Keeping chickens, in addition to the usual concerns about the cleanliness and satiety of the charges, also presents unpleasant surprises, such as the appearance of pests. The invasion of rats must be stopped at the very first signs.
Otherwise, they will cause irreparable damage to the household. There are many methods for getting rid of rats in a chicken coop. It is important to choose the safest for chickens and the most effective against rodents.
Reasons why rats appear in a chicken coop
The chicken coop is a real paradise for rats. It is dry and warm here in winter. There is plenty of food: in addition to full feeders intended for the main inhabitants of the chicken coop and stocks of mixed feed or grain, the hens lay tasty eggs. Rats are most active at night.
Typically, a chicken coop is a separate building with an open hatch for the chickens. Rats have a unique ability to penetrate and settle even in closed spaces, especially if there is an opportunity to enter unhindered.
In addition to an open chicken run, the main way for rats to enter a chicken coop is through clay floors and the absence of a foundation. That is why it is recommended to build a solid structure for chickens rather than a temporary home. Fill the floors with a solid layer of dense building material, such as concrete, and only add natural bedding on top to absorb moisture and provide insulation.
Rats can even appear in chicken coops that are located on piles high above the ground. The reasons are simple – rodents are excellent at climbing vertical surfaces. In nature, some of them lead a semi-arboreal lifestyle.
How Rodents Can Harm Chickens
Chickens, which react very aggressively to mice and catch them no worse than cats, react very carefully to rats. Over time, they simply get used to their presence.
The appearance of rodents in the chicken coop creates huge problems:
- Rodents are carriers of dangerous infectious diseases. They are regulars of garbage cans and dumps. Even having settled in a chicken coop, they do not stop their raids on breeding grounds of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. Moving between neighboring poultry houses, they can easily bring with them pathogens of chicken diseases, which pose a threat to humans.
- In addition to infections, they bring parasites with them. Along with them, fleas and ticks may appear in the chicken coop.
- Rats manage to steal not only food from feeders, but also grain reserves, compound feed, vitamin and mineral supplements, and root vegetables. The latter is especially dangerous: by damaging the integrity of vegetables, they provoke their rotting and spoilage.
- Rats steal eggs. Even though most of them prefer plant food, they cannot deny themselves such a delicacy.
By harming the chickens, these animals also damage the chicken coop itself. By building a system of passages and holes for their comfort, they gradually destroy the structural elements.
Methods of struggle
At home, people have been fighting rats in chicken coops for as long as the entire history of poultry farming goes back. It is impossible to destroy them, but there are ways to protect your chickens from them.
Progress has made great strides. Special devices and chemicals are produced at the industrial level. There are biological and mechanical methods of exterminating rats. Folk methods have not lost their relevance and effectiveness. Therefore, it is up to you to decide how to remove rats from a chicken coop, choosing from the existing variety of means.
Ultrasonic devices
One of the most progressive and at the same time humane ways to destroy rats is to use an ultrasonic repeller. The principle of action consists of the targeted irritation of the sense organs and nervous system of rodents. It causes panic, fear, and discomfort, and due to the ability to change the settings, it does not cause addiction.
In addition to rats, a powerful ultrasonic repeller will help get rid of mice and moles in the vicinity of the chicken coop. If you have rabbits, it is better not to use such devices.
When purchasing, pay attention to the range – it should be at least enough for the area of the chicken coop.
Folk
The appearance of rats in a chicken coop always happens at the wrong time, and it is necessary to act as quickly as possible. If there is no opportunity to quickly acquire one of the newfangled inventions, you can destroy rats using the richest folk experience:
- Use stove ash. It is scattered around the chicken coop at the rate of 1 standard 10-liter bucket per 5-10 m2 of floor surface. It is believed that alkali has a detrimental effect on the digestive system of rodents, helping to destroy them. Even if it does not affect the uninvited guests, the ash will help the chickens get rid of parasites.
- Fumigation of a chicken coop with burning wool. If you set fire to a woolen sock fumigate the room with it, and spread the remains with traces of burning around the perimeter of the walls, you can get rid of rats for a long time. They carefully avoid danger, and the smell of fire is the best way to make them save themselves and flee the chicken coop. As an option, it is suggested to set fire to a rat carcass using alcohol: put it on a metal tray and fumigate the chicken coop.
