rats

[ctjim]

i think i have some rats in my coop. they chewed through the floor in 2 spots and i saw where i think they got under the coop. i keep the chicken feed and scratch in 2 different metal garbage barrels. and my feeder hangs from the ceiling @ just about breast level for the chickens. starting today i am going to put new wood over the holes and fill w/ foam and get a bait station and some poison and tonight i'm going to remove the feeder each and every night. anyone have any other suggestions as a way to get rid of them permanent. i can't shoot them safely. i 'm considering the 5gal pail of water and floating trap or antifreeze. if i do the antifreeze i will be fencing in the bucket so i don't poison my neighbors useless cats. we had a barn cat but he got hit by a car and i think since he's gone they moved in.

 

[snewman]

I'd like some help with this too. I know I have a huge population of rats but I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to poison because of my chickens and dogs, but I can't see any way around it. They come out in broad daylight to eat out of the feeder. The chickens eat a little first thing in the morning, and then wander off to scratch around, and I'm sure the rats just feast all day long.

 

[Chieftain]

If you really do have a rat infestation, it is probably best to at least consult a professional about the best way to go about removing it.

Rats have been the bane of mankind for centuries, and there are a lot of good reasons for getting them under control immediately.

Good luck, and don't wait.

 

[jhm47]

If you use one of the anticoagulant poisons, you should be safe. The rats almost always go underground to die, and even if a dog or cat were to eat one, it's highly unlikely that they will get a dose large enough to kill them. The antidote for the anticoagulants is a dose of vitamin K, and any vet can administer it.

 

[ctjim]

made some homemade traps and poison ,pb and quikrete balls in a 5gal pail w/ only a 1.5 in hole cut in it and also filled a couple of 5 gal pails w/ water almost all the way up used a 2in hole saw and cut a hole in the lid then smeared some pb around the bucket at just about water level once mr rat goes in for some pb he will be in some water and the bucket w/ no way out. also put all food away and fixed all the holes in the floor and put some steelwool along his dug outs at the base of the coop. waiting to see what happens tonight.