The possibility of rats in the chicken coop needs to be suppressed. These rodents are dangerous for poultry and cause considerable damage to any house. Having found signs of their presence, it is necessary to take measures to get rid of these pests as soon as possible. The article will consider the reasons for the appearance of rats, why they are dangerous for chickens, and how to get rid of them without allowing a reappearance.

Why do rats appear

Most affected rat rats farms located near agricultural fields. Most often, rodents begin to actively inhabit buildings in the cold period. At this time, they already have nothing to profit from in the fields, and the coop is warm and there is a lot of food. Chickens themselves cannot drive out such “neighbors”.Many buildings for birds with an earthen or clay floor, which is not an obstacle to the penetration of rodents, they dig large holes in them. In addition, the chicken room usually has openings such as a chicken hole, a ventilation window and ventilation holes. It will not be difficult for rats to climb into the chicken coop on piles - they climb trees and wood very well.

Did you know? Rats are ubiquitous creatures that can crawl into a hole that is 4 times smaller than them. They can nibble not only wood, plastic, concrete, but also iron pipes, and they also swim and dive perfectly. Falling from a great height is not dangerous for them.

What is the danger

It is impossible to ignore the appearance of rats in your house for many reasons:

• they are carriers of many diseases dangerous for the inhabitants of the compound and humans. The causative agents of infection can be found in any rat secretions, on the coat. These garbage regulars bring with them fleas, bugs and ticks that parasitize on the feather cover of chickens, and also carry the infection;
• consume and spoil feed, vegetables, and other supplies;
• violate the integrity of the chicken coop, making it a system of moves and manholes. They are able to gnaw wood in floors and partitions, concrete and plastic, cable;
• steal eggs, can eat chickens and even attack an adult. The fighting qualities of a rooster do not always help - hens do not see well at night. And the rats go out for food precisely at night and see well in the dark (besides, they are quite nimble and aggressive animals).

Signs of occurrence

Rats leave traces of their presence, and their appearance in the chicken coop will give out:

• the appearance of a specific smell similar to ammonia inherent in rodents;
• rat droppings (somewhat larger than mouse);
• burrows, gnawed stocks and objects;
• the remains of eggs eaten in the form of shell fragments;
• young animals may disappear, there are remains of birds;
• A rooster protecting its family and territory will have bite marks.

Did you know? All birds from the chicken order are hard to see in the dark. Chickens — not an exception. They may not notice the worm already 2 steps away if it is motionless. Not for nothing, when a person sees poorly, they say that he has "night blindness."

How to deal with rats in the chicken coop

Over the years, man has come up with and used different methods of extermination of these rodents. However, getting rid of such a smart, arrogant and quickly adapting creature is not always a simple matter.

Mechanical method

This method of controlling rodent pests involves the use of rat traps and traps for their catch (mousetrap). But rats are quite smart rodents and can quietly stretch out the bait, and the trap will not work. But chickens and roosters may well fall into the set rat traps and suffer.Sometimes they put the so-called glue traps, but such devices are more suitable for mice - the rat is unlikely to be kept in this way. In addition, the question arises of what to do if the pest fell into the trap - to finish it off or show humanism and release it. Not everyone can kill, but let them go - the rat will come back.

You can make a simple trap yourself, so you can not go to the store for traps. In this case, any food (for example, a piece of cheese) is placed in a glass bottle with a narrow throat, but sufficient for the rat to fit into it. The bottle inside is lubricated with vegetable oil.

Did you know? Rats have excellent savvy and learning ability. Scientists believe that their potential for the development of mental abilities is almost no different from human, because only they and people have abstract thinking.

Food and smell attract the rat very much, and when it gets inside the vessel, it cannot get out anymore - its paws glide over the glass greased with oil. The bird will not crawl into such a trap, and a malicious rodent can easily be caught.

Biological method

Cats can help get rid of rats, as they have a well-developed hunting instinct. It is worth considering that they may well feast on chickens, and not catch rats. It is better to take a cat for this purpose from the breed of Pied Piper (for example, Siberian).Dachshund dogs, fox terriers, Jack Russell and other small hunting dogs also cope with this task well, but sometimes they need appropriate training. The presence of such fluffy pets of a person and their smell will scare away different rodents.

Hedgehogs are also excellent rodent hunters. Therefore, if a family of prickly hunters has settled in the yard, be aware that chickens are reliably protected from rats. Geese and turkeys, which are often kept together with chickens, are able to drive away these pests from weaker individuals and raise alarm.

Important! If your pets that catch rats have a habit of eating their prey, then it is better not to use poisons to get rid of these rodents.

