Rats

[ihatedarkroast]

These things are so huge--the size of a small cat. I'm so grossed out! Whenever we catch one, if you walk by the cage, they leap up and scream at you like they're gonna rip your face off. If you pick up the trap to move it, they try to attack relentlessly.

The wolf rats (or 'wuff rats' as country folk say) dug at least three large tunnels under the coop up inside the run and shed. They dug under the chicken wire skirt going across the ground that was supposed to keep them from digging in. They lifted it up and bent it out of the way. I put poop in the holes from my toddlers, but it didn't deter them. They stole the chalk eggs from the chicken eggs and chewed them up. I highly suspect they are stealing chicken eggs too, as I found one on the ground after I scared a rat off. So far they have left the chickens alone. But it's really unsettling to open the door of the henhouse and have a giant rat leap across your feet into the wood pile (where they actually live).

We tried glue traps (got hot and melted), snap traps, (raided), a bucket trap with water, (ignored,) poison (got 1 that way). The have-a-heart live animal trap seems to be the only thing that works--baited with peanutbutter smeared chicken feed. After that we dispatch them with a BB gun. (They move too fast to trust shooting at with a rifle or handgun.)

We've got at least two more to catch that I recently saw in the coop together. Wish us luck!

 

[azygous]

Kind of reminds me of the rats in Los Angeles where I lived an eternity ago. The rats were big as cats and had easy access to my second story apartment and would brazenly race over my head at night. Par-tee! Par-tee! Good times.

The best way to combat rats is to remove all food sources and places they reproduce. Wood piles are a very inviting place to live. You could try tarping and smoke bombing it every couple months. And this stuff would work better than toddler poop to plug holes. https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Roden...d-45ae-9366-16b11cc0fe2c&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

 

[theoldchick]

That's a huge rat!

 

[nuthatched]

Hardware cloth on everything. Good gravy, what a big one.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You tried poison and it didn't work? I'd hit it harder, alot in many places.....

 

[Al Gerhart]

Easy to fix but it will take some money and effort. You either invest in a proper feeder or fight rodents from now on. First look up Howard E's posts on rats and chickens. Do a forum search and read everything he has written on dealing with rodents. Here is one post in particular that lays things out:

Here is one of Howard's posts:

"To the OP (and others like them), if you will spend the time, everything you need to know about rats and how to get ride of them will be found in the links below......

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-the-video-series.1337456/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-proof-feeder-review.1180514/#post-18610285

This last one is a review of a rat proof chicken feeder built and sold by a BYC member, who is a staunch advocate for the plan of getting rid of rats by starving them out. Remove all sources of feed and they will be forced to move on or starve to death. If you are firmly against the use of poison bait blocks......for whatever reason.......then this is one of the best actions you can take. Bulk food in metal trash cans.....chicken feed in metal rat proof feeders. Can't get to the feed and birds do not spill and waste feed that the rats can survive on."

End of Howard's post.

And the short version of Howard's post? Sanitation, exclusion, elimination.

Sanitation, bulk feed in metal cans or barrels with tight fitting lids, a treadle feeder, clean up the avenues of movement so the rodents have no cover to protect them from their natural predators. In my opinion and experience this is the quickest, surest, and cheapest way to solve a rodent problem for evermore.


Exclusion, plugging the holes and building a Fort Knox chicken coop and not leaving an opening, not for free range. Tough to do and expensive but it could work for rats.

Elimination, poison and traps. Problem is that rats are smart and will quickly learn to avoid both traps and poison bait. Were you to clean them out, the lack of sanitation would mean a new population of rodents would move right in. And there is risk and no end to the process, keeping fresh bait out. However, if you have done your sanitation using poison becomes effective as the rats are starving and will likely try the poison bait.

Poison is not needed though, they will leave in a few days as long as you are not feeding the rodents with a compost pile or other animal feed. Not all will leave, your area will have a natural carrying capacity for rodents, natural feed, but that natural ability to sustain rodents is quite small and the natural predators keep them in check and under cover as the rodents hustle to find this natural food.

Do a forum search on "rats chickens" and you will find most of the old wives tales exposed and read of long epic battles against the rodents. Sanitation, exclusion, or elimination all have associated costs but you are already paying for the feed and will recover the initial costs quickly with the first method.






Good luck and remember, it isn't just the stolen feed, disease and predators come with rodents.