Hey everyone!
I’m battling a relentless rat problem in my chicken coop. These pests are stealing eggs, devouring feed, and even chewing through wooden nesting boxes! I’ve tried snap traps and sealing gaps with steel wool, but the rats outsmart me every time. With my hens stressed and feed costs skyrocketing, I need safe, chicken-friendly solutions ASAP.
My situation:
- Hotspots: Feed storage area, gaps under coop doors, and corners near nesting boxes.
- Damage: Lost 20+ eggs this month. Rats are tunneling under the coop, risking structural collapse.
- Attempted fixes: Metal trash cans for feed, peppermint oil sprays, and nightly trap checks, still overrun.
Rats HATE hardware cloth! Replace chicken wire with 1/4-inch hardware cloth on coop walls/floors. Also, elevate feeders on poles with baffles. My rats vanished in a week!
@HenHero Get a barn cat! My two mousers patrol the coop nightly. Just ensure they’re well-fed so they don’t bother hens.
For feed, use metal bins with locking lids (rats can’t chew through).
Bucket traps! Fill a 5-gallon bucket with 4 inches of water, add floating birdseed, and lean a ramp. Rats jump in for the seed and drown. Zero risk to chickens!
@TrapMaster Add a spin wheel over the bucket, rats can’t climb out! Check daily to remove carcasses (prevents stink).
Winter = rat invasion season! Before frost, clear vegetation around the coop and lay gravel trenches to block burrowing. Also, motion-activated lights scare them off.
Sprinkle cayenne pepper around feed areas, rats hate the heat, chickens don’t care! Reapply after rain. Also, clean spilled feed DAILY, rats feast on crumbs.
Elevate the coop 12+ inches on concrete blocks. Rats can’t climb smooth surfaces. For nesting boxes, use metal liners, they’ll chew wood but not steel!
Avoid rat poison! Chickens might eat poisoned rats and get secondary toxicity. Snap traps baited with peanut butter work best. Place them along rat runways (look for grease marks on walls).
I swaddle my feed bags in welding blankets, too thick for rats to gnaw. Also, radio tuned to talk shows 24/7, rats hate human voices!
Installed hardware cloth + bucket traps. Caught 8 rats in 3 nights! Anyone use solar-powered ultrasonic repellents? Do they bother hens?
Rats breed fastest in fall! Deploy traps aggressively in September. For stubborn infestations, biological control, introduce guinea fowl. They’re loud, rat-alert guardians!
@CoopDefender2023 Elevated feeders and hardware cloth have changed the game for me, rats just can’t reach the goodies anymore.
@TrapMaster Love the bucket trap idea! I added a solar spinner on top, it’s like the rat version of a carnival ride and way more humane than setting loose poison.
I sprinkle cayenne around the feed trays every evening, chickens don’t mind, but rats definitely steer clear after the first whiff.
I upgraded my nesting boxes with metal sheets around the base, rats chew wood but the steel stops them cold.
@PrepperPat Motion-activated lights around the coop’s perimeter have been clutch, rats hate being in the spotlight, and I sleep better knowing the coop’s guarded.
@FarmCatFan I’m a big proponent of barn cats too! Just make sure they’re litter-trained, less bird drama and more rat patrol overnight.
I lock away feed in metal bins inside a small shed separate from the coop. Keeps the scent contained and prevents solo raids when coop doors are open.