Yikes - Rat in the Coop

[nuchickontheblock]

I went to get my broody out of the coop this afternoon and when I opened the people door there was a rat. Neighbors could probably hear me screaming for about a mile. I'm not sure which of use was the most terrified!

He ran out the pop door and went under the coop. (we have rocks around it, but not tight enough). My silly broody was just in a trance about 6 inches from this rat when I opened the door.

My DH put out some traps/poison; but I wondered if rats ever injure the birds or not. I have really small banties. I haven't seen any eggs in about a week -- nobody is laying in the coop, but my DH said if a rat was eating eggs, you would probably see some egg shells or mess around.

Now I'm freaked out to go into the coop.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Rats can certainly kill chickens. A guy up the road from me had a rat eat the breast off of one of his hens while it was sleeping on its roost. Make sure you put the poison somewhere the chickens can't reach it, and depending upon what kind you use- properly dispose of the body if you can find it. I use the bucket trap. Its a big tub filled halfway with water- put in enough BOSS to cover the top. Provide an access ramp. They think the tub is full of sunflower seeds and dive in and drown. I've only caught one rat in this trap, and unfortunately it was a swimmer so I put a minnow trap over it and held it under the water

I've never had to do that with mice. Good luck!

 

[bryan99705]

Suggest you raise the coop off the ground so it's not a safe spot for the rats to hide and nest. Using perches and maybe a coop porch so the birds hop up into the coop instead of a ramp may also help discourage their going into the coop. Also wrapping the coop legs with smooth thin sheetmetal will stop them from climbing.

If your feeder and fount are in the coop, move them out somewhere else that's sheltered and maybe on a elevated platform so if they are attracting the rats, you remove the attractor. Would not hurt to empty out the coop and look for / repair gnawed holes in the walls or floor