WE have rats. Help!

[animal luvr]

Please help we have a problem with rats in our chicken coop and i need ways to kill them with out poison and sitting out all night with my pellet gun.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm sure you will get lots of answers on what to do with them now that you have them, but I'll speak to prevention...
Make sure you remove all feed at night and store it in a rodent proof container. The feed is the biggest attractor.

Good luck!

 

[animal luvr]

we do but they were here when we moved in.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Ugh. I was talking to a friend that had an invasion last year and said they went through LOTS of traps.

 

[Folly's place]

I've never caught one in a live trap, and the large snap traps would harm other critters, and chickens. My barn cat considered the rats my problem! A few drowned in a half-filled five gallon bucket. I don't have a rotten little terrier, or a dachund. Finally locked the chickens in their (rat proof) coop, confined the barn cat, warned the neighbors, and set out bait. After a few days, no bait was missing, and no more signs of rats. I never did see a dead rat, but they were gone. Good luck1 Mary

 

[animal luvr]

thanks for the help we have gotten about 4 rats with the live traps killer traps and the bb gun but now they are getting smart they are some how eating the peanut butter of the killer and live traps and are getting away and they wont come out if there is a light so i cant shoot them please help

 

[RenaG]

We had issues during the winter with rats and used Victor Multi-Kill Electronic Rat Traps. Took about a week and we didn't have anymore rats.

 

[NEChickenNoob]

Try a bucket trap with water at the bottom. For rats, go with a plastic trash can trap.

Basic design:
- A large can with a hole in both sides that a pole of some sorts run through. It should free spin.
- Pole should go through the side of the trashcan near the top.
- A board should be placed on both sides of the can near where the poles go into the trashcan. Put a few rat treats on the boat to entice them.
- Can should be coated with peanut butter and any of their favorite treats.
- Trashcan should be filled with over a foot of water.

Narrative of how it works:
- Rat smells yummy treats, scurries up board snacking along the way.
- Rat smells yummy treats on the can out over the water on the free spinning can in the middle.
- Rat scurries out to sample and climbs onto said can
- Gravity kicks in and the heavy part of the can rotates downward dumping said rat into the water
- Rat is worried and confused as what happened as he treads water.
- Rat begins to tire as he cannot crawl out and drowns.
- In the morning, farmer comes along, looks in can and laughs at dumb drowned rats.
- Farmer fishes out rats with a net or whatever and dumps in the woods for the varmints to munch on.
- Farmer tends the trap and freshens up the bait and continues along with work.

I've been told it works for squirrels too. May require some tinkering as you want the can to have some slight resistance before spinning. Enough to fool the rat into thinking it's stable. You should Google it and see some of the videos and how to's out there. I have been told that they eventually get smart to it, but I cleared my mouse problem with a 5 gallon bucket version before they got smart. If you try it keep us up on the results. I haven't done the larger rat version yet.

 

[tatertot]

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