- Use bait. The easiest way to destroy rats is with their passion for tasty food. To do this, mix alabaster, cement, or lime into bulk products such as flour or sugar. It is recommended to place a container of water nearby to ensure a reaction, but this is not necessary – after eating, the rat itself will find a source of moisture.
- The second bait option is lard or meat, preferably with a strong smell, such as smoked, placed on a piece of wood inside a half-filled barrel of water. It is placed in the middle of the chicken coop overnight and a ladder is placed for the convenience of the pest. In the morning, the catch is checked.
Biological
Cats are natural enemies of rats. Not all of them, but only the bravest ones – rat-catchers. As a rule, these are ordinary yard cats. In villages, they are worth their weight in gold. They reliably help to get rid of gray parasites, but there is always a risk that the useful predator will start stealing chickens.
Some breeds of terriers can catch rats, but they need to be trained first.
In order not to look for a purebred dog and not overpay for it and its training, there are recommendations to raise a rat that has the same qualities. To do this, you need to catch several live and healthy rodents. Place them without food in a barrel and securely close. The surviving individual will forever become a threat to its kind. It is guaranteed to help destroy all pests in the area. It takes time, but it works.
In addition to natural enemies that help destroy rats physically, some plants act no less effectively. Mint and elderberry have a repellent property.
You can also stock up on seeds and grass of Blackroot officinalis. According to popular belief, rats are afraid of its smell. The prickly seeds pose a serious threat to their fur: they cling tightly. The grass is laid out in the found passages or along the perimeter of the chicken coop.
Mechanical
Rats in the chicken coop require maximum caution. To destroy them, it is not enough to set a trap or a snare. It is necessary to do this in such a way that the chickens are not harmed. It is necessary to take into account that rats are extremely smart pests and avoid such devices.
Craftsmen invent quite clever devices for catching them. For example, a large jar, the inner walls of which are covered with oil, and at the bottom there is a piece of delicacy: chickens will not climb into it, and a rat, having slipped down, will not be able to get out.
In addition to the means and knowledge of measures to destroy rats, it is a good idea to arrange mechanical prevention of their appearance:
- dig sheet iron or fine mesh around the chicken coop to a depth of about 50 cm;
- carefully seal all cracks and holes in the foundation and walls. It is recommended to add broken glass to the solution;
- raise the nests above floor level;
- Do not leave or store feed in the chicken coop for a long time.
Chemicals
Industrial poultry farms destroy rats immediately and for sure. Chickens are quarantined, and the chicken coop is treated by spraying toxic substances inside. Such measures cannot be carried out at home: professional derivatization requires serious financial investments.
It is much easier to destroy rats with the help of available chemicals: they are sold in markets, veterinary pharmacies, and hardware stores. True, the preparations and their form of disguise will have to be changed periodically. Animals learn to avoid dangerous treats or simply get used to the poison.
Among the most popular drugs are “Krysid” and “Krysinaya smart”. It is recommended to buy products based on denatonium benzoate, for example, Bittrex. In addition, there are Ratindan and Zoocoumarin on the market, as well as Phosphide and Zinc.
Keeping Chickens Safe When Using Poisons
It is easy and quick to kill rats with poisons. However, the process is associated with danger for all living creatures in the area. Chickens, cats, dogs, and even small children are at risk if poisonous substances are placed in places accessible to them.
It is recommended to place the poison in closed boxes with through holes designed only for rats. However, even this precaution does not guarantee absolute safety. Having eaten the poison, the rat can go about its business. If death overtakes it in an open space, then everyone will be at risk: from cats to curious chickens. Therefore, the chicken coop should be regularly inspected for corpses and thrown out promptly.
It is much more difficult to get rid of rats than to prevent their appearance. Before building a chicken coop, think about the structure of the building. By maximally strengthening the foundation and pouring the floors, you will get rid of one of the risk factors. Cleanliness, regular sanitary and hygienic measures, and control over the feed will help to avoid a mass invasion of uninvited guests.
