There are some rats in my chicken house at night, can they kill my chickens?

[zella chapman]

There are rats in my chicken house at night, can they kill my hens?

 

[Willowspirit]

There are rats in my chicken house at night, can they kill my hens?

Yes. They can certainly injure them severely. Also your hens are most vulnerable at night and would have a hard time fighting them off. The only predator I know for sure that has killed a chicken in my neighborhood is a rat.

The first thing you need to do is find out how they got in and fix your coop so they cannot get in. You should trap the ones that are there and dispatch them. If you have food in the coop I suggest removing it at night. Chickens don’t really eat at night anyway.

 

[quackersandfern]

no, but they can bit at their feet and cause infection. They can also steal your eggs.

 

[quackersandfern]

They also carry disease

 

[Folly's place]

They will kill chickens! Happened here a few years ago, before they were excluded and poisoned. Work fast to eliminate them.
Mary