Eggselent Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Hello Strange time of year to be chickening perhaps but we are finally ready to do our tiny back garden and part of that plan is to put in a fixed area for chooks. where we are (seaside town, urban, etc) there’s plenty of rats about I’m sure. I don’t want to give them a chance to get a taste for chicken food and I’m wondering if anywhere sells rat proof runs or if it is possible to make them. The eglu runs aren’t. I’m unsure whether framebow/flyte so fancy would be. Or is there another option..... still can’t decide what coop to go for (cube, framebow, flyte so fancy) but I guess that kind of hinges on the above. thankyou for any help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 It is difficult to totally rat-proof any run/coop as they can squeeze through quite small holes, but sturdy weldmesh of not more than an inch gauge will help. I have never seen any sight of rats, but do have precautionary bait boxes around the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Get a trigger happy chicken feeder and raise it gradually until it is as high as possible or get Grandpa's Feeder or treadle feeder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Weldmesh and bait boxes, plus taking food AND water in at night are the best preventive measures I’ve found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheChickenMan Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 This feeder is good and worth reading the reviews. Best to stop a problem happening before it happens, not after! https://homgar.com/products/rat-proof-chicken-feeder#shopify-product-reviews 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Dan, that looks good! Did it take your chickens long to work it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheChickenMan Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 (edited) It did a bit Patricia, I only have one and 9 birds as I wanted to be sure it worked before i invested in another. However I let the feed run out in the trough I was also using and the feeder has been emptied a few times! There are various video reviews on youtube which are useful. Seems to be very good at stopping vermin... Although I would be keen to hear from someone where it actually stopped a problem if there are any on this forum. It was the wifes biggest hang up about chickens - the vermin their feed attracts, so I promised to take all the steps I could Edited December 9, 2019 by DanTheChickenMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I have a Flyte so Fancy walk in run. It sits on paving slabs, it is good sturdy weld mesh and fingers crossed no rats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I think Grandmashazzie, you are right! A traditional run on slabs with weldmesh is the answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...