How to get rid of rats in a chicken coop

Rodents such as mice or rats in a chicken coop can be a real problem for the farmer. Among the harm they cause, poultry farmers note the theft and damage of eggs, the transfer of infectious diseases and helminths, damage to the structural elements of the chicken coop. Along with this, there is a high intelligence, excellent reflexes and well-developed group skills of the animal. This makes it difficult to choose rodent control methods to get rid of rats and mice in a chicken coop.

How rats and mice can harm chickens in a chicken coop

Damage caused by mice and rats in a room used for keeping chickens consists in damage to drywall, concrete, electrical wiring, which, in addition to disturbing the microclimate of the room, carries a risk of fire if an electric spark hits the dry floor of the room. In addition, the following factors associated with the appearance of mice and rats can cause huge damage:

1. Rodent performance infectious disease vector, among which the most common are leptospirosis, rabies and plague. This is due to the fact that in search of food, rats often visit breeding grounds of pathogenic microorganisms, for example, landfills, cattle burial grounds, toilets.

Remember! Bacteria remaining on the paws and fur of the animal are highly likely to enter the chicken coop.

In addition, the transfer of infectious diseases from one place of keeping poultry to another cannot be ruled out.

2. In addition to the fact that rats act as carriers of pathogenic microflora, they can cause helminth eggs and parasites such as fleas and scabies mites to appear in the chicken coop.
3. Rodent skills, despite a predominantly plant-based diet, allow them to steal eggs and harm the chicks.
4. Penetrating into the chicken coop, rats are capable steal food from feeders, destroy stocks of grain, root crops, mineral and vitamin supplements, and compound feed. In addition to directly destroyed food, rodents violate the integrity of the food, causing spoilage.

The totality of the damage caused forces farmers to use various methods aimed at fighting rats and mice in the chicken coop.

Reasons for the appearance of rats and mice in a chicken coop

The listed rodents are characterized by farmers as intelligent animals that avoid traps, have sharp teeth that can harm not only the materials from which the chicken coop is made, chicken eggs, but also small chicks. Mice and rats have a developed sense of smell, the ability to climb vertical surfaces, agility and speed. Their way of life within the community provides for caring for weak individuals and the use of teamwork in obtaining food. All of these factors determine the complexity of the fight against animals when they appear in the chicken coop. Among the reasons for the invasion of rats in chicken coops, breeders name:

• Food availability, presented in a wide range from grain and compound feed used for feeding chickens to chicken eggs and chicks.

• Smellthat attracts mice and rats and is linked in their associative chain, for example, with the appearance of chicks.
• Suitable microclimate, since the conditions for keeping chickens include control over the temperature and humidity of the room. Chicken coops, especially in winter period become a favorite survival spot for the rat and mouse community.
• The presence of manholes for chickens, which are usually equipped with poultry houses, make it easy to enter a room with enough food. A temporary building made without erecting a foundation using clay floors can facilitate the task of entering the area of ​​poultry keeping.

Note! Even the device of a chicken coop at a certain height from the surface of the earth will not be able to protect from the appearance of rodents, since they easily overcome this obstacle, due to the presence of the ability to move in a vertical direction.

Methods and methods of dealing with rats and mice

Some of the methods, for example the chemical method, are highly effective, but they carry the danger of poisoning chickens and domestic animals. The other part, representing mechanical structures, has a relatively low efficiency due to the natural caution of this rodent species and errors in setting the trap. At first glance, the most universal method seems to be the biological method, which consists in trapping mice and rats using domestic animals. In order to find out whether this is so, it is necessary to consider the various methods of controlling rodents, their effectiveness, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, which will be devoted to the following points.

Video: how to get rid of mice in a chicken coop

Scare away

Known methods of rodent control can be divided into methods involving the expulsion of rats by scaring them away or their destruction. According to the principle of operation, the existing methods can be divided into:

• Devices that have a negative effect on the senses of the animal and its nervous system, as a result of which, he has a feeling of anxiety and a desire to leave the range of the device. The scope of the device can prevent moles and mice from entering the chicken coop.

Note! There are many designs of ultrasonic scarers, including models such as Tornado 800, Typhoon and Grad A-500. The difference between them lies in the possibility of adjusting the radiation power, the spectrum of action and the presence of a timer that allows the device to start unexpectedly for rodents.

The device is mounted on the ceiling of the chicken coop, at a height of approximately 1.5 m from the floor level, directing the device to holes in the room or to its central part. The repeller, which uses ultrasound during operation, is characterized by a constant change in the frequency of sound vibrations, as a result of which rodents get used to it. In addition, the emitted waves are beyond the hearing of the human ear.

Important! One of these designs is an ultrasonic repeller, when choosing which one should be guided by the power that provides a sphere of action not less than the area of ​​the chicken coop.

• More a radical way of scaring away is based on fumigating the room a lighted product made of wool, while the remains of the ash should be placed around the perimeter of the room. Rats are very careful and avoid danger, so the smell of burnt wool is highly likely to make you leave the place of keeping chickens for a long time. The most desperate breeders use the carcass of a caught rodent as a fumigation material. To do this, it is laid on a metal surface, doused with alcohol, set on fire and treated with a room.
• The biological methods of scaring off include planting a number of plants around the perimeter of the siteaffecting the sense of smell of rats and causing them to flee. Such plants include legumes, black elderberry, onion, burdock and wild rosemary. By the way, plants can not only be planted, but also laid out around the perimeter of the chicken coop. This method is not one of the most effective methods of influencing rodents and can be used as an additional measure, for example, together with the use of an ultrasonic repeller.
• Another folk remedy for getting rid of rats and mice in a chicken coop is wood ash, which has alkaline properties that irritate the limbs of rodents.

