Wondering what did this? Chewing

[cmom]

I would dispatch the animal (but not relocate!) Also I've heard peppermint oil but not sure about safety for your chickens I'll get back to you shortly on that

I live in a rural area on a dead end road and people have dumped their relocations here. If I catch them bothering my birds I relocate them permanently. Some one dropped of a very young gosling once.
If there's one rat I bet there are more. I use rat baits. I also use the bait traps.

 

[jess924]

I live in a rural area on a dead end road and people have dumped their relocations here. If I catch them bothering my birds I relocate them permanently. Some one dropped of a very young gosling once.
If there's one rat I bet there are more. I use rat baits. I also use the bait traps.
View attachment 1540603 View attachment 1540604

Great will grab tomorrow morning

 

[rosemarythyme]

hubby went out to close the coop windows as it’s crazy windy tonight and caught the culprit in action...a rat.

Yay I win... er, and I guess you lose.

I use snap traps and we have bait boxes around the house foundation as well.

 

[Howard E]

Since you found out who was doing the chewing..........this is what you are up against:

Watch the whole video to see how they do it and the lengths you may have to go to keep them out. The part about cement floors and how they are able to tunnel is really instructive.

Shooting, trapping and other half measures that barely dent the overall population might make you feel better, but in the end, are not effective. Solution to rid yourself of them is to limit their access to the feed and shelter, and once you do that, they are receptive to the poison bait blocks, served up from secure bait boxes.

 

[jess924]

Since you found out who was doing the chewing..........this is what you are up against:

Watch the whole video to see how they do it and the lengths you may have to go to keep them out. The part about cement floors and how they are able to tunnel is really instructive.

Shooting, trapping and other half measures that barely dent the overall population might make you feel better, but in the end, are not effective. Solution to rid yourself of them is to limit their access to the feed and shelter, and once you do that, they are receptive to the poison bait blocks, served up from secure bait boxes.

This video is great! Thx! They are so determined...

 

[jess924]

Unfortunately I am aware of why we have them right now. I love my neighbors but they are little lenient when it comes to pest control. They have their entire bag of chicken feed sitting outside their coop. I have mentioned it to them a few times and have seen two rats during the day!!! I almost freaked out when I saw the second one. It was running (galloping really) through their lawn as I was talking with my neighbor...thought it was a weird looking squirrel and said to her look at that!! What the heck is that thing there...she took a look and said oh that...it’s a rat...no concern in her voice....Uugh...ran right by her Sussex.....told her I don’t think u should leave ur bag of feed out there...they are going to get into it....next day big old hole chewed into the side of the bag...told her husband...he put the bag into a trash barrel (without a lid). I looked inside the bag and told him they left droppings in the food...he scooped them out...I’m afraid the rats are expanding their territory to my house now(

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Haha. You would just be giving them spicy chicken. Kill the raccoons. Problem solved.

If you have problems with raccoons... and then the raccoons meet with a unfortunate "accident" in that case you no longer have a problem.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

View attachment 1540168 have some new chewing type marks on our coop/run...we are in western MA and pretty rural. Have a # of predators including skunks, foxes, opossums, and deer to name a few I have personally seen...wondering who did this...my coop is pretty secure with hardware cloth bottom secured and buried and all hardware cloth sides...don’t believe they can breach but want to know if there is maybe something else?

That looks like "Cribbing"
Cribbing is an animal like a horse etc chewing on or gnawing wood. I guess cows will crib but I can't think of any time I have seen this from a bovine. When an animal cribs it usually means that animal is looking for a mineral or vitamin that is missing from it's diet.

 

[Howard E]

Jess:

That video is also contained within this thread, which for the curious, covers the entire waterfront on most things rats.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rats-when-the-army-went-to-war-on-them.1216226/

All three videos in this thread are from the same dated source, but all remain as valid today as when they were made. The good stuff that gets you going toward eradication starts on page 2 of the thread.

 

[aart]

All three videos in this thread are from the same dated source,

Was kind of a trip to see him mixing up all the poison powders.