Rats in run during the day

[CluckinUP]

In the last week, we have seen rats in the run during the day. We're in the city, next to a backyard with a portion that is left wild. Right now, I'm mixing cayenne pepper in the feed to discourage them, which doesn't seem to deter them. After setting traps last night, we didn't catch one. 6" of hardwire is buried around the run, however the rats are digging under it. We're plugging holes with cement, but I think that will only slow them down. I've ordered a feeder that is reportedly rat proof - fingers crossed. I'm thinking we will need to bury hardware cloth under the entire run, which is a huge project. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Hencraze24]

Do you have a rooster? or a dog? they can keep mice and rats away pretty well. you could try to get an electric fence. (however, there are a couple disadvantages. like if you touch it, or your birds do. plus, it's expensive)

 

[CluckinUP]

No rooster (that was the compromise to have chickens). We have three dogs but they're kept inside while we're at work. I appreciate the reply, Hencraze24!

 

[Hencraze24]

you're welcome! ! I really don't have any other solution. our silkie rooster kept mice away from our feeders (until he passed away ). do they just want the food? they may harm your birds.

 

[Compost King]

I had a rat issue, I ended up using Poison (last resort) and lining my dirt floor coops with pavers/bricks. If you use Poison be sure your chickens or neighborhood cats can not access it. I hate using it because it also poisons animals that eat rats.
Having outdoor cats kept my rat population down in the past.

 

[christwodog]

Have you tried sprinkling the cayenne pepper around the perimeter of the run, where they are digging? I used that to keep the neighbor's cat out of my vegetable garden. I mean sprinkle A LOT so he has to go thru it to get to the coop. I bought a giant container of cayenne on Amazon, I think it was a 2 lb jar.

 

[The Moonshiner]

If you're seeing them in the day then you have a real infestation.
Poison will be the only effective solution.
The longer you wait the more time and money you'll be spending to rid them.
Been through it myself and wanted to try other things first. Nothing worked because everything had minimal success and they bred faster then I could eliminate them.

 

[IamRainey]

Apparently you didn't bury your hardware cloth when you built your run. It's really the first step in preventing predators and pests.

You can still lay 12" concrete pavers around the exterior perimeter to discourage digging. Make sure they're tight to your structure/hardware cloth and tight to one another.

Then, get aggressive about your rats. Start by locking your chickens in at night. Next, while they're safely secured, put down traps all around the interior perimeter. Rake up any food source. Then place more traps around your rat-proof feeder and waterer.

Naturally, you'll have to be vigilant about collecting all of them again before you let your chickens back into the run each morning.

Online you'll find videos of people who have had success with greased roller traps over 5 gallon buckets. I didn't build a sturdy one. I used a flimsy purchased one that never caught anything.

You may also want to get a pellet gun. In that case, set up red lights inside your run and take some target practice at night when they'll be most active. I never managed to hit one but I think I mostly harassed my 3 rats into quitting my run after nightly hunts.

I would only use poison outside your enclosure and, unfortunately, that's not where your most pressing problem is... However, once you eradicate rats from your run and block the entry of any new ones, aggressive use of traps surrounding your enclosure is good prevention. My rats have been gone for a year but I still get one in my exterior traps every 4 or 6 months.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Take a day off, get your rifle and pick those rats off when you see them. Oh, be sure the chickens are in a different location first. We had a rat problem in the city once and this is what we had to do, nothing else would stop them. We didn't have chickens either at that time. So just shoot them! I hate rats!

 

[Hencraze24]

Take a day off, get your rifle and pick those rats off when you see them. Oh, be sure the chickens are in a different location first. We had a rat problem in the city once and this is what we had to do, nothing else would stop them. We didn't have chickens either at that time. So just shoot them! I hate rats!

(be sure it's legal first! )