bigbear Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 ok we have read up and 99% convinced about the benifits of keeping chickens, however there is just one thing that keeps coming up and putting us off. Rats. just about every bit of info we find says they go hand in hand , and while not particular rat phobic , we have no wish to encourage them to our garden. I know that they are probably there anyway, but if they are we don't see them. so what is everyone elses experience ? does the eglu system discourage rats as well as foxes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Welcome to the forum . just about every bit of info we find says they go hand in hand I'm not sure that's strictly true. Perhaps if you have rats in your area already, they may be attracted by the chickens' feed but taking care over storage and cleaning up any spilt feed would reduce the risk. Although there are a few people on the forum who have posted about rats, the majority don't seem to have any problems with them. I've certainly never seen one. Hope that helps you to dispel that 1% doubt - you won't regret keeping chickens . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Touch wood ..no rats and my house is 500 yards from a wood.. I think it would be different if food was left around especcially in the winter. Around about us there are a lot of windfall apples and pears at the moment I am sure that they are an attraction if any , and don't forget bird seed and nuts. Get your chickens, you won't regret it ,they will change your life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 IF you are unlucky enough to get rats they are only a real problem if you do nothing about them. good quality rat bait is easy enough to get as are bait boxes. I've had chucks coming up to 3 years and no rats. go for it chickens are great pets they are an addiction through I started with 3 now have about 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphisto Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hello and welcome! I can certainly vouch for chicken keeping being addictive, we got 3 chickens 2 weeks ago and a week later bought another 2! It's also good for stress busting and very, very rewarding. You'd never believe how much personality they have! Now trying to convince the OH that we SHOULD get some ex-batts! We live in a rural area and our garden backs onto woodland, we've never seen rats but ever since we moved in, we have had human traps in the garden, more for the fact we have cats and we didn't want them bringing rats in, as yet, no rats. We have a heavy duty coup which my other half has dug in to the soil and ditto with the pen. Have noticed that in most retailers we have got chicken items from, they do mesh which claims to be rodent proof, though I haven't tested it myself. As the others have said, it's a common sense approach really, same as you would do if you didn't have chickens, don't leave food lying around etc. I would highly recommend chicken keeping to anyone, they are wonderful animals, so funny, so full or personality, 2 of mine love cuddles, the other 3 can't be bothered. I've just had 5 of them banging on the patio doors with their beaks because it's windy and they want to come in the house! Once you have chickens, you never look back! Good luck and hope you let us know when you get your chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 we have had human traps in the garden, Don't you like your neighbours ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphisto Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Not really they keep wanting to come round and cuddle the girls, gotta stop them somehow! I'm very protective of my chicken cuddles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloss-Hen Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 we take our chooks food out of there pen and put it in our garage and so far we havent had rats : ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevtheplumber Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Were 20 yards from woods and 500 yards from water. Never had a rat problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexhen Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Funnily enough when we moved into our current house within a few days we found a rat in the garage - called the council out to lay traps but never saw another one. A couple of months later we got our first chickens and have still never seen any further evidence of rats so I'm sure that as long as you keep the food indoors then hens don't necessaily mean rats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue_F Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 If you keep the food inside or in a shed (we keep ours in the shed in a metal dustbin) you should be fine. We've only just got ours and are completely loving it!!! get them ASAP!!! Katy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pips_pekins Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 I agree with what everyone else has said! I was really worried about rats, noise and smell but went ahead and got 4 bantams in May. Every night, I bring in all food, water and grit. Food and chicken related things are stored in either a plastic shed or a big plastic bin with secure lid. So far, thank goodness, no rats Lots of people put food out for the birds. I do think this is just as likely to attract rats/mice etc and it is usually left out all the time. I am really glad we went ahead and got our girls. Do let us know what you get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 I had a rat problem earlier in the year as I live in the countryside and this can tend to go hand in hand. After some excellent advice from this forum and some rather drastic action on my part I have totally got the problem under control and I can honestly say that I havent seen a rat in months. I honestly think that if you do not have rats in your garden now then keeping chickens will not change that as long as you clear away spilt food and bring food in at night and if you are unlucky and get a few then they are easily dealt with. Go for it!! Chickens are Great fun and I wouldnt be without mine!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMoo Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Had my chickens for 2 years now and never seen any rats!!!!! I only have trouble with mice and thats because my darn cat keep's bringing me dead ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 We have woods and a stream just behind our garden... There are rats near the stream.... Never in the garden... Although our cat will bring us a dead rat from the woods every now and then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahato3 Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 We also had a rat problem earlier in the year. It was the one and only time in two years of keeping chickens that I have seen them despite living on the edge of a golf course/woods with a stream running through the bottom of the garden!! In addition, our neighbours on both sides have completely decked their gardens, so when you consider that we have chickens, quail and guinea pigs it all adds up to create 5star rat accommodation. We had to take great care to deal with them swiftly, take up our food wherever possible and most importantly store all animal feed carefully. (I use metal bins) I can honestly say that we have not seen any for months, whereas, before they were very obvious. I wouldn't let it put you off keeping chickens. It is such a fulfilling pastime!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
