Rodent in duck coop

[ruthhope]

I would be interested to see if my ducks would kill anything. We have been using the snap traps in the coop but no luck. Dumb question but how do the ducks kill the rat?

The one that my drakes killed, one of them stopped on it. I was outside the coop and heard it. I don't know about my son's ducks as I found the rat dead in the feedbowl one morning

Rats are mainly active at night so it's not safe to use snap traps in the coop unless they are inside something the ducks cannot get into but rats can. I use adogcrate ourside the coop so that raccoons abd other nightlife don't get hurt.

For some reason we don't bother about squirrels going in the coop during the day as furry tailed rodents seem less offensive

 

[StinkyAcres]

That’s what we have been doing.. what type of bait do you use? We have used Peanut Butter. But no luck

I mainly use whole dried corn as bait and sometimes just a little bit of poultry feed as that is what they were after in the first place.

 

[ruthhope]

That’s what we have been doing.. what type of bait do you use? We have used Peanut Butter. But no luck

I have had success with peanut butter

 

[Miss Lydia]

I tried traps a couple of years ago when we had rats coming out in broad daylight then a friend told me about mixing baking soda and cheap cornbread[Jiffy]mix together and putting it out where my birds can't get to it. We haven't seen a rat out in daylight since. They will always be around since we live in the woods but I think the mix is helping to keep the population down it will take care of mice too.

 

[Klatimer]

The one that my drakes killed, one of them stopped on it. I was outside the coop and heard it. I don't know about my son's ducks as I found the rat dead in the feedbowl one morning

Rats are mainly active at night so it's not safe to use snap traps in the coop unless they are inside something the ducks cannot get into but rats can. I use adogcrate ourside the coop so that raccoons abd other nightlife don't get hurt.

For some reason we don't bother about squirrels going in the coop during the day as furry tailed rodents seem less offensive

Yeah we put our ducks up in their coop at nightfall.. then we up the traps up. We haven’t been successful in catching anything yet

 

[Klatimer]

I tried traps a couple of years ago when we had rats coming out in broad daylight then a friend told me about mixing baking soda and cheap cornbread[Jiffy]mix together and putting it out where my birds can't get to it. We haven't seen a rat out in daylight since. They will always be around since we live in the woods but I think the mix is helping to keep the population down it will take care of mice too.

I might try this.. it only makes logical sense

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I keep the duck food in the garage and by night fall they don’t have any feed left. I wish we could have cats patrolling the land. But I have 4 dogs who aren’t cat friendly

You have a point, have to have fences in the right place. Meaning, my dogs can't interact with feral cats, that would indeed be bad. Fence between dogs and coop/feral cat houses. Dogs patrolling one side of fence, cats patrol the other, win/win.