RATS!

[Irishmom80]

I have been keeping chickens for 12 years now and I am amazed at how many rats have made themselves at home around my chicken coop and run. I have tried poison in the surrounding area, spring loaded rat traps, have-a-heart traps, electrocution traps and the ones that go on top of a bucket that flips and drops them in. I have used the feeders that open when the chicken steps on the peddle hoping they would leave if I took away their food source. I have even tried the rat repellent packets with mint scent. Nothing seems to work!
Please let me know if any one has any success getting rid of these varmints.

I resorted to coyote urine from bass pro shop. I sparingly sprinkled it around the coop. They left.

 

[MichaelDJ]

In the last 2 months:
2 with a pellet rifle, 3 with bait, 1 with a gas bomb. 1 left that has wised up and is avoiding all baits and traps. He sticks to the shadows where i can't get a shot at him.
Have to try the coyote urine...

 

[Al Gerhart]

Predator urine was looked at in that University of Nebraska white paper on rodent control. It actually brought in more predators and had zero effect on rodents.

Rats are after one of four things, food, water, nesting materials, or a safe place to build a nest. Food is the most common draw and nothing will deter them, they might prefer to live somewhere without peppermint or moth ball odor but that doesn't mean they won't put up with the odor to get what they need.

 

[DebAnneDigi]

I have been keeping chickens for 12 years now and I am amazed at how many rats have made themselves at home around my chicken coop and run. I have tried poison in the surrounding area, spring loaded rat traps, have-a-heart traps, electrocution traps and the ones that go on top of a bucket that flips and drops them in. I have used the feeders that open when the chicken steps on the peddle hoping they would leave if I took away their food source. I have even tried the rat repellent packets with mint scent. Nothing seems to work!
Please let me know if any one has any success getting rid of these varmints.

same for me, Their water is hanging up, it has spigots. food comes in at 3, so the chicken can clean up; Electric, glue, snap, havahart, RatX, plaster of paris with cornmeal and bucket trap. I didn't catch one! I only see one on my camera; holes all over. First year! So frustrating.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Not your fault DebAnneDigi, so much flat out useless advice is given and people dealing with rats will try anything to get rid of them. The traps and rat poison only gets a few young and dumb rodents, the breeding age rodents are too wise. The plaster of paris is an old wives tale, tested in that University of Nebraska study, the rats had some sore Iranian holes and little else. Stomach acid isn't water and the constant churning breaks up anything that is trying to harden.

But dealing with rats is very easy. Two methods that do work every single time.

First method, build a Fort Knox tight coop. Gonna cost a lot of money but it works.

Second method, bulk feed in metal drums with tight lids, clean up the pathways so the rodents have to travel in the open, predators will get some of them and make it harder for them to travel, and the last step is buying a rodent proof treadle feeder. Most of them are not rodent proof, you will NOT find a single one on Amazon that is rodent proof and reading their negative reviews proves that. Get off Amazon, only Chinese junk that has huge markups can be sold on Amazon.

What a treadle feeder needs to be rodent proof is a narrow and distant treadle, not a huge wide, close in treadle step. Think roost pole size, far away to prevent swarming and overwhelming the feeder. Second thing, an inward swinging door so it is safer and so it can trap the rodents IF you have a swarm of dozens and dozens of rats. I've only seen that on commercial flocks. They will trap themselves and they will smother themselves and the remaining rats will not touch that feeder again. And on that inward swinging door it HAS to have heavy springs or the rats can just push the door open. The springs should be adjustable.

 

[McChooky]

Coops are an attractive source of food,water and shelter for rats. The longer you keep them the harder they are to get rid of.