equivix
In the Brooder
Hi there,
I have an suburban coop with 4 hens. I've had them for about 6 weeks now and it's been great, EXCEPT FOR THE RATS!
I've caught sight of one or two over the last couple of weeks in the yard, and had no luck with snap traps, glue traps, zapper traps. Can't use poison here due to all the kids and pets around. Tonight I went out to close the hens in a little later than usual (past dark) and walked in on a rat fiesta! It was awful, saw at least 8 in the coop! NIGHTMARE. I am now thoroughly investigating the entire coop and blocking off any possible entry points with steel wool and/or hardware cloth tomorrow. I'm also going to go out and buy rat-proof feeders like in the photos attached I found in a local farm supply store - can't find any treadle feeders for less than $300 around here. Any other tips or advice to get rid of them!? URGH, I'm am SO creeped out!! Going to do a deep clean of everything when I solve the food source issue. What a mess!
To add, can hens carry disease from rats and transfer to their eggs?! Now I'm paranoid!
I have an suburban coop with 4 hens. I've had them for about 6 weeks now and it's been great, EXCEPT FOR THE RATS!
I've caught sight of one or two over the last couple of weeks in the yard, and had no luck with snap traps, glue traps, zapper traps. Can't use poison here due to all the kids and pets around. Tonight I went out to close the hens in a little later than usual (past dark) and walked in on a rat fiesta! It was awful, saw at least 8 in the coop! NIGHTMARE. I am now thoroughly investigating the entire coop and blocking off any possible entry points with steel wool and/or hardware cloth tomorrow. I'm also going to go out and buy rat-proof feeders like in the photos attached I found in a local farm supply store - can't find any treadle feeders for less than $300 around here. Any other tips or advice to get rid of them!? URGH, I'm am SO creeped out!! Going to do a deep clean of everything when I solve the food source issue. What a mess!
To add, can hens carry disease from rats and transfer to their eggs?! Now I'm paranoid!