Rats are adapted to life next to people who for some reason are not happy about it. Very quickly, rodents learn space in utility rooms, buildings for pets and poultry - in general, where it is warm and in winter and there is always something to profit.
Fighting rats in a chicken coop is complicated by the fact that rats feed on chicken food with great pleasure, and it is dangerous to use poison because a bird can be harmed.
Why do rats have to be fought
Hardy, intelligent, cunning animals with sharp teeth survive in almost any conditions, and in a building that contains poultry, conditions for rats are almost perfect. Heat, food every day is fresh, the chickens never attack, the rat menu is diversified with raw eggs and even tender young chicken.
For rats, even brickwork is not an obstacle, and even boards, drywall and foam plastic are even more so.
In addition to being able to visibly thin out the chicken population, these large rodents carry dangerous diseases, including plague, salmonellosis and rabies.
Ultrasound in the fight against rodents
If you keep up with the times, the question of how to get the rats out of the hen house suggests an answer - ultrasound.
Modern devices emit ultrasonic waves that negatively affect rats, causing them to panic, but are not perceived by humans. In any case, manufacturers say so.
There are many models of repellers, with different levels of radiation power. They can emit both ultrasonic and electromagnetic waves that can get rid of rats in a couple of weeks, but ...
Firstly, a socket must be installed in the chicken coop. Low-power device with batteries will not give the desired effect. Secondly, the device should work around the clock. Thirdly, it needs to be positioned in a certain way.
According to reviews, professional devices operating from the network in the range of ambient temperatures from -40 to +80 ° C, in particular the Russian "Tornado 800", can remove rodents from a large chicken coop of up to 800 square meters. m
The universal “Grad A-1000 PRO +” with the possibility of power control, which is recommended for use on poultry and livestock farms up to 1000 square meters, is also considered effective. m. The main thing is to leave the rats the way to go, so that they do not go crazy in a closed room under the influence of an unpleasant sound.
Glue traps
Another way to get rid of rats in the hen house, without harming the bird, is glue traps. There is a special glue, for example ALT, which is applied around the edges of a small piece of plywood, in the center of which is placed a little cheese, bread or crackers.
It is necessary to establish a structure for the night in a place that cannot be reached by chickens.
The composition of the adhesive is such that it should be applied in tight gloves.
Reviews of this method of catching rodents ambiguous. Many believe that an adult rat does not hold glue. And the procedure for the removal of the trap with an animal does not cause inspiration.
Bait trap
The same problem arises if one manages to trap a large rodent into a trap with an aromatic (cheese or lard) bait. How to get rid of the hen house from rats, offer many craftsmen, humanists, who do not want to die animals. The process of catching can become infinite, going in a closed loop: caught, carried out, the rat returned, caught again, and further in a circle.
They suggest using a glass or a jar (flower pot) with a piece of fragrant bait mounted on the bottom as a trap. The vessel is tilted upside down on a rib plate. A rat in pursuit of a delicacy gets inside, pushes a piece of wood that falls, and the vessel covers the animal. It is best to install this structure on a sheet of plywood or metal, so that it would be convenient to take the prisoner out of the private sector.
There is a way for the non-lazy how to get rid of rats in the hen house. They dig pits of such size to fit a large milk can, and its neck with a conical part remains above the ground. A hole with a diameter of about 8 cm is made in the vessel wall so that it is above the ground. Put inside a fragrant bait, close the lid. A rat in pursuit of delicious food enters the can, from which it can not get out.
Medications
You need to know how to get rid of rats in the hen house at home with the help of drugs and acceptable poisons.
One of these means is the drug "Goliath". Its specificity lies in the fact that the poison begins to act only after 10 days. Clever and cunning rodents during this time have time to make sure that the tool is absolutely harmless, so they eat it. The result is oxygen starvation, which causes the rats to leave the coop.
From the "rat" pests die within a few minutes. To do this, the contents of one ampoule mixed with meat or seeds.
