Rats in Run

[Abriana]

Really?!!?
I can see them catching and killing mouse...but rats are pretty darn big.
View attachment 1637628

Yep, looked exactly like that. My dad didn't believe it either, until I told him that it had a fat tail. Usually I leave them to their mice... but it was just so big it would have been gross to let them eat it.

 

[JaeG]

This member had rats eating her adult chickens feet at night: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rats-fall-asleep-lose-your-feet.1177276/#post-18545529

Rats can also infest your coop with red mites. Been there! It was a nightmare. We have a storm water culvert running through our backyard, and lots of bush to either side which the brown rats love. We regularly put out poison but we had to try a few different brands before finding one they go nuts for. I've had rats chew through thick pieces of wood to break in.

 

[aart]

Yep, looked exactly like that. My dad didn't believe it either, until I told him that it had a fat tail. Usually I leave them to their mice... but it was just so big it would have been gross to let them eat it.

Did you see the birds kill the rat?
Must take a whole pack of chickens to kill a rat.

 

[Villa delle Rosa Silkies]

I have read posts where rats have chewed on roosting birds at night, even gnawing off toes. You birds are helpless at night. They also can cause disturbances that can cause birds to fly off roosts and get injured, and cause disturbances in laying. They also can cause stress as they scurry about at night.[/QUOTE
The roo & his girl usually put themselves up in their coop in the evening, between 8.30 & 9, when it's still light (I live in New Zealand, so summer here). I shut their door at 9 p.m. & then do likewise to the other sillkies in their runs. From now on, I'll be checking all the coops with a torch, to make sure no mice or rats have gone up the ramps. We have checked all of the coops & there are no openings (not even small ones) where mice or rats could get in, & all ventilation openings have small, rodent-proof wire mesh across them. My husband is going to check all around the coops & runs twice a week from now on. Buying a couple more rat traps today as well.

 

[hillbilly91]

Really?!!?
I can see them catching and killing mouse...but rats are pretty darn big.
View attachment 1637628

 

[Villa delle Rosa Silkies]

This member had rats eating her adult chickens feet at night: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rats-fall-asleep-lose-your-feet.1177276/#post-18545529

Rats can also infest your coop with red mites. Been there! It was a nightmare. We have a storm water culvert running through our backyard, and lots of bush to either side which the brown rats love. We regularly put out poison but we had to try a few different brands before finding one they go nuts for. I've had rats chew through thick pieces of wood to break in.

We've checked all around the coops & there are no holes that a mouse or rat could get through, but of course they could chew through the wood, so we'll be checking around the coops at least twice a week to see if there are any signs of gnawing. All of our coops are on legs, so a bit less accessible than if they were sitting low to the ground. I'll be shining a torch around the inside of all the coops before I close the Silkies in at night from now on. I couldn't bear it if any of them were attacked by rats.

 

[aart]

View attachment 1637738 View attachment 1637745

Ahhhh.... chickens had 'help'!!
Rat was stuck in fence, and maybe was already dead before chickens had a bite,
that makes more sense.
Great pics, thanks!

 

[hillbilly91]

Ahhhh.... chickens had 'help'!!
Rat was stuck in fence, and maybe was already dead before chickens had a bite,
that makes more sense.
Great pics, thanks!

The rat found a hole and got stuck running away from the hen, only bird in the pen. She killed it not us. This is the same pen it happened in

 

[Abriana]

Did you see the birds kill the rat?
Must take a whole pack of chickens to kill a rat.

For me personally, it was not stuck in the fence. I was taking care of something on the other side of the pen and saw them struggling with something (tbh at first I thought it was a chick, until I remembered that I do not currently have any) and ran right over.

 

[Folly's place]

I had rats in my coop a while ago, and they ate eggs, and killed three nice bantams at night, before we eliminated them. Don't assume that your birds are safe!!!
A few rats might be caught in traps, but only poison bait stations will get them all.
Redo your coops especially, so no openings are larger than 1/2" diameter, to keep them out. At night your birds are helpless.
Mary