Rats in chicken pen!!!

[Kuntry Klucker]

Here is a link to the BYC Learning Center for Chicken Predators & Pests
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock

Diggers that are threatening to your birds (not limited to and including) can be skunks, raccoons, foxes, dogs, coyotes, opossum, rats, mice, moles, etc.

Armadillos are diggers too but not much of chicken threat. Snakes and voles can be opportunists and take advantage of established holes.

Some of these may or may not be in your area. Where I live I have to deal with ALL of these and more.

Thank you for the link. I am beginning to wonder if maybe I am dealing with something other than a rat.

Do you know if opossums will dig in the pens? The digging is inside the pen not from the outside in.

It is strange, but whatever is digging in the pen appear to get in, them dig in the dirt in the pen.

What other diggers would do that? I am also beginning to wonder if setting the traps and using
peanut butter to bait them is actually attracting more than helping.

 

[Free Spirit]

Thank you for the link. I am beginning to wonder if maybe I am dealing with something other than a rat.

Do you know if opossums will dig in the pens? The digging is inside the pen not from the outside in.

It is strange, but whatever is digging in the pen appear to get in, them dig in the dirt in the pen.

What other diggers would do that? I am also beginning to wonder if setting the traps and using
peanut butter to bait them is actually attracting more than helping.

Sounds like a mystery. Unless there is something already still in the pen trying to dig after the chickens have gone to bed I'm clueless as to what it could be. A game camera (short of sitting up all night watching) would be a good way to find out.

Peanut butter could very well attract critters to the pen (old and new). That's the drawback of baiting. Baiting is a catch 22. If you don't have a problem then it's good to not set up a baited trap. But if you do know there is a problem it is useful to rid of an existing pest by setting up a baited trap. You have to weigh to bait or not to bait depending on the severity of the problem.

You could always make the PVC bait station that I posted the link for. Have it attached to the outside of the run and only put poison bait inside it if/when you notice a problem with rodents.

As far as larger predators go you have to deal with them depending on the animal. A strand of hotwire around the outside of the fence a few inches above the ground can deter diggers. A strand higher up (3-4 feet from the ground) can deter climbers.

I have 164 feet of an electric net fence around my ducks. It has kept out everything so far (I still have to watch out for hawks and owls). I even had a snapping turtle get stuck up against the fence. It couldn't come out of it's shell because it kept getting shocked. I had to take a rake and try and turn him around so he could go on his merry way. Even frogs have jumped on it and died from the shock so I'm confident I'll get no mice or rats through it.

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Electric+Net+Fencing_products.php

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Sounds like a mystery. Unless there is something already still in the pen trying to dig after the chickens have gone to bed I'm clueless as to what it could be. A game camera (short of sitting up all night watching) would be a good way to find out.

Peanut butter could very well attract critters to the pen (old and new). That's the drawback of baiting. Baiting is a catch 22. If you don't have a problem then it's good to not set up a baited trap. But if you do know there is a problem it is useful to rid of an existing pest by setting up a baited trap. You have to weigh to bait or not to bait depending on the severity of the problem.

You could always make the PVC bait station that I posted the link for. Have it attached to the outside of the run and only put poison bait inside it if/when you notice a problem with rodents.

As far as larger predators go you have to deal with them depending on the animal. A strand of hotwire around the outside of the fence a few inches above the ground can deter diggers. A strand higher up (3-4 feet from the ground) can deter climbers.

I have 164 feet of an electric net fence around my ducks. It has kept out everything so far (I still have to watch out for hawks and owls). I even had a snapping turtle get stuck up against the fence. It couldn't come out of it's shell because it kept getting shocked. I had to take a rake and try and turn him around so he could go on his merry way. Even frogs have jumped on it and died from the shock so I'm confident I'll get no mice or rats through it.

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Electric+Net+Fencing_products.php

It is a mystery. What ever it is does not seem to be living in the pen. It appears that it comes in after the chickens are in bed and digs in the dirt. There are no attempts of digging from the outside under the pen to gain access to the pen. I know that it is not a coon, a fox, or other large animals that would need to dig under the pen to get inside.

There is no chewing on the coop, my coop is raised of the ground so it is hard for rats and mice to make a home under it. I stir the bedding
every morning. There is no evidence of mice or rats living in the bedding. I assume that when I stir it up they would scurry out, I see nothing moving in the shavings.

It is just so strange. I take up the water and feed and clean any that is dropped on the pen floor.

I am beginning to wonder if setting the traps is actually attracting them more than not.

Maybe I will not set anything tonight and see what evidence I find come morning.

Since I take the food and water up at night. What ever it is just might wonder off if I leave
nothing to attract it. Not even a baited trap.

 

[Free Spirit]

Is it possible to post a picture of the disturbed area?

The only thing I can possibly think of at this point is an underground critter/insect. The thoughts that come to my mind are voles, moles, ants, hornets, or the like. Otherwise I'm at a loss.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Is it possible to post a picture of the disturbed area?

The only thing I can possibly think of at this point is an underground critter/insect. The thoughts that come to my mind are voles, moles, ants, hornets, or the like. Otherwise I'm at a loss.

I will post a pic tomorrow if I find any disturbance. I have already removed the dirt today before I let the girls out.

