Rats!

[chuckwagon1971]

I had a staring contest with a rat today and I want carrying my .22. Anyone know of any ways to keeps rats away? The coop is clean, so I think it's after the hatching eggs. Ideas?

 

[RumAndCoconuts]

We just had a rat attack our hen with two week old chicks. We had built a brooder with lathe on all sides so to keep predators out while they were small. It was like Fort Knox. Worked a treat. However when our hen hatched out her own we didn't close it up completely at night, we just had it adjacent to the big pen so she could come and go at will. We figured she would be the first line of defence against rats or snakes and the chicks would be fine,
NOT. She lost one chick and trampled another in the ensuing melee and now she doesn't feel safe in there any more and we have to herd her in there each night now.
Do what you need to to secure that area away from where a rat can get access until they are at least a month to six weeks old. Dependant upon rat size I suppose.
They are the only predator I have on this small island so I know it's those awful things. It's heartbreaking to watch a hen go through all that time only to give them up to those slime mangy stupid poachers.
If the area is where you can't exactly fence it it what about putting hardware cloth on removable panels that you can temporarily put up?
Let us know what you end up doing.
PS...if you do end up carrying the .22 next time, leave the rat behind as a warning to others of its ilk

 

[chuckwagon1971]

Thanks, I'll do that

 

[RonP]

Posted to another query:

My understanding is that rats are everywhere.
They will congregate and breed where there is available food water, and shelter.
Look closely around any fast food restaurant and you will see rat bait stations.

They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.

Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.

Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.

That said, I fabricated black 6 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.

My run has food scraps 24/7.
My coop has food access 24/7.
Water access 24/7.

5 years, no sign of rats...

Hope this helps.

 

[chuckwagon1971]

I don't keep food or scraps in my coop, my birds are free range and only use the coop to sleep. I like the tube w/poison idea. Gonna try it. Thanks

 

[Akrnaf2]

Hi I am from Israel and we have here a good method to repel rodents. We usually plants some aromatic plants
Around the coop. Plants such as mint, lavender,salvia,even garlic this plants serve as good repellent for rodents! Remember that
Rodent are the main source for salmonella in chickens,so it is very important to keep them in bay for the health of chicken and owners!

 

[chuckwagon1971]

Thanks for the advice. Very helpful

 

[mitchell123]

I keep bait stations but eventually they no the deal, I move my sheds every so often and send the jack Russell in, or smoke them out there holes and let the jack Russell get them bit of fun for the dog but I seem to enjoy ratting too haha!

 

[Celizwalsh]

let the jack Russell get them bit of fun for the dog

That would have been my suggestion too ... My Jacks are GREAT at keeping vermin away from my chickens