you've done very well to hang the unwelcome sign.