Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Mother of Chaos]

I made a mistake. It’s a Dutch word for a puma or cougar? Only meant as a silly joke.

Oh, that makes perfect sense!

Yes, a cat that defends its territory is great for driving off rodents.

When I Googled poema, I came up with Spanish poems or a pear-flavored cava (Italian bubbly), which had me REALLY confused.

 

[kattabelly]

If the pop door opens around sunrise, this is not good idea, if the trap is dangerous for the chickens too.

It's not difficult to set a trap up with enough cover for it to be safe around chickens.

 

[Perris]

the rat has started to try to chew through the door

Is the fingernail paint designed to discourage people from biting their nails still available? might be worth a try? It certainly would be simple enough to paint onto any vulnerable plastic and maybe it works on rat taste buds too.

 

[RoyalChick]

Is the fingernail paint designed to discourage people from biting their nails still available? might be worth a try? It certainly would be simple enough to paint onto any vulnerable plastic and maybe it works on rat taste buds too.

Rats (in common with other mammals) avoid capsaicin (the substance that makes hot chili peppers hot). Chickens (in common with other birds) lack the pain receptors that make capsaicin unpleasant and therefore are fine with it in their environment and in their feed.
A common practice is to put hot pepper in bird feed to deter squirrels, and you can also add it into chicken feed to deter mice and rats.
Some believe that rodents are particularly sensitive to capsaicin versus other mammals, but I have not found a good source to support that.
What seems to be the case though is that the way they explore the world with their nose and their frequent grooming behavior means that it is very distressing for them to come across it or walk on it.
I think it is worth finding a bulk bag of cayenne pepper (the hottest that doesn’t fall in the category of super expensive specialty hot peppers), and scattering it on the ground in the area outside the chicken door. I think you have mentioned Asian markets in the area - that should be a good place to get a 2-3lb bag.
Capsaicin sprays are commercially available as pest deterrents and chili oil painted on the door would likely also work, but both would be more expensive than bulk buying cayenne powder.
Bitter apple (which I believe is the ingredient in the nail polish to deter nail biting) is also generally disliked by rodents but more variably (and I imagine more expensively). It too is available as a spray to deter pets from chewing on things.
Remember to wear gloves!
I didn’t do an extensive search for sources as the sensitivity and use as rodent deterrent is a long-known fact that has been supported by scientific research but not really a ‘hot’ (sorry) research topic, but here are a couple if anyone is interested.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867402006372
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12974352/

Tax: after a week of practicing, Mr. Chips seems to have mastered crowing.

 

[Perris]

Thanks for that RC; very interesting.

Mr. Chips seems to have mastered crowing

How are your hens reacting to having a mature-ish male around? (it's a new experience for them, yes?)

 

[Molpet]

Rats (in common with other mammals) avoid capsaicin (the substance that makes hot chili peppers hot). Chickens (in common with other birds) lack the pain receptors that make capsaicin unpleasant and therefore are fine with it in their environment and in their feed.
A common practice is to put hot pepper in bird feed to deter squirrels, and you can also add it into chicken feed to deter mice and rats.

I used to put ground cayenne pepper in my fermented feed for years. Last year the mice seem to become used to it. But I am wondering if it was the product instead. I get 25lb boxes from a restaurant supply and it had tripled in price.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

I realize that multi-grain style chicken feed doesn’t align with your standards (which I have said that I admire but aren’t attainable for all), but they are hardly “ultra-processed slop.” And it is very common for chickens to leave behind parts of this “real, recognizable food”, unless it’s moistened or fermented and therefore hard to avoid.

Our ultra-processed slop:

View attachment 4250141

That stuff is really expensive too.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thanks for that RC; very interesting.

How are your hens reacting to having a mature-ish male around? (it's a new experience for them, yes?)

The first time everyone ignored him. The second day he didn’t try (probably they ridiculed his attempt). On day three he let out a dozen crows one after the other and it was hilarious.
He was standing up on something maybe a bit more than 2’ above ground.
All the hens and most of the pullets all stopped and stared up at him like they were watching a performance up on a balcony.
The one exception was Nutmeg who is a pullet the same age as him. She happened to be standing next to him when he started his marathon. She turned her head and inched herself away from him.
I am sure she was thinking ‘God this is sooo embarrassing!’

 

[RoyalChick]

I used to put ground cayenne pepper in my fermented feed for years. Last year the mice seem to become used to it. But I am wondering if it was the product instead. I get 25lb boxes from a restaurant supply and it had tripled in price.

I got a 5lb box. I don’t put it in the feed now that I have the rat-proof feeders. But I do scatter it in places I know that rats and mice have enjoyed nesting in. So my box will last a long time.