RATS

[tortoise]

Rats [allegedly] are eating chicken food. I saw a rat in the haymow, and the next week we started going through chicken food 3x as fast. Went through 25# of feed in one day... we only have 20 hens in there.

Talk to me about controlling rats in a barn. Considerations: barn cat, housepet dog can access barn, kids in the barn daily - 10 and 2 years old.

 

[baymule]

No cat, keep the dog away, talk to the 10 year old and watch the 2 year old like a hawk. Get a professional to bring poison traps, their rat poison is a lot stronger than what we can buy, plus they have those closed rat stations that other animals (and kids) can't reach the poison.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I use metal cans that the rats can't get in. And, I no longer use feeders that leave feed out all night. I feed the chickens twice a day and make sure that I don't put out more than they'll clean up before dark.

I haven't had a cat in years - and the last one I had was NOT a mouser/ratter, lol. I put that cat into a barrel one time that had a mouse in it and the cat jumped out, lol.

There are ways to put poison out that other critters can't access...I think it involves putting it deep into a pipe or something...would have to google it to jog my memory. But, I use poison as a last resort. My dog Gracie gets to go to the barn if I start seeing rodents out there.

Bay has good advice.

 

[baymule]

We had rats and mice around here bad, it took a professional to get them gone. They ate rat poison like candy. I used Just One Bite which is good stuff, but it wasn't enough.

Or you can rig up a rat bucket. A rat or mouse can jump out of a bucket, but with water in it, they can't get their feet on the bottom to jump and they drown. Lots of you tube videos on that.

 

[Hinotori]

My cats suck for rats. They do well for all other rodents.


Dogs do better for rats. My GSD takes it personally to kill them.

I take the dogs out looking for rats at night. We've repeatedly eliminated them. We'll go a few months and then more move back in.

Got to put food up at night and eliminate anywhere the rats can nest.

 

[sumi]

You can try a mouse/rat trap like the one baymule mentioned: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/5-gallon-bucket-mouse-trap.747201/ I didn't have peanut butter in the house last time I set a trap, so I used chocolate spread instead. It worked well!

I'm weary of poison, because of the risk of another critter finding and eating the rat/mouse and getting killed.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I tried one of those traps and got nothing. One of my dogs kills them, and my husband shoots them. We also have a couple owls that hang out, pretty sure they help! Strangely haven't seen any rodents, or evidence of rodents, in a long time.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I rigged up one of those rat buckets once - caught one rat and while he was swimming around he musta warned all the other ones to stay away, lol. Gracie went bobbing for mice and dispatched him for me, lol.

 

[tortoise]

I like the rat bucket idea!! Thank you!

A few more details - the cat does protect the feed bags. If 4 years we've only had one chewed. The cat was in the house at the time . She's not entirely useless.... just mostly.

Open feed bags are in metal barrels.

We tried a treadle feeder - didn't go over well, but might be something to revisit and try again

I may try pulling food out overnight. IDK about how to work that out with DH. But I'll think about how to make it happen. I have heard feeding pellets soaked/wet eliminates waste - less laying around for rats to scavenge.

 

[Beekissed]

Got to put food up at night and eliminate anywhere the rats can nest.

This helps...no food to attract them, though they will rob that feeder in the day time hours also.

I have heard feeding pellets soaked/wet eliminates waste - less laying around for rats to scavenge.

Fermented feed...cuts your feed bill almost directly in half, is a way to feed wet feed without worrying about it spoiling in the hot parts of the summer before it can be eaten, and you feed it in meals and only enough that they can clean up in a short amount of time.

This will not only keep the feed attractant out of the picture, but will improve the health of your flock while cutting feed costs. Also makes the poop smell less, the poop attracts less flies, and the eggs and meat tastes better. It's a win/win situation to switch to fermenting their feed.

I've had great success with JustOneBite in the bar form...the pellets are too easily carried off and stored in the nest for later. At the same time, I also switched to feeding the chickens in meals instead of using a continuous feeder....one meal per day each morning and only what they could clean up well. That was back when I was still feeding dry feed.