Rats Living Under/Near Coop - How concerned do I really need to be?

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello friends! So, I was out in the evening after I put my chicken ladies to bed and I was just enjoying the sunset and cooler weather, when lo and behold, I see what appears to be a small rat family emerge from the wooded area around my coop and also from under my coop. They were just digging around in the run and nibbling on any bits of chicken feed that happened to remain on the ground. My feeder is locked up in a container at night. My question is: is this a problem? I've known that we had at least one rat for a while now, but I didn't expect to see them out before dark. I know that where there's one rat, there's more so that makes sense. I knew I had some hanging around the duck coop before. I don't really see a feasible way to mitigate the situation. I have 3 barn cats, but they don't always hang out near the chicken coop and even if they did, the rats were inside the run where the cats wouldn't be able to get to them. I appreciate any thoughts on this. Thank you!

 

[Blue Raptor]

Hello friends! So, I was out in the evening after I put my chicken ladies to bed and I was just enjoying the sunset and cooler weather, when lo and behold, I see what appears to be a small rat family emerge from the wooded area around my coop and also from under my coop. They were just digging around in the run and nibbling on any bits of chicken feed that happened to remain on the ground. My feeder is locked up in a container at night. My question is: is this a problem? I've known that we had at least one rat for a while now, but I didn't expect to see them out before dark. I know that where there's one rat, there's more so that makes sense. I knew I had some hanging around the duck coop before. I don't really see a feasible way to mitigate the situation. I have 3 barn cats, but they don't always hang out near the chicken coop and even if they did, the rats were inside the run where the cats wouldn't be able to get to them. I appreciate any thoughts on this. Thank you!

Rats can kill chicks, I think chickens too if they wanted. They’ll eat the feed and eggs too.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Rats can kill chicks, I think chickens too if they wanted. They’ll eat the feed and eggs too.

Is is possible to put a rat trap under the coop without hockend or cats getting to them?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Rats are gross and have nasty diseases. We had a terrible problem-their nest under my run (there was a stump there) nearly destroyed the run itself by disturbing the ground so bad it was no longer level. Something to consider is that if a rat gets poisoned somewhere else and dies where your chickens can get to it they might peck at it and get poisoned too.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Ive been trying to catch the two in my coop still havent caught them prolly just gonna set poison out

 

[aart]

Hello friends! So, I was out in the evening after I put my chicken ladies to bed and I was just enjoying the sunset and cooler weather, when lo and behold, I see what appears to be a small rat family emerge from the wooded area around my coop and also from under my coop. They were just digging around in the run and nibbling on any bits of chicken feed that happened to remain on the ground. My feeder is locked up in a container at night. My question is: is this a problem? I've known that we had at least one rat for a while now, but I didn't expect to see them out before dark. I know that where there's one rat, there's more so that makes sense. I knew I had some hanging around the duck coop before. I don't really see a feasible way to mitigate the situation. I have 3 barn cats, but they don't always hang out near the chicken coop and even if they did, the rats were inside the run where the cats wouldn't be able to get to them. I appreciate any thoughts on this. Thank you!

I'd be setting snap traps, pronto.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

I'd be setting snap traps, pronto.

Thanks for all the advice. If I do set up traps, where do I put them? I wouldn't want the chickens to get hurt. Should I put them near the run but on the outside? What do I bait them with? Sorry for all the questions. I've never had to deal with this before.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Thanks for all the advice. If I do set up traps, where do I put them? I wouldn't want the chickens to get hurt. Should I put them near the run but on the outside? What do I bait them with? Sorry for all the questions. I've never had to deal with this before.

Personally I favor large glue traps or bucket traps. This because they aren’t as deadly to chickens or wildlife that can get caught in them like snap traps or poison. A rat sized snap trap will easily kill a chicken or snap a leg.

 

[aart]

Thanks for all the advice. If I do set up traps, where do I put them? I wouldn't want the chickens to get hurt. Should I put them near the run but on the outside? What do I bait them with? Sorry for all the questions. I've never had to deal with this before.

Snap traps work best when you set the bait end of trap against a wall, preferably along a route they travel, but also to make it harder to back off. I like to use a chunk of grain or nut pushed tight into the trigger, so they have to work at it to get it it out. If your birds do not have access to the run at night, then you wont need to protect them from the traps(just need to remove traps in the morning and replace them at night). I use a metal mesh basket for mouse traps, holes in mesh small enough for mice but not chickens.

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

Please don't use glue traps. Widelife will be attracted to the bait/trapped animals and die slowly and unnecessarily.

Since the rats are coming from under the coop, are you able to get the traps under the coop?