Hornets??? really, in the winter. That would be scary. I cleaned out the pen a few days ago well, I mean scooped it
out down to the dirt floor and then some. I did not find any hornets or ants. I did scare out a grey animal.
It moved fast so I did not get a good look at it. It was larger than a mouse, and had fur. That is about all that I remember.

Would the chickens eat hornets or ants should that ever be a problem? Just wondering.

I am now wondering about maybe a mole. It was grey, under the ground, and solitary. I found it when I was cleaning the chicken pen.
I noticed the dirt had a hallow tunnel under it. I took my shovel and stabbed the dirt. When I did that out came this grey thing that
scurried. I don't remember a tail, but then it moved fast. I just know that it was lager than a mouse, and something that I
have never seen before. It was strange. Could it be a mole, do they dig in chicken pens?

 

[Free Spirit]

I will post a pic tomorrow if I find any disturbance. I have already removed the dirt today before I let the girls out.

Hornets??? really, in the winter. That would be scary. I cleaned out the pen a few days ago well, I mean scooped it
out down to the dirt floor and then some. I did not find any hornets or ants. I did scare out a grey animal.
It moved fast so I did not get a good look at it. It was larger than a mouse, and had fur. That is about all that I remember.

Would the chickens eat hornets or ants should that ever be a problem? Just wondering.

I am now wondering about maybe a mole. It was grey, under the ground, and solitary. I found it when I was cleaning the chicken pen.
I noticed the dirt had a hallow tunnel under it. I took my shovel and stabbed the dirt. When I did that out came this grey thing that
scurried. I don't remember a tail, but then it moved fast. I just know that it was lager than a mouse, and something that I
have never seen before. It was strange. Could it be a mole, do they dig in chicken pens?

I was just brainstorming with ideas of what can cause holes. Not really saying that it could be hornets.

But your last paragraph got me to thinking of another critter. Shrew?
http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/...typename=Mammal&Taxonomicgroup=Mammal - Small

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I was just brainstorming with ideas of what can cause holes. Not really saying that it could be hornets.

But your last paragraph got me to thinking of another critter. Shrew?
http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/...typename=Mammal&Taxonomicgroup=Mammal - Small

Hmm... I think you may be on to something. It was gray, about the size of the shrew. It was living under the pen in the shavings that fell on the ground.
As I was cleaning the pen I opened up the burrow and it scurried out.

It was alone and slate grey. I have not found any rat droppings in the pen. I keep looking, you would think that they would be noticeable if it was a rat.

I guess, my next question is, are shrews a threat? I mean are they disease transmitters. In other words, if it keeps coming back should I
be as aggressive as I would if it was a nest of rats. If it is a beneficial animal I don't want to hurt it.

I do live in East Tennessee in the foothills of the smoke mountains. So we are in their habitat range.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I was just brainstorming with ideas of what can cause holes. Not really saying that it could be hornets.

But your last paragraph got me to thinking of another critter. Shrew?
http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/...typename=Mammal&Taxonomicgroup=Mammal - Small

Thank you Free Spirit, you have been very helpful. I would have never thought about considering a shrew.

 

[animalgrl]

Hmm... I think you may be on to something. It was gray, about the size of the shrew. It was living under the pen in the shavings that fell on the ground.
As I was cleaning the pen I opened up the burrow and it scurried out.

It was alone and slate grey. I have not found any rat droppings in the pen. I keep looking, you would think that they would be noticeable if it was a rat.

I guess, my next question is, are shrews a threat? I mean are they disease transmitters. In other words, if it keeps coming back should I
be as aggressive as I would if it was a nest of rats. If it is a beneficial animal I don't want to hurt it.

I do live in East Tennessee in the foothills of the smoke mountains. So we are in their habitat range.

I know for a fact that I am dealing with rats because I have seen them, and I have caught several in traps. Except for one time, I have not found any droppings in my pen, and I know they are still getting in because they are digging in under my run fence. So I don't think absence of rat droppings in the pen necessarily excludes rats. However, if the rats in my yard are any indication, they burrow under the fence, shed, etc. to get to things, and they seem to run all over my yard, they don't live in the pen. If they aren't tunneling under the fence, I'm guessing it's probably not rats. I don't think we have shrews where I am, but I can definitely understand how you could mistake a scurrying shrew for a rat.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I know for a fact that I am dealing with rats because I have seen them, and I have caught several in traps. Except for one time, I have not found any droppings in my pen, and I know they are still getting in because they are digging in under my run fence. So I don't think absence of rat droppings in the pen necessarily excludes rats. However, if the rats in my yard are any indication, they burrow under the fence, shed, etc. to get to things, and they seem to run all over my yard, they don't live in the pen. If they aren't tunneling under the fence, I'm guessing it's probably not rats. I don't think we have shrews where I am, but I can definitely understand how you could mistake a scurrying shrew for a rat.

I think you are right. They are not burrowing under the fence to get into my pen, I just see the dirt disturbed in the pen like they are looking for something not so much trying to build a home. I notice no droppings in the pen at all. I think I just think I saw a rat but rather I saw something else that looked like it. It was alone when I distributed it, it did not appear to have friends. Had I disturbed rats I would think there would be many or at lest a few more than one.

In the pics, the shrews look a lot like rats. They are the same color and I guess about the same size.

Thanks again for your post. It makes me feel better that I am not crazy to confuse the two.