They found me

[seminolewind]

I saw my first rat yesterday. Yuck. It's in the run with my 2 new chicks. I guess I'll move them. I made bait stations today, and a bucket trap. Yesterday I saw him under a tarp that's over the tractor. Today I see him again, and he disappeared. Then, across the yard, I grab a container, and a rat runs out.
I'm devastated. Not only that, No matter what I do , my neighbor has 2 chickens, and they just dump bread or food in the run, which is barely fenced. So there's a breeding ground right there.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

get the poision out it will take care them.

 

[kees]

The only problem with the poison is that another animal might eat it. Another consideration would be that if the animal dies in a building, it will smell until it dessicates. Can you try a Havaheart Trap instead? Rats freak me out too!

 

[lurky]

We have wood rats in our area........we have our second one now. I personally think its cute

 

[Beekissed]

I put a bar/cake of poison called OneBite up on a ledge where my animals can't get to it, but the mice and rats can. They can't carry it off like pellets and leave it where other animals can get it, they have to gnaw it. It seems to be very tastey and kills them within a day or two. I have the wood rats occasionally and they are cute!! They also eat my chicken's feed, I'm sure, so I really can't afford to feed them also!

My cat kills all the mice but the rats seem to be a bit too canny for him.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

If you take a piece of PVC, put an elbow at each end without gluing it on, you can put bait bars inside the PVC then cap the ends with teh elbows. The rats and mice get in but can't drag the bait out

 

[seminolewind]

Well I made some bait stations. I took a rubbermaid storage container. I cut a 2.5 inch hole on each side, both down in bottom corners. Then I took some twine and hung the bait in the middle, the string runs from one side to the other, and the bait is tied in the middle. No chicken can get in there. Oh, a log on top.
I would love to do the things without poison, but I saw 2 during the day, and that means there are probably more.
I think I'm going to move my chicks till the rat in the run gets dead. He must have a hole under the tractor, which is a foot off the ground.
I also have a bucket trap, the five gallon contractor's bucket with the paper plate and peanut butter. No victims yet.