Note! To scare away rats, it is well suited to treat the places of possible penetration of rodents with a moistened rag with mint-based essential oil.

Scare away with ultrasound and the fumigation method are humane methods used to get rid of rats and mice in a chicken coop.

Destruction

However, in some cases, these measures are not enough to eliminate rats or mice in a chicken coop, therefore, methods aimed at destroying pests are used. Among these methods, one should highlight:

• Mechanical traps are not very effective, given the natural caution of rats. In addition, such devices carry the risk of damaging chickens and are therefore of limited use. Their advantage over other means of destruction is the capture of the pest, which excludes its death within the chicken coop, as, for example, when using chemical poisons.

• One of the trap designs provides for the use of a large jar, at the bottom of which is the bait, and the walls are greased. After falling into the trap, the animal cannot get out of it due to the sliding of its paws along the walls of the container. In addition, such a device excludes the possibility of birds getting into it.
• To set up another trap it is necessary to use an old flower pot, a large plastic glass or other container, on the bottom of which the bait is attached. In place of the trap device, a sheet of metal is laid in order to exclude digging a hole when it enters the trap. In the prepared area, turn the jar upside down, ensuring that one of its sides is raised with a stick or coin. Smelling the smell of food, the animal runs to the trap, touching the support, as a result of which the can covers the pest.

• Using an electric trap based on cardiac arrest of the animal when receiving a charge that occurs when it closes the device contacts with its paws. Manufacturers guarantee the safety of pets and poultry when using the device, but the design has not found wide application.
• Biological way based on use for catching pests of pets. It should be noted that contrary to popular belief, not only cats, but also such dog breeds as bull terriers, dachshunds, fox terriers, are engaged in the destruction of rats. The limited use of dogs is due to the fear of the owners that the four-legged helpers will be engaged in catching birds, which is unfair for the mentioned animal breeds. Among cats, the Siberian breed and the Sphynx cat family are considered good rat-catchers. High efficiency is observed when using the method in conjunction with other methods aimed at eliminating pests.

Important! The use of pets for catching rodents should exclude the use of a chemical method due to the high risk of poisoning pets if the poison is accidentally consumed.

• In addition to dogs and cats, the natural enemy of mice and rats is hedgehog, which, like its prey, leads an active nocturnal lifestyle and is quite capable of protecting the chicken coop and protecting it from rodents.

Note! Some farmers practice keeping turkeys and geese together with chickens, which are distinguished by alertness and the ability not only to make noise when a danger is detected, but also to come to the aid of weak layers.

• Deratization using chemicals it is highly effective, but it contains the possibility of poisoning birds and pets. In large poultry farms, pest control can be used by treating premises with substances such as carbon monoxide, chlorine, phosphorous hydrogen. In the conditions of farms, such a measure will require serious material costs, therefore, the use of available chemicals is practiced.

Important! The decrease in the effectiveness of chemicals can be associated with the presence of a human smell on it. It is strongly recommended to use rubber gloves or polyethylene bags when making preparations at home when mixing the components of substances.

The most popular among breeders for baiting rats and mice in a chicken coop include: Rat Death, drugs with the active substance in the form of denatonium benzoate (Bitrex), Zoocoumarin, Phosphide, Ratindan and Krysid. The use of chemical preparations has an efficiency close to 100%; when using them, the time of destruction of rat communities is 1-1.5 weeks.

Note! Despite the high efficiency of these agents, their action is addictive in animals. The most advanced farmers know that in order to maintain the effectiveness of the use of chemicals, the type of preparation, its form and the method of masking the poison should be periodically changed.

Rodent control precautions

Farmers are aware of a variety of preventive techniques to prevent and keep rats out of the poultry area.

• One of them is construction of a chicken coop on a monolithic foundation made of durable material, for example, concrete with further laying of the bedding, which performs the function of insulation and has the property of adsorption of excess moisture. When using a room with supports in the construction of a chicken coop, it is recommended to mount metal sheets dug to a depth of 30 cm around the perimeter of the structure.
• Dispose of poison when using a chemical method of pest control necessary in closed boxes with through holes for the passage of rats... The disadvantage of this method is the high probability of the death of the animal extended in time, as a result of which there is a danger of poisoning pets and chickens. When using this method, it is necessary to periodically inspect the chicken coop for the presence of dead pests.
• Caught rodents are not recommended to be released outside the sitegiven the high probability of their return. It is best to either give the prey to the cat, or put the animal in a special cage.

Compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, periodic monitoring of the quality of feed and its protection from a potential invasion of rats can reduce the likelihood of the appearance of rats and mice in the chicken coop.

Rats and mice inflict enormous damage when entering a poultry area. There are many ways to get rats out of the chicken coop, the most effective of which is the use of comprehensive protection, including the use of several methods of rodent control. However, when choosing a combination, you should study the possible negative consequences for poultry and pets.