Help . . . Rats!

[Amazonlover]

Hello,

Hoping someone here can help me. I have a coop and a run that I built with hardware cloth running the perimeter of the area (one exception is that I couldn’t run hardware cloth under the stairs, but it’s running underneath both sides of the stairs, just not the front). The cloth is buried two feet deep and then runs up the side of the coop/run approximately two feet. The coop is about 3 feet off the ground at one end, and touching the ground at the other (my backyard is a hill so the coop is almost built into the hill). I have a camera placed under the coop, as well as two in the coop-so that I can watch my five hens (they like to hang out under the coop when it’s warm). Today I spotted a rat in the run, trying to drink from their water container. I have a treadle feeder, and a good one (though sometimes the spring “springs” and I have to find it and reinstall it). Tonight I saw there are actually two rats under the coop. I have no idea how they got in though I obviously have a gap somewhere. How do I get rid of them? Can I set traps in the area under the coop that my chickens can’t get to? I’ve read traps and poisons only work for so long. I’m also supposed to be getting two new chicks this Tuesday. The plan has always been for the brooder to be in my house, but eventually I’d like to release them into the coop with the other girls-probably at 6 weeks.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Any hole the size of a quarter or larger will allow a rat to enter. Sounds like you built a fort knox coop which is good and invested in a good feeder. Find the hole. The rats can climb so you need 360 degree coverage. A picture of the coop might help on advice.

The feeder, if the spring is coming off that needs fixed. The rats might have figured out the feeder at times is compromised and are hanging around. Fix this first before resorting to traps or poisons.

Send a picture of both ends of the springs please. They need a good hook on both ends with a 180 degree hook. You have to be careful bending them though to avoid metal fatigue and breakage.

If it is one or our older exposed spring models where the spring goes on the door crank, we have two other ways to mount the springs that costs nothing for one method, and only the cost of a new spring for the second method or you can upgrade to a dual spring, infinitely adjustable spring system that hides both of the springs.

 

[Amazonlover]

Any hole the size of a quarter or larger will allow a rat to enter. Sounds like you built a fort knox coop which is good and invested in a good feeder. Find the hole. The rats can climb so you need 360 degree coverage. A picture of the coop might help on advice.

The feeder, if the spring is coming off that needs fixed. The rats might have figured out the feeder at times is compromised and are hanging around. Fix this first before resorting to traps or poisons.

Send a picture of both ends of the springs please. They need a good hook on both ends with a 180 degree hook. You have to be careful bending them though to avoid metal fatigue and breakage.

If it is one or our older exposed spring models where the spring goes on the door crank, we have two other ways to mount the springs that costs nothing for one method, and only the cost of a new spring for the second method or you can upgrade to a dual spring, infinitely adjustable spring system that hides both of the springs.

Thanks @Al Gerhart, I’m including some pics. The first and second are of a gigantic hole I found, in a corner that I thought had been covered by hardware cloth but, as you can see, it’s a tremendous gap in the system. I plan on filling that hole with xcluder wool fill cloth, and expanding spray foam. Then patching the entire area with hardware cloth. The third pic is of the spring on the treadle feeder. I don’t want to take it off because I managed to trap at least two rats underneath the coop and they can get to the feeder and I have no interest in feeding them. The hook at one end of the spring had somehow broken off (I could not find it with my metal detector so have been concerned that one of my chickens will eat it), so I stretched the spring and clamped the end closed with pliers. The other end is tucked into the top corner of the feeder but it’s a jerryrig so who knows how long it’ll last. I’m interested in the dual spring thing you mention. Especially if it means I won’t have to go hunting for the spring with my metal detector anymore.