Granulated "Ratid" is also considered effective, which does not harm the bird. Its advantage is the fact that there is an additive in its composition, which contributes to the mummification of tissues, preventing this decomposition of the corpses. It means that there is no smell of decomposition and microbiological threat.
To prevent poison from eating chickens, it is hidden in a special box with holes about 5 cm in diameter in opposite walls. Rats are afraid of confined space, a hole in the opposite wall convinces them that there is an exit, and they quietly eat the bait with poison. Chickens while sitting quietly on the box.
But for pets, the danger still remains. For example, cats die after eating a poisoned rodent.
Folk remedies for rodent control
In order not to risk using poisons, you need to know how to get rid of rats in the henhouse with folk remedies.
Rats love flour and sugar. Therefore, experts suggest mixing these products with lime in equal proportions, and putting a bowl of water next to this “treat”. This combination is murderous for rats.
You can use alabaster instead of lime, and even sugar is not needed. Animals quickly die from indigestion. But these funds need to be located beyond the reach of the other inhabitants of the house.
Plant lovers also know how to get rid of rats in a hen house. Autumn crocus autumn (from the lily family), blooming in summer, is very poisonous. A mixture of 10 g of plants and 200 g of seeds must be filled in places difficult for chickens.
Chilibuha seeds, from which strychnine is obtained, are mixed in equal proportions with sugar, raisins and grated stearin. The mixture is laid out near the rat holes, next boil the boiled beans. Rats will not be in a few days.
Rats are killed by plants such as nightshade, crow's eye, broom, and antidote aconite, if their seeds are poured into holes.
However, all these tools are also dangerous for the birds.
Natural Rat Scare
How to get rid of rats in the chicken coop, without using poison? Only scaring them away with popular means.
The most popular of these is wood ash. Rats are very clean and lick ash from their paws. Alkali, which is in it, irritates the stomachs of rodents, and the animals leave the inhospitable place. Crushed ash is poured on the hen house floor, and one bucket of money accounts for 5-10 square meters of surface.
The rats have a very delicate sense of smell, and they, like all predators, cannot stand the smell of wool, scorched by fire, and try to leave the dangerous place with which they associate the smell.
Rats can not stand the smell of black elderberry, legumes, onions, wild rosemary. All these plants can be decomposed in the corners of the coop.
The medicinal root root (it is eloquently called the rat race and burdock by the people) has thorns, which naturally cling to the wool. Since rats cannot get rid of thorns, they leave them far away and never dig a hole near them.
Rats leave the places where they were “benevolently” fed for several days with rye crumbs soaked in vodka. The main thing is not to give them sober up and put a dainty as soon as the dishes are empty.
Animals in the fight against rodents
How to get rid in a chicken coop from rats, animals know. The peculiar smell with which cats mark their territory scares off rats. And Siberian cats are great hunters at the genetic level. Sphynx cats also catch rats, but, unfortunately, only on hot summer nights.
More productive hunters are dogs. And dachshunds and fox terriers do not catch poultry, unlike the bull terriers, so they can not be afraid to run into the house.
Geese and turkeys, if kept together with chickens, not only raise an alarm at night when a rat appears, but can also protect helpless layers.
Hedgehogs are designed by nature to kill rodents. Therefore, if a spiny family lives in the house, at night it will be under reliable protection.
Professional help
Best of all they know how to get rid of rats in the hen house, professionals. If the invasion of rodents has become catastrophic, and other methods of struggle do not help, you need to contact a specialized company. Specialists will pick up the pesticides, deratization and, importantly, remove dead rodents.
Usually it is not even necessary to evict a bird, because professional technical or chemical means are safe for it.
Specialists should be contacted, even if a pest control agent selected by someone else’s recommendation seems doubtful. Indeed, the health and life of loved ones, and not only domestic animals and birds, may be threatened.
