Rats in run during the day

[aart]

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.

They did....

6" of hardwire is buried around the run,

...tho 6" is nothing to a rat.
They'll go right under pavers too.

@The Moonshiner's got it right.

 

[The Moonshiner]

They did....
...tho 6" is nothing to a rat.
They'll go right under pavers too.

Ya. You can't keep rats from digging in unless the entire bottom of run is covered.
I've got a 12' x 15' concrete slab between barn and an out building and they had tunnels under it from one building to another.
I did spend half a day and about 1.7 million gallons of water flooding them but that was only about a one day fix. Too many escape holes.
Thought about gasoline and a few matches but figured flaming rats running around would end up burning everything down.

 

[getaclue]

My last resort, and I had to use it, was poison. I didn't get the one-bite, since any animal that eats a poisoned rodent with one bite, can be poisoned too. Tom Cat was worthless. The Ramix bait has worked very well. Make sure the chickens can't get to it.

 

[IamRainey]

My hardware cloth was in 12" at least and somehow the 3 rats got in. But since I put down the pavers -- cause I never located the hole they used to enter -- I haven't had another one.

Perhaps I've just been lucky. But the combo of 12" vertical inches and 12" horizontal inches has done the trick so far.

Oh, and I also stuffed steel wool in any wood joints I could see light through.

They did....
...tho 6" is nothing to a rat.
They'll go right under pavers too.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Have you seen those home made bucket water traps on YouTube? They really seem to work.

 

[RollTideChicken]

I'm with everyone else that says poison is the way. Get a bait trap for your poison and it can be inside your coop, so long as you fix it so the trap can't be moved by your birds, and they can be. Ramix is a great poison!
I had a rat infestation a couple years ago and poison was my "last resort" and final blow to the foul little buggers.
If you every see a rat, there are tons more. If you see more than one rat, you have an infestation.
Oh and you don't "have" to have the bait near their other food source, they'll find it wherever you place it.
Oh and one last thing...it's summer, poison is very effective, and if you have an infestation...there will be a smell.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Have you seen those home made bucket water traps on YouTube? They really seem to work.

There's a few different types but none are efficient.
You'll catch a few or if a large infestation you may catch quite a few but it'll only last a few days or maybe couple weeks.
Rats are very smart. If any type of trap works the rest will soon figure it out and stay clear of them.
If you use traps its best to move them around often and if you have more than one type switch them up.
I did the same with poison. Moved locations often and switched brands and types every week.

 

[so lucky]

How about getting a couple of cats?

 

[SurferchickinSB]

There's a few different types but none are efficient.
You'll catch a few or if a large infestation you may catch quite a few but it'll only last a few days or maybe couple weeks.
Rats are very smart. If any type of trap works the rest will soon figure it out and stay clear of them.
If you use traps its best to move them around often and if you have more than one type switch them up.
I did the same with poison. Moved locations often and switched brands and types every week.

Yeah, I know rats are smart, but I never use poisons or chemical insecticides because it also kills all the predators of the rats when they eat them. One predator such as an owl, hawk or bobcat can eat thousands of rats in one year. But that’s just me, I tend to do everything organically and also feed my chickens that way.

 

[Criticalicious]

Which rat proof feeder did you order? I bought the one called "rat proof chicken feeder" from The Carpenter Shop and it works amazing. Expensive but worth every penny. Definitely install the "soft close" arm on the side, otherwise the noise freaks out the chickens. My hens took almost 2 weeks to figure out how to use this feeder (without the spring on it), but the new babies figured it out in 24 hours. When you first set it up, watch your birds to ensure everyone is eating.

My hens are scared of rats but they go wild for mice.