The last photo is of my chickens, who are unhappy at being coop bound. But I’m not going to let them out while I have two rats trapped in the run. I’ve ordered a bait trap box and TeraD3 bait and have paid to have it shipped overnight. I will put the box with the bait in the run as soon as it gets here and hopefully by then the rats will be hungry enough that they’ll immediately go for the bait. But not letting the chickens out until the rats are gone. I blocked off two holes with rocks inside the run that I think were access points for the rats. So I can either unblock the holes and hope they exit on their own, or wait for the bait and bait box to get here and kill them. I’m inclined to want to take them out, only because I don’t want them coming back. I know rats are intelligent and I’m not a fan of killing any animal unnecessarily but my chickens are my babies, and I feel the need to protect them. What do you think?

 

[Al Gerhart]

I'd skip the steel wool and spray foam, rats can get through that in minutes, go with the hardware cloth patching. I agree, protect the flock if possible without poison or trapping.

Yes, you do have a good feeder! LOL Looks to be a couple of years old from the spring mounting system, outside, hooked over the top of the feeder. It has the counterweight, correct? You can just take a pair of pliers and bend a new end on the spring but it being stretched out compromises its strength and ability to keep the rats out. Order a new one, same place you bought the feeder, in the parts and upgrade kit section.

There are two ways to improve the spring mounting. First and the cheapest, one of the improvements we made around three years ago, drill a series of holes along the top edge of the right side of the top of the feeder. Get a three pack of springs, roughly $1.50 per spring plus the shipping costs, hook the spring into the door crank just like you have done in the picture, stretch it up to the top of the feeder and mark how high the spring stretches. You want to go up another 5/8" to 3/4" to the the spring in tension as the first "stretch" of the spring is less powerful than the remaining "stretch". That should be a quarter of an inch below the top of the feeder. Put the first hole near the corner, then put more holes to the left every 3/8" of an inch. You can move the spring back and forth until it is perfect tension, usually the third or fourth hole from the right. Now, this isn't the best method, it got the spring out of the way of the soft close mechanism but it also pulls the door to the left and might wear the hard plastic tubing spacer on the left end of the door axle.

The next improvement we made was going from that exterior spring mounting to an interior mount, up under the front cover. You need as #2 square drive (some are philipps, some might be #1 square drive recently) screwdriver bit to remove the front cover. Drill two 1/8" holes (size isn't critical) about 1 7/8" down from the top of the door and about the same from each side of the door. The LONG end of the spring hooks into those holes, it is important to follow that instruction to get the barrel of the spring away from the door where it cranks over. Next, pull the spring up, mark a hole about 5/8" to 3/4" above where the spring pulls to without stretching it. Drill that hole, then more holes again 3/8" higher for each hole. This is better because it pulls the door straight up instead of pulling the door to the side. You can splay the springs inward a bit or go straight up, as long as there are two it will keep the door centered. Replace the front cover.

So far you have spent only $8.35 for the three springs and shipping. If you want to go to the latest version, drill the same holes in the door but this time the dual spring conversion kit (comes with a pack of springs) hooks over the top of the feed tray, the short end of the springs hook into the L bracket at the bottom where the lock nut is threaded on the bolt, the long end of the springs hook into the door holes you drilled, then tighten the nut until the lower L bracket that the springs hook into is around 1" away from the top L bracket. That "should" give you four to five pounds of treadle weight needed and result in around one to 1.5 pounds of resistance if a rat tried to push the door open. More than enough. It takes far, far less, but doors do need to be spring loaded or rats will push them open even with a counterweight. Oh, your old counterweight should be removed if you do the dual spring conversion kit.

 

[Amazonlover]

I'd skip the steel wool and spray foam, rats can get through that in minutes, go with the hardware cloth patching. I agree, protect the flock if possible without poison or trapping.

Yes, you do have a good feeder! LOL Looks to be a couple of years old from the spring mounting system, outside, hooked over the top of the feeder. It has the counterweight, correct? You can just take a pair of pliers and bend a new end on the spring but it being stretched out compromises its strength and ability to keep the rats out. Order a new one, same place you bought the feeder, in the parts and upgrade kit section.

