4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Clur]

My neighbour popped over today to tell us 'we have a problem'....she'd seen a rat come out by our fence. The nieghbour blocked the gap her side, and about an hour later when the girls were free-ranging, the rat ran across our garden as bold as brass.

 

Can it be down to the fact we have chickens now, that we have got a rat(s)??? One of our neighbours is very anti the chickens, so that's the last thing I need!!!

 

Has anyone any good tips for getting rid of them? Preferably humanly. I suspect there may be a nest under our shed. Food source is limited for them - chook food is locked in our utility room, and corn and treats are usually put in the girls' run.....

[Egluntyne]

Rats will be attracted to the chicken food I'm afraid.

 

They are everywhere, living happily in compost bins etc, it is just that you are more likely to spot one during the day now that the chickens are there.

 

Clear all the likely hiding places such as under sheds and decking, check your compost bin for tunnels, if there are any, get the hosepipe out.

 

I have bait boxes all round my garden as we have had a problem intermittently.

 

Traps are useful too.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

The rats (and it will be ratS) were probably there all along - but if your neighbour is looking for a reason to object to the chickens, the appearance of rats would give them some valuable ammo. At least they aren't in the house !

 

I keep our compost heaps well watered and stirred even thought we've never seen any rats - it destroys the tunnels and speeds up the composting.

 

Isn't there a statistic about never being more than a few feet from a rat at any time? What a shame yours had the nerve to show himself in broad daylight!

[Olly]

Rats are always around, and always have been. Yes they are probably attracted by the chicken-food, but any rat looking for an easy meal has only to find a bird-table that is regularly filled. People who put rubbish out in unsealed bags, anyone who has garden pets like rabbits or GPs, and people who scatter bread, bacon rinds etc on the ground are just as likely to attract them.

 

Tackle the problem, but don't let your neighbour blame it on the chickens - rats don't just suddenly spring out of the ground from tiny rat-seeds!

[Lesley]

We've raised all our sheds and wooden chicken houses as the rats like to hide and nest under them. We used railway sleepers. We also have bait boxes.

[Rhapsody]

Humane traps work well if you bait them with something like peanut butter, as others have said this is just anti-chicken ammo. She must have bins, talk about them!

[susanbb]

You will probably always have had rats. I see them occasionally in our garden, but they were there before we had the girls. As a deterrent I've got bait boxes and bait bags spotted about the garden and "touchwood" have not seen one in a while, but I know that they are about as we live close to the railway line.

[Clur]

Thanks for the tips - I had wondered if they'd got into the composter, so will water and stir them regularly. We're pretty good at not leaving food out - even the pellets and corn are kept in the house as I didn't want to attract vermin, and most treats for the girls are given to them in their run.

 

With the bait boxes etc. are they ok to use with chickens or will I be best off keeping them in their run for a bit?

 

Thanks for your help - the least ammo I can leave for the neighbours, the better

[crazygal]

Hi, I just wanted to add that even if you are putting food in the chicken's run unbelievably a rat can still get in to get it...

 

we have experienced a rat burrowing underneath the eglu to enter the run, and also I have seen a rat take a run up the side of the run mesh and squeeze itself in through the top to help itself to food and drink - cheeky blighter

 

If your eglu is not on slabs I'd recommend putting some bits of concrete under the eglu each time you move it so the rat would have further to burrow to get in the run, also bring in any food at night.

 

Since seeing rats a few weeks ago and now being more scrupulous we have not seen any since (yet!)

 

HOpe you can sort them out.

[fionne]

Yes we have a similar problem with rats. As we have two greyhounds we have to be very careful so we use sealed bait boxes which are not too expensive and have proved very effective!! We had rats before we had our hens and I think it was due to the wild bird seed, we have six feeders around the garden!! Don't give yor neighbour any ammo!! Some people are funny about hens, one neighbour even complaining when our hens cackle during the day when one has laid an egg!!! Honestly, living in the middle of the New Forest you'd think they would learn to cope!! Perhaps they'd prefer a motor bike revving up or something!! All our other neighbours are lovely and enjoy the sound of the hens.