Roof Rats. I can’t remove the food (citrus)

[ackie]

poison the fruit. now the rats die and whatever they dont eat kills your birds and now you dont have either problem anymore.

idk it seemed like you weren't getting any suggestions you could use so I just wanted to add another one

(no offense meant to everyone offering suggestions - it just seems like OP has tried it all already)

 

[Allthefloofs]

Well I hate to rehire these girls. We enjoy the, so much. But I don’t need rats in the food. Luckily our house is block and we have all the trees trimmed away from the house. But every neighbor has citrus and we are a block or two from horse property. I think a better feeder might work as suggested but these rates couldn’t reach the feeder on their hind legs. To small. And the birds have to put their head down in the feeder so how can a rat eat in there.

I will take a pic of how I do my feed tomorrow. I pull it in around dusk, 4 right now, about 6 Lin the summer. It may help you keep the scattered food down.

 

[Allthefloofs]

This setup works reasonably well to keep the food in. I am going to put some clear tubing around the edge once it comes in, the girls like to stand on the edge of the tray and I want to make it a little more comfy on their feet. I put it out in the morning and pull it in at night. As far as your nest boxes go I would either hardware cloth the run or require them to use the next boxes in the coop instead of freestanding ones.

 

[Deltaj]

In my opinion you should hardware mesh the entire coop. The rats will for sure climb the mesh until they find an opening otherwise. It may be a little uglier but you could make it virtually rat proof with mesh, especially with that compact of an area.

This might sound strange to some but I have a dog in the coop with the chickens. The dog will keep the cats, rats and raccoons away. She helps me gather the chickens too.
I got her as a pup and now she is 12 weeks old. She’s lived with the chicks for one month now.They love each other.

 

[writerskramp]

Hardware cloth works wonders.. Use lattice for shade.. You live in AZ, you know what that is.. Used to live there and loved it! Giant roaches, chameleons parting like the Red Sea, pulling back your covers looking for snakes in your bed and looking for scorpions in the corner of your shower.. Took me a full year of pounding out my boots every morning before I realized I didn't live there anymore.

 

[PhilSanchez]

Here is the best article ever for getting rid of them. I wouldn't recommend using poison anyway, because it is really and for the wildlife who eat the poisoned rat. Read this article all the way through, and you will know everything you need to keno to get rid of them. https://backyardchickenproject.com/how-to-get-rid-of-rats-in-the-chicken-coop-the-definitive-guide/ Best article ever! If you have any questions afterward, then please ask!

Thank you, read from start to finish, good links added in the post, Phil

 

[B-Goock]

Go to gfs or some other bulk food store and buy the largest containers of cayenne pepper or any other horrid hot spices you can find.
Sprinkle a border all around the coop and run.
You can also mix up a solution of vegetable oil, water, & cayenne. Let it marinate.. Paint it on the base of the tree or anywhere else those buggers go. Any of the common sniffin for food animals will not like this and stay clear.

 

[dawg53]

Cayenne pepper doesnt deter rats but will deter mice. Aside from bait stations and PVC pipes with poison bait in them, ammonia soaked rags hung around the outside of the pen(s) after birds have gone to roost for the night works best. Use a 5 gallon bucket to soak the rags, then go hang them. You wont see rat sign after the first night. Hang the rags for 3 nights. The rats are smart and will go bye bye. Dont put the ammonia soaked rags near a coop vent. Collect the rags the next morning before letting birds out of the coop. Wear disposable gloves when hanging the ammonia soaked rags.

 

[Chicken Heel]

Whatever you do, don't pour gas down their holes and light it. Take it from me, it doesn't end well.

 

[Allthefloofs]

Whatever you do, don't pour gas down their holes and light it. Take it from me, it doesn't end well.

I will take your word for it. Especially since they are roof rats. All the holes around here are in the dwellings we live in.