There are poisonous plants whose smell repels rats, but they must be used carefully. Certain types of them can harm poultry. To protect your compound from these rodents, apply:

• Chilibuha seeds. Contain fatal alkaloids for rats. They are mixed with sugar and raisins, stearin is added, and then scattered in the corners. Cooked beans are laid next to them;
• Colchicum is autumn. Very toxic. Prepare the following mixture: 10 gr. shredded plants are mixed with bait (seeds, cereals). She is scattered in the corners of the room, as well as near rat passages. The smell will be especially strong if the seeds are slightly fried;
• bird cherry, mint, laurel, broom. Their smell of rats is poorly tolerated. Bouquets of such herbs are recommended to be hung in a chicken coop. You can use the smell of mint in the form of an essential oil. Soak pieces of fabric with such oil and hang them in the chicken coop; they can also be placed in rat holes;
• elder. Its branches are laid out in the corners, bushes are planted around the chicken coop. Hydrocyanic acid, which is in this plant, will scare off rodents well;
• burdock and rat-rat (blackroot). The spines of such crops become very tangled in the hair, and the rats try to stay as far away from such a barrier.

Chemical and medicinal

Often, owners of large poultry farms and small chicken coops prefer to fight rodents on their own with the help of chemicals and medicines.

Commonly used drugs to poison rats are presented in the following table:

Using ultrasonic repellers

An effective means of controlling rodents are ultrasonic repellers. These devices are small and easy to use. Their action is based on the fact that the device emits ultrasonic waves of a certain frequency, from which rats simply go crazy or panic. When using repellers, the following recommendations should be followed:

• in the chicken coop there must be access to connect to electricity;
• the device should be operated around the clock. These devices consume little electricity - no more than 15 watts;
• repellers should be placed at a distance of 1–1.5 m from the floor level towards the middle of the house, the ceiling or the wall opposite.
• leave moves to care for pests;
• No need to turn off the device on very hot or cold days. As a rule, they work quietly in the range (-40) - + 80 ° C.

Important! It is not necessary to direct this device into fleecy and soft surfaces, since they partially absorb ultrasonic waves and reduce the efficiency of the device. direct waves to a hard surface.

Popular models of ultrasonic repellers are shown in the following table:

With the help of folk remedies

There are accessible tricks by which such uninvited guests as rats were destroyed in the old days:

• wood ash. Sprinkle ash around the chicken coop. The ash contains alkaline substances that adversely affect the paws of rodent pests. When trying to lick it in rats, severe irritation of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract occurs;
• gypsum. In order to lime rats, it is used in this way: a mixture of gypsum flour is prepared in a ratio of 1 to 1 and placed in a saucer near the rat passages. After such “food” gypsum freezes in the stomach, which leads to the death of these pests;
• wine cork. It is finely chopped and fried in flour in vegetable oil with crumbled bread. When the resulting mixture enters the stomach, the cork pieces swell and the animal dies;
• vodka. Small pieces of bread are placed in a bowl with such a liquid. After the rodents eat everything, they fill it up again. Usually 6 such servings lead to the disappearance of these pests;
• lime. Prepare the mixture in equal parts (use flour, sugar and lime). The resulting mixture is placed in a saucer, and a bowl of water is placed next to it. Such a combination as a “food” for rodents is deadly.
• a barrel of water, filled with water to half. Throw a piece of smoked meat / lard there. In addition, it is necessary to build a platform on which the rats will get to the bait (a ladder from boxes will do). Smelling a pleasant smell, the rodent will jump for a "treat" in the barrel.

Did you know? Rats eat about 12 kg of food per year, and a large part of the stocks after the invasion of these rodents is simply spoiled. According to some estimates, rats destroy 1/6 of the total crop.

Preventative measures

You should not wait for rats and mice to start in the chicken coop; it is better to prevent the appearance of these pests.Experts recommend the following activities:

• maintain the cleanliness of rooms and equipment, conduct timely cleaning and disinfection;
• Pest rodents do not like light and prefer to move around the house at night. Therefore, lighting should be maintained in the dark, especially in winter;
• if rat minks are identified, eliminate them immediately;
• After feeding the birds, remove food debris, especially at night. The bird food itself should be stored in jars under the lids;
• place the nests of chickens higher above the floor line so that rodent pests do not reach them;
• the chicken coop outside is protected by a fine metal mesh or a sheet of iron, which is dug in deep into 0.5 m;
• all slots and holes in the foundation are sealed with cement mortar with the addition of broken glass.

Fight the appearance of rats immediately after detecting their presence in the chicken coop. They carry dangerous infections, steal eggs and food, and can attack young animals and adult birds. There are different methods of dealing with rats. After breeding rats, measures should be taken against their reappearance.