Will rats kill baby chicks?

[chickmom3941]

To get rid of vermin, Dad used to just park the tractor in the shed, close all the doors and windows, and let it run for a few hours.

Carbon Monoxide. Gotta love it.

The most effective trap I ever built was a plastic feed barrel with a board leaning against it, with a peanut butter trail leading the way up. Mice and rats climbed in for the feed and couldn't get out. The cat loved it.

As a simple deterrent, try putting cat feces and urine under or around the coop. Unless you have X-treme Ratz, they'll probably lay low for a while while the chicks mature a bit.

And yes, I've never tried it, but a light in the coop sounds like a great idea.

OMG - that's brilliant! How tall is a plastic feed barrel? I understand why the rodent would follow the p.butter trail up the board, but how do you get them to jump into the barrel? Really love this idea - please tell me more!

 

[PD-Riverman]

But what kind of gas? The only problem is, the rats live under the coop so I wouldn't want any residual fumes to kill my chickens!

You gas the rats in the day time while the chickens are free ranging and while the rats are home. Propane. There is some youtube video's if you want to look it up. Some ignite it-----I wouldn't under the coop. Boom!

Some even hook hoses to their car exhaust.

 

[chickmom3941]

You gas the rats in the day time while the chickens are free ranging and while the rats are home. Propane. There is some youtube video's if you want to look it up. Some ignite it-----I wouldn't under the coop. Boom!

Some even hook hoses to their car exhaust.

Oh, thanks, I'll have to check out the youtube videos. I'm getting so many great ideas from all you guys at BC. Yeah, I think I'd refrain from igniting the gas - the Fourth of July is already past!

 

[3riverschick]

That reminds me of another rat story
once we had a big plastic trash can out by our back door .one day I came out and I heard all this thrashing around
what is going on? where did that come from ? the lid was off the trash can. I looked down inside and here was a very pregnant, very big swamp rat with her mate desperately trying to get out of the trash can . they had smelled something in it and jumped off the porch into it. so I very carefully put the lid on and called my husband
Told him to bungee-cord this can ,take it up to the mountain and get rid of them. so he bungee corded it and took it up to the mountain, opened the lid and let them go. and that's my rat story for the night.
Moral of the story :I didn't want to kill them and clean rat blood out of my trash can.

 

[3riverschick]

Oh predator pee! why didn't I think of it before!?! that's the answer to your problem. wait'll you see this website!
contact the owner telling your varmints problem and he'll tell you which Pee you need to use.
Honest I'm not kidding, this is a great website!
Http://www.predatorpee.com
Also explain you have a Jack Russell terrier and how will that affect your choice of Pee.
when you get to the main page, click on the chicken coop picture in "pick your problem". it will take you to the chicken protection page ,which is more specific.

 

[Sublight]

Really? Are you sure? Not trying to doubt what you said, as it certainly could be true. I just don't know much about it. That is wonderful news, because I'll set up a whole buffet (of poison) for the rats if I know I don't have to worry about our dog's safety. I won't even charge them for it (now that's Minnesota nice for you - lol)!

Yep, that's right. My Vet said the same thing. That's why the Vitamin K was used to save my "Sparky".

 

[chickmom3941]

That reminds me of another rat story
once we had a big plastic trash can out by our back door .one day I came out and I heard all this thrashing around
what is going on? where did that come from ? the lid was off the trash can. I looked down inside and here was a very pregnant, very big swamp rat with her mate desperately trying to get out of the trash can . they had smelled something in it and jumped off the porch into it. so I very carefully put the lid on and called my husband
Told him to bungee-cord this can ,take it up to the mountain and get rid of them. so he bungee corded it and took it up to the mountain, opened the lid and let them go. and that's my rat story for the night.
Moral of the story :I didn't want to kill them and clean rat blood out of my trash can.

I guess those rats got more than they bargained for! I must figure out how to rig up some kind of barrel trap! I love the idea that the rats wouldn't die (and decompose) under the coop using the barrel method.

 

[chickmom3941]

Oh predator pee! why didn't I think of it before!?! that's the answer to your problem. wait'll you see this website!
contact the owner telling your varmints problem and he'll tell you which Pee you need to use.
Honest I'm not kidding, this is a great website!
Http://www.predatorpee.com
Also explain you have a Jack Russell terrier and how will that affect your choice of Pee.
when you get to the main page, click on the chicken coop picture in "pick your problem". it will take you to the chicken protection page ,which is more specific.

Predator pee - who thinks of these things? This site seems invaluable for learning all things chicken - so glad I joined in! I have received so many good suggestions from everyone. This is great!

 

[chickmom3941]

Yep, that's right. My Vet said the same thing. That's why the Vitamin K was used to save my "Sparky".

I just assumed that if the rodent ate poison, it would poison my dog if he ate the rodent. It really helps to learn that's not true!

 

[Sublight]

I just assumed that if the rodent ate poison, it would poison my dog if he ate the rodent. It really helps to learn that's not true!

Ya, the vet said the rats stomach cant hold enough poison to make the dog sick. He said the dog would have to eat a lot of rats in a short time to get sick, and even then its doubtful because the dog cant hold enough whole rats in his stomach to get poisoned by what was in the rats stomach.
My jack Russell is a rat killing machine, but he tends to try to eat them.