There are many folk remedies and techniques for getting rid of rats in a hen house. It is necessary to approach their choice responsibly and carefully study the recommendations. Do not expect the invasion to take the form of a natural disaster. Rats are cautious, and if you start a fight when there are still few of them, they quickly leave the place unfavorable to life.
What is harmful rodents
The damage inflicted by these small animals concerns both the chicken coop itself and its inhabitants.
- Damage to property. Rats gnaw everything that meets them on the way and hinders to get to the grain. Drywall will be littered with holes, concrete screed speckled with moves. Unplanned holes in the walls and floor lead to a violation of the microclimate of the room.
Attention! Separately worth mentioning electrical wires. In addition to the need to replace the cable, there may be a short circuit, which is fraught with loss of the entire room.
- Diseases and parasites. Rodents are dangerous for the health of chickens. Rats carry on their skin ticks, bedbugs, as well as pathogens of many infections. It is known that precisely because of the large number of rats in the hen-house, an epidemic of plague or leptospirosis of chickens can occur, often outbreaks of rabies. The appearance of worms and other parasites is a common thing, eating rats in the hen-house.
- Feed. Rats in the coop go to the smell of food. Having devastated the feeders once, they will come again and again. In addition to stealing from feeders, rodents spoil bags of supplies.
- Chickens Pests visit chicken not only for grain. Rodents are not averse to eat eggs or chicks. It is not difficult to guess what damage systematic deprivation of the chickens will lead to.
Removal methods
Methods for the destruction of pests are traditionally divided by type of action.
- Mechanical. Perhaps the most effective and economical way to get rid of rodents. In specialized stores you can find a variety of rat traps. There are mousetraps, of which, if desired, the rat can be released, the remaining structures do not provide for the preservation of life. In order for the trap to work, you need to take care of the bait. The advantage of this method is absolute safety for chickens.
- Biological. In the villages in almost every yard there is a cat. This is not an accident. Females of purebred cats are famous for their success in catching rats. The cat rat can forever repel pests. Often enough even the smell of a predator, so that rodents do not come close to chickens. In addition to cats, rats fear hedgehogs and dogs. A good addition to the hunters will be fighting with herbs. Mint or elderberry can be expanded in a chicken coop. Rats do not tolerate such odors and will cease to appear in chickens.
Precautionary measures
Desperate owners are ready to take radical measures and decide to take advantage of rat poison. A significant disadvantage of this method is the need for cleaning the premises after the application of the poison. The poison guarantees the extermination of rodents, however, care should be taken to avoid poisoning of birds.
- Do not pour poison into the grain, which is in the access of chickens.
- Among other things, you should carefully monitor hygiene and make absolutely all manipulations with poison in rubber gloves.
- Storage of chemicals should be thought out taking into account the presence in the house of small children and pets.
- If you have to combine two methods of rodent control - biological and chemical, you need to make sure that the cat does not eat poisoned rats. In case the hunter is used to eating rodents, it is necessary to abandon the idea of a double strike.
Prevention
The first thing that comes to mind is to deal with the cause of the attention of rats to the chicken coop. But every evening to remove the grain from the feeders troublesome and quite useless, because rodents can come for food during the day. At the construction stage of the chicken coop, it is worthwhile to consider the issue of protecting walls and floors from gnashing and digging.
- Broken glass. Rats are unable to overcome the concrete screed if broken glass is mixed into the cement. This way is suitable inside the chicken coop. It is enough to mix gravel with glass, and sprinkle the mixture on the floor with a layer of at least 20 cm. Rodents will not be able to sneak through the thick edges, and the chickens will not be disturbed by shards.
- Iron sheets. Lack of foundation is not a sentence. Clay floor can be strengthened with iron sheets, dug into the ground.
- Glass wool. Popular, but in recent times less effective way. Rats have learned to overcome such an obstacle.
- Grid. Strengthening the walls and ceiling with a fine-meshed net will help protect the chicken coop.
Already appeared holes in the walls and the floor should immediately be filled with a mixture of cement and glass.
