Chickens and rats.

[SKR8PN]

Anyone else have a problem with rats getting into your hen house and stealing their food and eggs? Here's my story.........
My hens are in a portable tractor that I move about every 7 to 10 days. About a month ago, I noticed a small hole had been burrowed into their run, but since it was small, and I was moving the tractor, I didn't get to worried about it. However......ever where I set the tractor a burrow appeared within a couple of days. I also have a pretty health chipmunk population so I just assumed......anyway.... Since nothing else strange was happening, I just figured we had some HUNGRY chipmunks. Well.........about a week ago I found an egg with a pecked spot on it. Next day, same thing. It wasn't opened all the way up, so I just thought I had a hen going egg hungry. I started adding a bit of hardboiled egg to their morning oatmeal and everything settled down....until day before yesterday. While checking for eggs, I found one that was destroyed! Pizzed me off 'cause I figured one of the girls was getting hungry. Found another one yesterday, so I stepped up my egg patrol to 3 or 4 times a day. I head out to the chicken tractor this morning and spotted some strange tracks in the snow.........little feet prints with a strange little drag mark in them.....................RATS!!!
So far I had NEVER locked my hens up at night, but by golly they got locked up tonight and I set a rat trap baited with peanut butter right next to their feed tray........If I get lucky and snag one tonight, what would be your next move if you were in my boots????

 

[TanksHill]

Thant would make me mad!!!

I see mice all the time around my coop. Some times they manage to get into a little bucket I keep next to the coop. Those I just dump into the run and the hens enjoy. Now rats are another story. We have some pretty big orchard rats around here. I hope they don't find my coop.

Time to set those traps. See what you get.

gina

 

[justusnak]

UGH! RATS!! I set traps...and keep them away from the chickens area. Only saw evidence of a rat...once..large poo..but after setting the traps...no mopre rat poo. Now mice?? Ohhhh, those little boogers are driveing my NUTS!! When I go in the coop after dark..I see them running the rafters. YUK!

 

[FarmerDenise]

We have a serious rat problem. They shelter at the neighbors and burrow into the chicken house and yard and get into everything. We trap and kill them all the time. We won't use bait, since it could kill our dog and other crittters.
We plan on pouring concrete in the chicken house at some time in the future, but we cannot affort to yet.

 

[Farmfresh]

We have a serious rat problem. They shelter at the neighbors and burrow into the chicken house and yard and get into everything. We trap and kill them all the time. We won't use bait, since it could kill our dog and other crittters.
We plan on pouring concrete in the chicken house at some time in the future, but we cannot affort to yet.

Sometimes concrete will actually make the problem worse! They will burrow under it and make a fine city and you can not reach them until they decide to come out. Deep gravel of a good size will actually work far better it tends to collapse down into a rodents run.

The best solution usually ends up being a multiple front attack. A hanging feeder will make it harder for rodents to steal the feed. Good feed storage in rodent proof metal containers is another good thing. Deep bedding while it is great in some ways providing extra winter warmth and beneficial microbes for the hens is also great for rodents. When all else fails traps and dogs work great wonders as well.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

one word:

barn cats

well i guess thats two words so how's about: barncats

while normal sized cats may not be a match for an adult rat - they'll get the babies for sure.

we have a couple of crack barncats who keep us mostly free from rodents - the property across and down from us is riddled with moles and we arent.

dont have 'em? contact your local vet or rescue and ask for the meanest, toughest, most beat up feral cats...then let 'em work.

now lazy barn cats aint no good at all. so if you have lazy barncats, good luck.
;-)

ps i'd keep trapping them but i think if you do get the population down you'll need more constant methods of keeping the rats at bay. is this a new thing for you? or just because its winter???

 

[big brown horse]

Gota love the "barncats"!!

At the moment I have a barn dog aka our LGD who just recently snapped up an enormous rat and drug it out into the yard while it squealed away. I hope it let the others know to get out while they still had a chance.

(I never use poisons either.)

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

my hens are pretty good mousers too! one of my little hens attacked a mole while i stood there and watched the whole thing! the shrieking was horrible. that tiny little eeeeeeeeeeek as it was being pecked to death. chilling.

 

[SKR8PN]

is this a new thing for you? or just because its winter???

This is new for us, PLUS it is winter.........

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

ugh. wonder what changed??? do you have dogs? did you have dogs? new feeding situation? fewer owls??


hum....

let us know what you get in the trap. i'll laugh if you catch a barn cat
;-)