[nannysmith7]

Hi everyone , I really need your help ! ive got rats in the coop , I think they've been pinching the eggs too ! how do I get rid of them ? thanks in advance , xxxxx

[finleyfreyaseth]

is there any holes under coop to show were they are commin in if so block em ,

[GrannieAnnie]

OH has put weldmesh around the bottom part of our henhouse where the rats bite holes through the wood, and has reinforced the floor inside as they have been gnawing through the plywood too. 

Do you leave the feed inside at night like we do?  Our feeder is on a chain and I told OH to raise the feeder on the chain each night too so the rats can't get at it, that may put them off if they do get in!

[Helenaj]

I ended up getting a load of second hand patio slabs that a builder wanted to get rid of and laid them on the floor of my coop - problem solved. most builders are happy to get rid of them because most are too tatty to sell on so they have to dispose of them somehow.

[ghost61]

Are they getting into the hen house itself, or the run?  If the run, then you can put secure rat bait stations down at night when the birds are locked up and remove them in the morning before letting the birds out. 

If they are getting into the house, then, as suggested, block the way in. 

If they are coming in during the daytime, then you have a real rat problem, as only the little ones dare to come out to feed in the daylight hours as they don't get a look in during the night.  If that is the case, you need to follow their run tracks to outside the coop and run and put some rat bait stations down.  We use some good ones that cannot be used by birds and we can also see whether any bait has been taken without disturbing the bait station.

We had a rat infestation years ago (before we had chickens) when someone took down an old bomb shelter nearby and they moved into our then wooden garage.  The chap from the council taught me loads about the habits of rats and since then we have never had any problems.  If you are interested in the stations we use let me know and I will look out a link.

[barley]

we had a really bad rat infestation a while back 

we put bowls of bait in there everynight whist the chooks were in safe out of the way and took it out during the day

they will take it down into any holes so try to put the bait near where you think they are - make sure you clear up any spilling's before you let the chooks out in the morning

it may take a week or so to kill them but keep it up it will work - we had 7 rats all together over a period of 8 weeks

think it's been a bad year for rats this year 

I now keep a permanent stash of bait down covered with a bucket with a hole cut in the side behind the run - pleased to say it is not being taken which means no rats or mice

[Sassy]

With loose bait, even in secure stations, they can leave a trail so check and clear up if they have. You can usually see where their runs are, especially at this time of year when the undergrowth has died back.

[themagicaltoad1]

 



If they are coming in during the daytime, then you have a real rat problem, as only the little ones dare to come out to feed in the daylight hours as they don't get a look in during the night. 


I wouldn't call the huge b***ers I see running around in the daytime "little ones". I've tried traps and bait boxes but they just keep coming.

[ghost61]

Ah Mr Toad imagine how big the night feeders are!   

[pepsi100]

I like these sticky traps, it dont just catch one, others come and see whats happening, caught 3 on one trap

[Sgun]

We had a minor rat problem this summer, I think with the mild winters they are up in numbers. Half our run is slabbed and half not, its covered in small weldmesh. We noticed the rat(s) was burying in under the frame into the non-slabbed bit so we got some spare plastic panels and dug them in down about a foot to prevent it burying in. It tried to dig under but only went down about 1/2 foot where it kept hitting the barrier.

We also stopped putting any food on the compost heap (carrot tops, cabbage leaves etc, the whole lot).

We made sure there was no feed left out overnight.

The rat moved on very quickly (or a cat or owl got it), no more problems.

[joyfull]

I used to use poison and do a dead rat check every morning before the chickens woke up until one of my dogs caught a rat that had just eaten the bait - this resulted in my Phoebe (a newfoundland) being very poorly and having to visit the vets at midnight the following day to get vitamin K injections and tablets for a week. We are lucky it was here and not my staffy cross who is a lot smaller because we wouldn't have been so lucky.
I now have a sonic device that emits a sound if anything crawls in front of it's PIR - since then we haven't had any more visits from the rats. The noise doesn't bother the dogs or the chickens.

[Helenaj]

I used to use poison and do a dead rat check every morning before the chickens woke up until one of my dogs caught a rat that had just eaten the bait - this resulted in my Phoebe (a newfoundland) being very poorly and having to visit the vets at midnight the following day to get vitamin K injections and tablets for a week. We are lucky it was here and not my staffy cross who is a lot smaller because we wouldn't have been so lucky.
I now have a sonic device that emits a sound if anything crawls in front of it's PIR - since then we haven't had any more visits from the rats. The noise doesn't bother the dogs or the chickens.

Hi Joyfull

What make sonic repellant are you using? I've had a look on-line and there are so many of them. I'd rather have one that's been tested by someone. Although I don't have them in the coop any more, if i can keep their run away from the chooks entirely I'll be a happy lady. I've been reluctant to use poison as well because I have terriers.

If you don't want to advertise the make on an open forum, would you please pm me?

Many thanks

Helena

[joyfull]

Hi Helena, I have just had a look on mine and there is no name on it and sadly I no longer have the box it came in. It is a battery operated one, quite large and green. It has like a trumpet at the top and a PIR beneath that. It has a dial so you can adjust it to scare other things such as deer etc. You can hear it working and it doesn't bother my dogs or my hens.

[Helenaj]

Thanks Joyfull!