Hi, this is my first post on Backyard Chickens and I am so happy to be here! Our girls are four months old and we have already started getting one egg from one of the chickens. Having chickens is a blast!
We have seen three small rats lately and today one was inside the coop. Here is the setup and please tell me what I should change.
We have a small coop (they've outgrown it and I'm building a new one) in which they go only at night. The girls free range during the day and make their way to the coop when the sun goes down.
The coop is under a carport and in front of a huge stack of wood (also under the carport).
The feed store recommended the use of straw for the coop, but the smell is awful. We are cleaning the coop out every three-four days, which means we have a lot of waste. A friend uses some kind of shavings and doesn't have to clean as often. I wonder if it's the smell that is attracting the rats. Could it be also the placement of the coop in front of the wood pile?
We are running out of room to dump the waste from the coop when we clean because we have to clean so often! We have a composter and I plan on getting a couple more, but I am tired of the rats, the smell and the flies.
Any tips or suggestions would be highly appreciated.
Many thanks!
We have seen three small rats lately and today one was inside the coop. Here is the setup and please tell me what I should change.
We have a small coop (they've outgrown it and I'm building a new one) in which they go only at night. The girls free range during the day and make their way to the coop when the sun goes down.
The coop is under a carport and in front of a huge stack of wood (also under the carport).
The feed store recommended the use of straw for the coop, but the smell is awful. We are cleaning the coop out every three-four days, which means we have a lot of waste. A friend uses some kind of shavings and doesn't have to clean as often. I wonder if it's the smell that is attracting the rats. Could it be also the placement of the coop in front of the wood pile?
We are running out of room to dump the waste from the coop when we clean because we have to clean so often! We have a composter and I plan on getting a couple more, but I am tired of the rats, the smell and the flies.
Any tips or suggestions would be highly appreciated.
Many thanks!