It is best to prevent the appearance of rats in the hen house. But if you have to display rodents, you need to try all the options. Thorny plants will be a good help in pest control - they can be planted near the chicken coop. Rats are unlikely to like to constantly cling to the thorns on the way to the chicken coop.
How do rats get into the chicken coop
A chicken coop is a special room for laying hens. In winter, it is warm and dry. Troughs full of grain, feed and laid eggs - all this attracts rats. The animals begin to hunt at night and easily get into the building through the cracks, clay floor, open manhole. Even a henhouse towering on stilts is not a problem for rats. They still penetrate there, especially since rodents easily move on an inclined surface. In the barn, pests appear in the same way as in the hen house.
Understand that there were rats in the room, you can on the following grounds:
- ammonia smell
- noise, scuffling, trampling,
- holes in the floor and walls
- excrement in the form of black small lumps,
- the appearance on the packages with food and grain holes.
Rats love to eat eggs
How rats harm layers
If small rodents appear in the chicken coop, the chickens react aggressively to them: they catch and eat. But they treat rats with caution. The bird is not able to cope with this rodent. With its appearance in the hen house, the hens become restless, the number of eggs decreases.
If you do not fight pests, trouble is inevitable:
- Rats deliver discomfort to chickens during sleep, biting scales on their paws. This causes stress in birds, and over time they will become worse to carry eggs, will gain weight more slowly.
- Rodents steal and eat eggs. Although most rats eat plant foods and cereals, this tasty product is hard for them to refuse.
- They spoil and destroy the preparations intended for hens: with pleasure they eat grain, mixed fodder, vegetables and vitamin supplements. Roots spoiled by rats rot, and dangerous microorganisms appear in them.
- They stifle young and chicks. Chickens do not always have time to help their babies, and rats easily kill chickens. Rodents do not attack adult birds.
- Destroy the chicken coop. Острыми зубами прогрызают в полу дыры и щели.
- Разносят инфекцию. Зверьки любят лазить по свалкам и мусорникам, при этом принося оттуда возбудителей заболеваний, опасных как для птиц, так и для человека.
- Переносят на своей шерсти паразитов. Проникая в курятник, крысы могут заразить курочек блохами, чесоточным клещом, гельминтами.
When interacting with rats, chickens can become infected with lice and fleas.As soon as you notice traces of the stay of rats in the chicken coop or shed, you should immediately deal with the destruction of rodents. After all, they not only undermine the health of birds and animals, but also cause damage to the room. By biting holes and digging passages for their free movement, the animals destroy the structure built by man.
Biological
Everyone knows that the most ordinary cat is a great danger to rats. Therefore, an easy way to get rid of rodents is to have this pet. A purebred pet is unlikely to hunt, but a simple yard cat that does not live in the house itself, but next to it, will be happy to catch the animals. Even just a cat smell can scare off rats.
If, in addition to chickens, there are geese or turkeys on the farm, they are also good helpers in the fight against rodents. If a rat climbs into the house or a barn at night, they will make a fuss, begin to gurgle, thereby frightening off the pest.
And you can try to tame a hedgehog. It is dangerous for rats. It is necessary to pour milk into the tank and put it in the chicken coop for the night, because it is at this time of the day that rodents are especially active.
Some breeds of dogs, such as terrier and dachshund, also hunt rodents, but for this they need to be trained.
Reliable way to get rid of rats - to get a cat
Mechanical
When catching rats in the coop by mechanical means, you need to proceed with caution. Traps and traps are most often placed near the nests with eggs. However, the rodent is smart and dangerous for him bypasses the design, unlike chicken and chicken. Therefore, you need to arrange traps so that adult birds with their offspring do not fall into the trap.
You can equip traps for glue. But this bait is only suitable for small mice or rats. Large animals will escape from it.
The easiest way to catch a rat is to use a plastic bottle or can. Its walls are coated with sunflower oil. To do this, you can pour it inside and shake it so that it spreads along the walls. Next, put a piece of sausage or bacon in the container. Reliability rat traps in that it can be installed anywhere in the house. The chicken will not get into it, and the rat, climbing inside, will not be able to get back.
