Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[mafia princess]

It's been 2 weeks and 2 days since Treacle and Toffee arrived to fluff up my empty nest. Antonia and Francesca (daughters-not chickens) think the whole chicken 'thing' is to replace them (they have both married and left home within a space of 6 months) and maybe they are right but it doesn't stop them popping back home to see how they are doing! My OH who "is having nothing to do with this chicken lark" has dug, built fences, attached chicken wire and I have just discovered, secretly checked on them early every morning before leaving for work at 7am ( 20 mins before I get up and let them out)!

 

Well Treacle and Toffee are well settled, laying 6 out of 7 days a week and will now venture along the top level of our decking. Treacle is very confident in striding down the steps to reach the lawn and have a good peck about and I suspect has found a nice dust bath area. Toffee, despite being top of the pecking order in the eglu, won't go down the steps unless I lift her down. However, she can easily make her way back up. They love to explore and both will happily make there way back into the run with a few mealworm treats leading the way!

 

However, I may have spotted movement on the lower level and heading under the decking - possible a rat! As I am not normally in the garden at dusk, this may have always been the case, but now I am worried about encouraging the chooks to explore further. I bring the feed in every night and rake over the wood bark. I clean any poop up in the garden so am not sure what else to do. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

[Lavenders_Blue]

It's possible that it is a rat - they are quite fond of living under decking whether or not you have chickens

 

You're doing the right thing by bringing the food in at night, this is what a rat would be after. You could also try setting traps under your decking if there is any way of reaching under there or better still, call the rat catcher from the council. He will come and put down bait boxes in your garden. These are inaccessible for other animals (i.e. your hens!) and the bait is fixed in place so the rat can't take it away, it has to eat it when in the box.

 

Of course, it could be a mouse in which case it had better watch out as your girls will probably have him for breakfast sooner or later!

[mafia princess]

Thank you for your advice Lavenders-Blue. Hopefully it was a mouse! The chooks were happy this morning when I let them out so they had obviously had an undisturbed night. I will monitor the situation closely and possibly speak to the council if I think there is more than just the odd visitor. The other issue is that our neighbours cat no longer lounges in our garden since the girls saw him off! Perhaps I should encourage him back.

[Egluntyne]

Some advice **here**

[mafia princess]

Thanks Egluntyne,

Really useful advice, maybe all the 'pretty' ivy growing around the edges of the decking needs to be trimmed back and investigating - a job for my dear husband I think!

[Valkyrie]

My not quite too close neighbours had the rats under their decking before we had chickens. If it was a rat you would be able to smell them - very pungent they are. As you are taking the food in, there is not much else to do. The rats might be around because one of your neighbours likes to feed the wild birds.

[mafia princess]

Ok, so tonight the neighbours have just knocked on the door to tell us they have seen a rat heading our way towards the chickens! I was obviously right - fortunately Treacle and Toffee had already gone to bed and I had shut the door and brought the food in. I think it is the layer crumb that may be the problem as they are flicking it about and it is mixing in with the wood bark. I did wonder if changing to pellets would make a difference - any advice on that please?

 

I am a little freaked out as I don't want the neighbours blaming me so I think I will be heading off to find some kind of poison. Also it looks like I will be doing a lot of cutting back of greenery this weekend.

 

Thanks for the reassurance Valkyrie - it is good to know that there could be other things/people aiding and abetting the situation!

[karena]

Mine flick their mash around. But I'm afraid they also used to flick their pellets around too I don't know what it is Ava thinks she will find in the bottom of the grub