Time to go on the offensive...enough is enough.

[cmom]

This is the rat bait box I use. There is a partition inside down the middle in the box with a doorway at the far end that the rats and mice have to go around and then along the other side of the partition that is inside in the middle of the box to the bait. There is a little window over the bait so the bait can be checked anytime. Nothing but rat sized or smaller rodents can get to the bait. This is my personal choice from past serious infestations.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Warfarin is a blood thinner. It is prescribed to humans who are at risk for heart attack and stroke causing blood clots.

I don't know if you are supposed to induce vomiting if a mammal ate warfarin (some poisons/dangerous substances require the use of activated charcoal to absorb them), but no, the act of eating the rat itself wouldn't make the dog ill.

Vitamin K is an anecdote of sorts for Warfarin, it causes the blood to get thicker. I really do not know if this would work with pets.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

Rothy_58, I am with you on killing the rats before they injure the chickens, I hate a rat, just sayin'

 

[Howard E]

A decent resource for the hopelessly curious......what rodenticides are.....how they work.....antidotes.....or not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenticide

 

[TropicalBabies]

To the OP, if you are really looking for a solution, it will likely be found here.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

As for secondary poisoning, to those on this thread who caution against using bait blocks, do you have actual proof that such a thing has happened to you or are you stating your fears based on heresay or personal beliefs?

Finding clear evidence of secondary poisoning is hard to do.

BUT, if that is a concern, there are even baits for you......starting with Terad3 from Bell Labs.

And no mention of rats and bait blocks should be made without the obligatory advice that if you do use bait blocks, they will ONLY be served up from within secure bait stations designed specifically for the use of bait blocks. If you just put them out in the open, rats will drag them out and around where there is a danger of primary poisoning to a lot of non-target animals.

My good friend who went on holiday and had someone caring for her chickens for the 4 days she was away- A neighbor had bait out and a poisoned rat got into my friends coop (certain poisons make the rodents thirsty so they seek water), her chickens ate the maggots, or the dead rat and all the chickens died. The end.
It happens, please be careful

 

[Morrigan]

I'm kind of glad the water bucket drowning didn't work. I couldn't bring my self to try it, thinking of the frantic rats trapped in the water.

I've got gophers in the worst way. I never could find a poison that I was satisfied would not end up poisoning things other than gophers. The only thing that really works is lining my vegetable beds with hardware cloth. And, even then, a few wily gophers figured out a way to climb up and over.

The rats and mice I was able to get rid of by trapping some of them, and then removing the food sources and rat-proofing my outbuildings.

 

[Fairview01]

Anything that will eat a rat will also eat or kill a live chicken. Secondary poisonings can be a good thing, imo.

 

[Howard E]

My good friend who went on holiday and had someone caring for her chickens for the 4 days she was away- A neighbor had bait out and a poisoned rat got into my friends coop (certain poisons make the rodents thirsty so they seek water), her chickens ate the maggots, or the dead rat and all the chickens died. The end.
It happens, please be careful

Long shot, but I'll ask anyway. Do you know what poison was being used? Exactly?

 

[Henry&Friends]

Our chickens were in our basement mud room for about a year, and rats moved in. My mum tried so many things to get rid of them- she buried glass where their tunnels were, and they dug tunnels elsewhere. We destroyed their nests at least 20 separate times— they’d be back within a week. Eventually, we gave in and bought poison, if only so my dad couldn’t complain about the chickens bringing rats (he doesn’t like animals) I’m not sure if this is the exact poison we got, it was a bucket of TomCat Place Packs that would dehydrate the rats— they went into their nests, died, and never smelt. I moved my chickens into a metal shed across the yard, and I haven’t seen rats since.

 

[featherhead007]

While I am all for protecting your flock and eliminating the rats/rodents, I implore you NOT TO USE POISON. Your flock could get to it. It will move up the food chain and damage far more wildlife than you intend. Please, use the quick kill traps or shoot them. I have traps set and shoot them when I see them. I put a light out in my coop/pen. That seems to be keeping the rodents away as I've seen neither hide no hair since lighting the place up.

I cannot express enough, how right you are!!