Rats!!!!!!!

[gabrielle1976]

Makeing shure they cant get at the food and dont have lots of fun hideing and nesting places is the best way to control rats. Poison and other deadly things have just as much chance at hurting things that arnt rats as the rats themselves , the smart ones never eat the poison or stand on the traps to get whacked ect. Good luck with your problem .

 

[chestypuller]

kill the rat, dont release it to become some one elses problem. a pellet gun to the head does the trick easily or hammer to the head.

 

[coren66]

Ugh...I am having the same problem and my husband is fearing that the rats will eventually make their way into our house and/or garage.

I keep our chicken feed in tightly closed containers (cat liter containers) outside the coupe. The last few mornings I have opened the coop to find 3-6 small rats running around. They don't seem to be bothering my two hens, I think they have just found a place to rest. I do keep the hens feed container and their water in the coop. I have considered taking it out during the evening hours when I lock up the chickens but while reading this thread I saw that someone noted that rats may start attacking my hens if the food is gone.

My coop is on the ground. We put chicken wire on the bottom and I put a tarp down on the floor to make it easier to clean. No surprise when the rats started chewing through the tarp to get back in. I would like to put poison in the hole that is outside the coop. It is behind the coop and my two dogs couldn't get back there. My fear is that if any of the rats die in the coop, will the chickens peck at the dead rat(s) or possibly eat them? I also fear that the rat(s) might die under the coop where I would have to move the coop which is close to impossible. (don't even want to think about the smell).

I have to act fast, I don't want these guys multiplying anymore on my watch and my husband is threatening to get rid of the chickens because he feels they are the reason the rats are in our yard (not the creek or all the fruit trees in the neighborhood and our yard). Sure wish there was a quick fix to this.

 

[meowmmy65]

I'm having a problem, too. I can't use poison because of our dogs. While researching, I found people using ex-lax to get rid of rats. Seriously! They apparently really like the chocolate kind. What I read was they eat it, go back to the nest, and when it starts to work, they go all over - uncontrollable. It ruins the nest, so they evacuate. I also read it kills them, because they become dehydrated.

Now, I don't know if any of this is true, or if it works, but I'm trying it. Anybody else hear of this?

 

[CAjerseychick]

I have seen a black plastic trap (its like a rectangle) they go in and eat poison and cant get out-- not sure where to get it as I think the Janitor at one of the local facilities here had set it out.... But that seemed pretty safe and efficient...

 

[capstone]

We had an issue with them a couple years ago... not in a coop but under our dog pen. I freaked when i saw them. I love rats as pets and have had them in the past but when they are outside getting into things damaging property and potentially injuring our animals then they must DIE.

I am not sure this would work for a coop situation but we went and bought these smoke/poison bombs. You find the holes then you light one and throw it down in and cover the hole with dirt. In fact you cover all the holes with dirt except a few to throw the bombs in first. within a few days we started finding dead rats and thank goodness they have never come back again.

We got the bombs at TSC it is over with the mouse/rat poisong. It works for ground hogs as well.

Just a suggestion.

 

[cary 1973]

i would say your best bet seince you see them scurryugn in coop get the live trap where they go in and the door shuts you can get them at lows and remove them in the moring

 

[rachp05]

Okay guys, thanks for all the feedback! I might have to try that exlax trick. I am still with rats and willing to try ANYTHING! I have killed a few, maybe five over the past several weeks, but I don't think that even puts a dent on my population. I will tell you that the steel wool and peppermint oil has helped a little. I put the peppermint oil and some water in a spray bottle and it seems to keep them off for a few days, until it wears off and rains. I did have the pest control man put one of the black locked boxes with poison that only rodents can get in, outside of my coop & again have seen maybe three dead, but like another person replied, they're unfortunately pretty smart! I have come to the realization that wherever there is chicken feed they WILL find a way to it. And unfortunately I do not have the time to twice a day remove the food and replace it. I will just have to learn to get over the little rodents I suppose! Ughhhhh. If anyone finds a fix, I'll be waiting!

Thanks again all!

 

[jak2002003]

You need to stop what is attracting the rats.

In this case its the chicken food.

Only have food in the coop for the chickens and take it away at night, making sure you sweep up all the spilled food. Store the food in containers that the rats can not get into. Secure the coop so no rats can get in.

Once you get a few rats, you will soon have many and they reproduce like mad, so you need to sort this problem out now.

You also should set box traps with poison inside them to kill the rats that are left. These traps are safe as bigger animals can not get to the poison inside them. Place them against walls and in areas where you have seen the rats. Keep the taps out of reach of your dog.

 

[jak2002003]

Sorry forgot to add if you are not sure about doing this, just call a pest control company to do it for you, explaining your situation to them.