There are two ways to improve the spring mounting. First and the cheapest, one of the improvements we made around three years ago, drill a series of holes along the top edge of the right side of the top of the feeder. Get a three pack of springs, roughly $1.50 per spring plus the shipping costs, hook the spring into the door crank just like you have done in the picture, stretch it up to the top of the feeder and mark how high the spring stretches. You want to go up another 5/8" to 3/4" to the the spring in tension as the first "stretch" of the spring is less powerful than the remaining "stretch". That should be a quarter of an inch below the top of the feeder. Put the first hole near the corner, then put more holes to the left every 3/8" of an inch. You can move the spring back and forth until it is perfect tension, usually the third or fourth hole from the right. Now, this isn't the best method, it got the spring out of the way of the soft close mechanism but it also pulls the door to the left and might wear the hard plastic tubing spacer on the left end of the door axle.

The next improvement we made was going from that exterior spring mounting to an interior mount, up under the front cover. You need as #2 square drive (some are philipps, some might be #1 square drive recently) screwdriver bit to remove the front cover. Drill two 1/8" holes (size isn't critical) about 1 7/8" down from the top of the door and about the same from each side of the door. The LONG end of the spring hooks into those holes, it is important to follow that instruction to get the barrel of the spring away from the door where it cranks over. Next, pull the spring up, mark a hole about 5/8" to 3/4" above where the spring pulls to without stretching it. Drill that hole, then more holes again 3/8" higher for each hole. This is better because it pulls the door straight up instead of pulling the door to the side. You can splay the springs inward a bit or go straight up, as long as there are two it will keep the door centered. Replace the front cover.

So far you have spent only $8.35 for the three springs and shipping. If you want to go to the latest version, drill the same holes in the door but this time the dual spring conversion kit (comes with a pack of springs) hooks over the top of the feed tray, the short end of the springs hook into the L bracket at the bottom where the lock nut is threaded on the bolt, the long end of the springs hook into the door holes you drilled, then tighten the nut until the lower L bracket that the springs hook into is around 1" away from the top L bracket. That "should" give you four to five pounds of treadle weight needed and result in around one to 1.5 pounds of resistance if a rat tried to push the door open. More than enough. It takes far, far less, but doors do need to be spring loaded or rats will push them open even with a counterweight. Oh, your old counterweight should be removed if you do the dual spring conversion kit.

Let me ask you, since I purchased this feeder from your company, I’ve been thinking ing about moving this old treadle feeder to the inside of the coop for days where they have to be kept inside and purchasing a new feeder for outside. If I go with a new one, can I get it with these holes pre drilled for the dual spring (and will it still allow for soft close)? I am not the most handy and have been doing everything on my own (except for construction of the coop, obviously), and am quite sure I will screw up what you’ve described to me.

 

[Al Gerhart]

The medium feeders all come with the latest improvements including the dual spring tension system. You pull it out of the box, bolt on the treadle same as last time, insert the wire link, same as last time, and adjust the spring tension if you have small birds. It comes set around 4 to 5 pounds of treadle weight needed. You will need a #1 square drive screwdriver or bit for a cordless drill/screwdriver to remove the front cover and a couple of small wrenches or one wrench and a socket for adjusting the spring tension.

You can order the soft close or the standard version. Soft close doesn't mean slow close, it can, if you keep the spring tension light enough not to overwhelm the soft close cylinder. It can be fine tuned to slowly close but it is more for softening the slam of the door and creating less noise, less impact so too much feed isn't shaken down (a rare problem, usually caused by not mounting the feeder properly), and it does provide another second for a hen to pull her head out of the way if she isn't on the treadle. Best to block off side access using milk jugs filled with dirt or some concrete blocks.

But, drilling those holes wrong isn't going to ruin the feeder. Just get the holes close and adjust the spring if needed. Your old feeder can be retrofitted very easily, you don't need a new feeder if the old one is working.