How to get rid of rats in a chicken coop without killing chickens

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People who raise poultry sooner or later have to come up with ways to get rid of rats in a chicken coop in what ways to fight. Vile creatures are capable of causing irreparable harm, so they must be destroyed quickly and mercilessly. But how to do it without causing additional damage to the farm? The rats in the chicken coop are almost a natural disaster.

How to get rid of rats in a chicken coop

A few facts about the danger of rats

Chickens are gentle, kind and shy birds. They become especially nervous with the period of oviposition. The female rushes only in the hen house, in which she feels safe. And what kind of security can be if rats live nearby and steal an egg right from under its beak? Experienced farmers know from their own experience how strong a threat rats are, but newcomers may by mistake hesitate ... To then cry over a ruined chicken coop.

1. Rats are known vectors infectious diseases, not to mention about parasites different types. Remember the Black Death that thundered in the Middle Ages and killed more than half of the human population? The rodent carries diseases that are dangerous not only for humans, but also for animals. considering that some chickens can eat mice, this is a dangerous idea.
2. Everyone needs to eat, and the rodents love to eat, so they drag the mixed feed poured there or homemade mixtures from the feeders. And if you wait for the laying time, then you can admire how the rats steal eggs. An egg is a delicacy for mice, as is caviar for us, and we could hardly refuse free caviar, which is within our reach. So they can't resist.
3. Over time, there are more and more mice. They gnaw holes, tunnels, undermine the structure of the chicken dwelling during the construction of their den. If you miss the moment, the mice will be difficult to get rid of. Moreover, the chicken gradually gets used to their presence, eats and sleeps nearby, and by its behavior it is not so easy to determine whether the rodents remained or they were removed.
4. The night fly mouse can also cause some disturbance, although it is a much more harmless creature than a rat, despite even its frightening appearance.

Modern methods of fighting rats

It is believed that "laziness is the engine of progress", therefore smart people have invented a huge number of all kinds of devices and their improved models come out, maybe not every day, but often. Only many of these means cannot be used in the chicken coop. Why? Because they not only destroy rats, but also get to the legal inhabitants of the chicken coop. Folk remedies, however, are also not always better in terms of environmental friendliness and safety. It is better to move chickens to another place of residence for the duration of the persecution.

1. Ultrasonic devices are of 2 types: battery operated and mains powered. Working devices scare rats, as well as mice, moles and rabbits.The stores sell devices of various ranges, respectively, you need to choose a device with a range that covers the space of the chicken coop. Well-known brands - "Tornado" for small spaces, "Chiston", "Grad" and "Typhoon". Warning: although a person does not feel ultrasonic waves, they still affect the body, so you should not stay in the room where they work for a long time.
2. Chemistry. The use of chemicals is one of the oldest ways to fight rats. Rodents are killed in two ways: by spraying chemicals, dusting them with powder, or arranging them with a poisonous bait. To get rid of the rats that appeared in the hen house in the first way is recommended only to the exterminator, the second and third is dangerous, since the chicken also eats poison. If you still decide to get rid of the rats in the chicken coop with the help of poison, try using one of the following popular brands: "Ratid-1" or "ratsin".

With due diligence, you can also find "Goliath" in stores: the mouse eats it, but within 10 days its state of health does not change. Instant death would scare away other rats, and so in 10 days all the livestock will be poisoned. The product contains substances that mummify corpses, so that you will not feel an unpleasant smell. In addition, due to the action of the poison, the mice will go out into the street where it will be easier to collect and destroy them.

whichever brand of poison is chosen, you must first carefully read the instructions. And remember: for a cat, chickens and small (as well as adults) children, poisons are just as dangerous as for rodents. If there are dogs or cats in the house, the rat corpses must be thrown away immediately so that the animals do not get poisoned after eating them.

Folk remedies for rats in a chicken coop

When you need to quickly get rid of rats in the chicken coop, spending as little money as possible on it, folk remedies come to the rescue. Fighting with such methods can be as effective and unsafe as using industrial means.

1. Rodents can be poisoned with various homemade products by adding an egg to attract the scent.
2. Some natural pets are designed to catch mice. This refers to a cat and some dog breeds, although other pets are known in the world that can protect an egg and its mother from a rat.
3. Mechanical traps.

Folk remedies for getting rid of rats in a chicken coop have their pros and cons. And if you notice that chickens are eating mice, you urgently need to take action.

Herbs and other folk remedies

The ingredients for these products can be found in almost (though not all) in every home.

1. Ash. An ancient but effective remedy, but most likely it is not in the cities. Wood ash contains alkali that eats away at the feet and guts of rodents and also kills parasites. What do we have to do? Take a bucket of ash and scatter it on the floor. The disadvantage of this method is that the chicken coop will quickly become dirty.
2. A mixture of alabaster and flour. Take the aforementioned products and mix in a 1: 1 ratio, then spread over the chicken coop, having previously evicted the birds from it. Mice that eat a savory dessert get fatal indigestion. Chicken eggs, like all other phenomena of life, will no longer worry them. Alabaster can be replaced with quicklime and flour with sugar.
3. Smells of fire. Mice have a keen sense of smell and a heightened instinct for self-preservation. It's not a sin to take advantage of this feature: set fire to the woolen cloth in the chicken coop until the smell of fire permeates the walls. Some herbs have anti-mouse properties.

Cats and dogs

The fight between cats and mice is colorfully described in books, children's stories, cartoons and computer games. It is believed that there is no better way to get rid of pests. In reality, not every cat has a hunting instinct. Many cats of the breed are afraid of rodents, especially large and violent rats, which themselves can attack their catchers.The cat teaches cubs to hunt in practice, which is impossible in home breeding conditions, so city cats most often do not know how to catch mice.

For hunting, you need a village cat who has spent his whole life on the street. However, even such "beaten by life" pets often do not dare to attack a rat. What to do in this case? Get a dog. Dachshunds, fox terriers and game terriers are excellent rat hunters bred specifically for this. Breeds that are not intended for hunting, but for other purposes, as well as mongrel dogs, most likely will not be able to crush rats that steal eggs.

Mechanical traps

Fighting rats with mechanical tricks is one of the most popular tricks. Unfortunately, the rat is a very intelligent pest and cautious, not every trap will attract it, so it is better to watch how to catch a rat in a chicken coop on video.

1. Place the barrel down, fill it halfway with water, and let it sit in the chicken coop overnight. Attach a ladder to make it easier for rodents to drown in it.
2. Hide the rat trap in a drawer with holes, and put delicious-smelling food inside. It happens that the owner, coming to the chicken coop in the morning, discovers that the trap has caught the chicken, so it is recommended to put the rat traps higher, on the shelves.
3. There are special traps in the form of boxes: the rodent climbs inside, the door slams, and it remains inside. The fight with such boxes is incomprehensible: the rat is alive and, if you let it go, the problem will not disappear. And if you kill, then why catch?

You can fight pests in dozens of different ways, some of which are effective, but dangerous, and there are those that cannot be called anything other than a waste of time. It is worth noting that it will not be possible to expel rats forever. They will still return from time to time to risk stealing a delicious chicken egg from under your nose. Preventive methods will reduce the attractiveness of the chicken coop in the eyes of rodents: fill up all the cracks in the walls, place nests higher, off the floor and do not keep feed in the house. Now you know that fighting rats in a hen house must be safe for the house dwellers.