Rats :(

[Sandra Verbreyt]

Hello. I have 2 chickens Margo is a Silkie and Ruby a Cochin. They have free range of the garden.
Sadly yesterday I noticed I have a rat feeding from the food put out for the chickens. I have an open feeder.
Is there anything I can buy that prevents the rats eating my chickens food.
I have put poisen down for the rats, safely away from the chickens where my girls cant get it.
However the rats are not touching the poisen.
HELP anybody

 

[Doublete]

I was recommended the victor electric rat traps... use until no more exist

 

[Pekin747]

I can guarantee u that u dont gave 1 rat so I'd just get a live trap or the electric one or raise it off the ground with rope or chain

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sadly yesterday I noticed I have a rat feeding from the food put out for the chickens. I have an open feeder.

You will still need to trap too. They won't go away on their own.
Take up the feed every night when you lock up your girls. Clean up any feed that has spilled and go easy on treats (only give them what they will clean up in a few minutes).

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

I have rats that come and go in my garden and have been known to sneak into the coop during the day to steal food and leave behind some foul smelling droppings. I would not put poison down I would worry that the rats would chew it into tiny crumbs that could be spread about on their feet or whatever and end up getting in the chickens systems. I also know that the rats are living under my neighbour's shed and that they have plentiful food from bins and things around the area, so is there any point in setting traps in my garden?
Will trapping a few help if the rats are living and breeding elsewhere?

 

[jaxonann]

We use both automatic traps and live traps and then dispatch them. Place them along the trails where you have seen them, they are pretty consistent creatures.

 

[IamRainey]

You have to be very aggressive with rats. Definitely take up ALL the food at night. That's when they're active. Make sure you get everything the chickens have left.

I put electric traps inside the run. They won't snag a chicken. They need to be positioned close to a wall and on the route the rats take through your run. ....if you can identify their trail. I couldn't. But I set up flashlights with red light so I could go out at night and observe them. ...and get in a little shooting practice.

Also you're going to have to clean the electric traps out every few days. Maybe there will be a rat to dispose of but there will certainly be an accumulation of dirt and dust that prevent the electronics from functioning well.

IF you're going to poison, do it OUTSIDE the run with bait traps also placed along walls.

Mostly, be vigilant for any spot they can get through and close it off or stuff it with steel wool. Holes in your hardware cloth, voids under your structure. Voids in the woodwork where verticals meet horizontals. If you haven't dug your hardware cloth in 12" then set 12" concrete pavers around your perimeter.

Then set traps outside the enclosure anyplace you think they'll travel. The spring loaded traps are relatively cheap. Get LOTS of them. The more you trap outside the enclosure the fewer will get inside. And they're SMART. If they see it's dangerous around your enclosure they'll go looking for safer spots to chow down. I used to get a few every week. Now I may get one every few months. I let them at my compost piles because that's an easy target for them. It keeps them away from the chickens and aerates my piles at the same time.

 

[Joev1973]

If you see a rat in the day time shoot it. Thats one lessnrat that will return and also make any baby rats. If you cant fire a gun in your yard bc of neighbors or for whatever reason check cabelas or bass pro shops for modern air rifles (yes a bb gun on steroids) they are legal, quiet and will blow right through a rat. They are also deadly accurate. Air rifles have come a long way. A friend showed me some videos of air rifles powerful enough to drop deer and wiild boar. I bet for under $100 bucks you can get an air rifle powerful enough take out a rat in 1 shot. Just an idea. I mean you saw him so he was a target. Easier than trapping safer than poison and final (for the rat)

 

[Sandra Verbreyt]

If you see a rat in the day time shoot it. Thats one lessnrat that will return and also make any baby rats. If you cant fire a gun in your yard bc of neighbors or for whatever reason check cabelas or bass pro shops for modern air rifles (yes a bb gun on steroids) they are legal, quiet and will blow right through a rat. They are also deadly accurate. Air rifles have come a long way. A friend showed me some videos of air rifles powerful enough to drop deer and wiild boar. I bet for under $100 bucks you can get an air rifle powerful enough take out a rat in 1 shot. Just an idea. I mean you saw him so he was a target. Easier than trapping safer than poison and final (for the rat)

Thankyou for your advice but we live in Belgium and sadly we are not allowed to use guns and have no access to buy them. Gun ownership is illegal here and I would not have a clue how to use one so its back to the poisen for me I think

 

[paneubert]

Thankyou for your advice but we live in Belgium and sadly we are not allowed to use guns and have no access to buy them. Gun ownership is illegal here and I would not have a clue how to use one so its back to the poisen for me I think

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gun_laws#Belgium

"Air guns can be freely bought and owned by any person older than 18 years old. Only pistols with muzzle energy exceeding 7.5 joules (5.5 ft⋅lbf) are not allowed. There is no maximum muzzle energy limit for rifles. Open carry of airguns is not allowed. The use of air guns is restricted non-public places, being shooting ranges, inside a house or a backyard that is not easily accessible from the street."