computer mouse and rat are more of a nuisance than a true threat to adult Gallus gallus . While they ’re certainly capable of killing chicks , only a very prominent , very hungry and very motivated gnawer will attempt to kill an grownup volaille . Rodents be given to view the coop as a warm , dry shelter in which to make a nest , specially if there is chicken feed to feast on nearby . To get disembarrass of them , the first gradation is to not attract them .
Eliminate Sources of Food & Water
To begin to eradicate gnawer , stop providing a restaurant serving in and around your chicken coop . bump off feeders and waterer from your coop and running game at crepuscle , and strip up any spilled rations that might attract rodents .
hive away your feed in tightly lidded metal container . you’re able to also apply heavy - responsibility , lidded plastic totes , but you will need to scrutinize these regularly as gnawer can manducate through plastic .
If you give your flock kitchen scraps , fair anything leave uneaten before dour or the rodents will find it . Do not impart pressed seed or suet cakes or other “ tedium fellow ” in any area your chickens frequent , as these will draw rodents as well .
Similarly , do n’t exit pet food or wild fowl feeders outside overnight . The rodent ’s keen gumption of olfactory perception will quick settle these .
If you store your family refuse outside , keep it inside your garage instead . irrespective of placement , keep your trash strong by hive away it in rodent - proof container . If you have yield trees , nibble ripe yield oftentimes and do not leave alone fallen fruit on the ground .
Collect your hens ’ eggs day by day to remove that author of intellectual nourishment as well . Finally , do not leave sprinklers on at night as these become a root of water for rodents . Check your garden hoses for any leaks that might create standing water system from which stinker can drink .
Read more : Nip a pest problem in the bud with smart rat trap .
Weed Out Potential Nesting Materials & Hiding Places
While rodents may use their own fur to line their nests , they ’ll mirthfully employ anything at hired hand .
Avoid using shuck or lawn clipping in your volaille runs . Not only can rats hide in these , but they ’ll carry it down to their nest as lining .
Keep your lawn cut down to eliminate magniloquent grasses where gnawer can shroud , and be sure to trim or dope whack any flora that grows tall than 12 inches near your coop , your run fence and other edifice .
Dryer lint blown out of venthole is another favorite , so check that to regularly ensure these gap . If potential , close them off with quarter - inch hardware mesh .
eradicate piles of junk on your property . rodent love the hiding places clutter creates . Rats also often turn batch of firewood into lair , so keep your logs neatly stacked , at least 18 inches off the priming coat and well away from walls and fences .
Ifroof ratsare a problem , reduce any branch that beetle your coop and melt down or touch overhead wires or other trees . And prune back any common ivy mature on the wall or branches that cloak down to the ground .
Evicting Resident Rodents
All of these forethought will make your hencoop and property less inviting to rodents , but you still have to deal with the unity that are already in residence .
Snap traps are an effective countermeasure to a so-and-so infestation . If you have identified tunnel entrances or rails , do snap sand trap near these hole and hard trip areas .
Peanut butter , oatmeal and pet food for thought can be used as bait , but we have had great achiever using chicken feed . Be certain that you do not do up the ambush until your flock is locked up for the dark and your dearie are inside . A snap trap can seriously injure or even drink down a rum animal .
Like other sources of food for thought , take away the traps during the daytime , preferably before a chicken decides to investigate it .
Electronic traps are also highly in force . These usually run on batteries , entice a rat in via ultrasonics , then zap it once it is inside .
Somewhat less effective are mucilage boards , which are like to fly newspaper except for rodents . These work well for mice , but the larger rat can wrest itself out of this steamy position .
Read more : Evict rats from your poulet coop — and keep them out for near !
Set Colony Traps
Colony bunker are multicatch trap , meaning they can hold more than one mouse at a time . The small metal box have an incoming hole on either goal that contains a one - way threshold , meaning mice enter and ca n’t get out . The prissy part about them is they ’re on duty 24/7 without maintenance , except for withdraw trapped mice . Again , no hook is take if localize against the wall in the normal travel road . All mice caught in a colony trap will be animated if you mark off them frequently , so you will need a programme for cover with them . Mice are not at all leery of these devices and will enter them readily .
Colony traps are like small John Cage . Again , the rat will hesitate to go in them at first . My experience is once one finally proceed in , they all go , but it might take day or even weeks .
Apply Rodenticides
poison are often a last resort for the wimp keeper and should be used with caution around your farm animal or domestic fowl . Always place poisons in containment boxes . In most areas , this is the only sound way to practice them .
verify the box are lock in in some way . Many of them snap shut and require a tool to open up , while others take to be lock with a screwing or similar fastening . This will keep them from opening and expose the subject to nontarget animals .
I prefer poison blocks over pellets , as the closure can be fasten to the inside of the box and are more unmanageable for rodents to remove . Pellets can easily be withdraw from the boxes , which is hazardous to your spate .
When using any rodenticide , do n’t continually habituate the same one over and over , as rodents will eventually work up up an resistance to the chemical substance . If a rodent snack on a poisonous substance block and gets a stomachache and then recovers , it ’s now resistant to that particular cocktail , so change it up often . Also , keep the box maintained — don’t run out of toxicant — and keep them well - fed .
Be mindful of junior-grade intoxication to domesticated creature , such as cats and dogs , and in wildlife that might consume poisoned rodents . lower-ranking toxic condition is rare , but it can happen .
More Information
dispose of a rodent requires extra precautions , due to the diseases and parasites it express on its pelt and tegument . apply disposable gloves to nibble up the consistency , then double suitcase it in plastic traveling bag and station it in your garbage bank identification number .
Do not leave a rodent in a trap for foresightful , as it will draw insects that can spread any diseases the rat carried . Also , the carcase can end up a source of food for other rats and any scavengers you have in the field .
This article originally appeared in the May / June 2023 issue ofChickensmagazine .
