Rodent discovered last night inside coop

[BYC910]

Was me I would shoot it . One is as bad as a hundred . Most likely there are more than the one . I shoot rats every night if I can . Get over the bleeding heart and kill that thing anyway you can . Forget relocating they know where you live got your number . Poison snap trap just kill it . Even if you take in the feed chickens waste and spill feed and they come in for that spilled feed . No mercy for rats .

 

[Chickassan]

Pictures of your setup would help tons, but you already know that. I'm not going to sugar coat it, the rat needs to go.I'm in favor of zap traps kind of like the electric chair for rats. I don't like killing anything but rats will kill your birds, they have parasites, and they spread disease. Your rooster can't help he can't see in the dark and if you relocate you're just giving someone else a rat.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

rat traps and mouse traps, the snap ones set up in the coop.

 

[Leighe]

So I'm in Denton Texas area. Your chickens are fine being out of the coop during the summer especially, its just so hot but please make sure the run area is tight like Fort Knox against predators. However, in the winter you will need to pick them up each night and put them in the new coop (need to get either a Sunrise/Sunset door on it or a door you open and shut each day) until they either do it on their own and most will (but I have 3 or 4 that refuse to go in the coop, they'd rather be up on a kennel door, so when it's freezing i pick up their rebellious butts and put them in the coop every night until the temps get up. Rats especially need water every day, a mouse can go a few days without water, so empty your water bins every night (I dump mine in grass so there's no little ponds for the buggars to drink from) and put your food up every night (I put them in a metal garbage can). If you have one mouse, chances are you have many more....but then again maybe you're lucky and this guy found his way to your house. I free range mine so any mouse can walk into their big pen or coop and as a matter of fact I found mice in the hay bin. Nasty varmints. I have no bleeding heart for an animal that will hurt my chickens. I use the electronic devices, poison and sticky traps. Good luck @LMVB, I'm rootin for ya.....

 

[junebuggena]

HOW??? The ramp opening into the enclosed coop area has no door, so even when I've run them inside, they just walk out the opening and down the ramp! Ideas?

Rig up a door. Simple as that.

 

[LMVB]

So I'm in Denton Texas area. Your chickens are fine being out of the coop during the summer especially, its just so hot but please make sure the run area is tight like Fort Knox against predators. However, in the winter you will need to pick them up each night and put them in the new coop (need to get either a Sunrise/Sunset door on it or a door you open and shut each day) until they either do it on their own and most will (but I have 3 or 4 that refuse to go in the coop, they'd rather be up on a kennel door, so when it's freezing i pick up their rebellious butts and put them in the coop every night until the temps get up. Rats especially need water every day, a mouse can go a few days without water, so empty your water bins every night (I dump mine in grass so there's no little ponds for the buggars to drink from) and put your food up every night (I put them in a metal garbage can). If you have one mouse, chances are you have many more....but then again maybe you're lucky and this guy found his way to your house. I free range mine so any mouse can walk into their big pen or coop and as a matter of fact I found mice in the hay bin. Nasty varmints. I have no bleeding heart for an animal that will hurt my chickens. I use the electronic devices, poison and sticky traps. Good luck @LMVB, I'm rootin for ya.....

 

[LMVB]

Leighe, I will take your advise on getting the automatic door, but not until it's needed. Too hot now to think about it. I will begin to take the food and store it at night. Their water container is a large one, in the run area. I'm going to leave that for now, and when winter comes, I'll add a small one inside the coop. Thanks for the info and support!

 

[Folly's place]

I lost a lot of eggs, and three nice bantam pullets, to rat(s) last winter, before I got them dead/ out of there. Make sure you have all the openings larger than 1/2" diameter covered in hardware cloth, a barrier to digging, and rat bait outside. Mary

 

[LMVB]

Pictures of your setup would help tons, but you already know that. I'm not going to sugar coat it, the rat needs to go.I'm in favor of zap traps kind of like the electric chair for rats. I don't like killing anything but rats will kill your birds, they have parasites, and they spread disease. Your rooster can't help he can't see in the dark and if you relocate you're just giving someone else a rat.

 

[LMVB]

Update: I have thoroughly cleaned out the coop and removed the feeder from inside. As requested, I have photos so you all can see the coop, and the attached run. The coop is inside a 16x16 run, covered with landscaping wire. Hope these photos help. I had just cleaned and hosed it all down and had not put back the bedding. I will work on getting that door problem fixed before it gets too cool. Thanks for any input after viewing the photos.