There is an interesting way to get rid of rats with a barrel or bucket. The waste container is filled with water to the middle, and a piece of wood is placed on top with fat, smoked meat or other bait fitted on it. To the bucket under the slope of the substitute board (so that the rat could climb to the bait) and put the design in the house. The pest, running on a delicious smell, will be in the bucket.
Folk methods
Such unpleasant guests, like rats, should be disposed of as soon as possible. But if money does not allow you to purchase an expensive trap, you can use the old folk methods. There are humane and inhumane ways.
Methods for the destruction of rats:
- Oven ash scattered across the floor has a detrimental effect on rats. Alkali, which is part of it, sticks to the paws of the animals and corrodes them. When the rodent begins to lick them, the ash enters the oral apparatus and the esophagus, causes tissue necrosis and the death of the pest.
- You can make a deadly bait, which includes alabaster, flour, lime and sugar in equal proportions. Rats love delicious food and will not be able to give up hearty treats. Once inside the body, the mixture erodes the esophagus, the organs get burned, and the animal dies.
- An excellent tool is a mixture of equal amounts of corn flour and gypsum. It is necessary to dilute it with milk to the consistency of soft dough, make balls and place in the corners of the chicken coop. Eaten bait hardens in the stomach of a rat, causing death.
To frighten a rat in the following ways:
- Spread out thorny plants on the floor of the house. For example, burdock or rat racer, he is black root. The animals, running around the hen-coop, pin prickles on their wool, which they are hard to get rid of. The next time they do not dare to make raids.
- You can fight rats with the help of some plants. The smell of wild rosemary, onion, mint, elderberry has a deterrent effect. If you use dry grass or onions, then you need to grind the product and spread it on the floor, not forgetting to shove it in the mink. Peppermint can also be used as an infusion: take a small piece of cloth, soak it in a solution and lay it in rat shelters.
- The rodents have a well-developed sense of smell, the smell of burning they feel perfectly and, frightened, set off to flight. Therefore, you can get rid of rats in the chicken coop with the help of scorched wool or unsuitable for wearing a collar or hat. Smoke a poultry house with a smoking piece. The animals, smelling the smell of burning, will begin to flee and leave the chicken coop.
Ultrasound
If folk methods have not brought results, and the rats continue to visit the hen house and the barn, then you can use an ultrasonic device that is not designed to kill rodents, but to scare them away. The sounds made by the construction are not heard by man and bird, but for rats they are very unpleasant. The animals begin to panic, feel discomfort and fear. Although people do not hear the ultrasound, it is better to turn off the repeller when they are in the hen house, since its vibrations are harmful to the body.
There are two types of ultrasonic repellers: domestic and industrial. The first works on batteries and is suitable for use in a small chicken coop, since its action is designed for a small area. In addition, he, discharging, quickly fails. Industrial repeller is powered by electricity, installed in a chicken coop or a shed with a large area and turned on without the presence of people. The most famous brands of ultrasound devices are Grad, Tornado and Typhoon.
Rats do not tolerate ultrasound, so they will leave the coop if you install a special repeller there
Chemical
On chicken farms or in large chicken coops use the method of aeration. The room is treated by spraying chemicals. Birds during quarantine isolate. At home, to apply this method is undesirable, it is better to deal with professionals from the pest control service.
A simpler and more accessible method of eliminating rats is the use of poisons. Decomposed in the hen house poison plays the role of bait. The smell, which she publishes, is pleasant for rodents. Having tried it, the rat dies for several days or even hours. However, you need to be careful and cautious when choosing this method. The aroma emanating from toxic chemicals, attracts not only rodents, but also domestic animals, as well as chickens. Therefore, it is necessary to scatter or lay out the bait in places less accessible to birds. When working with toxic substances should wear gloves, and at the end of the process - be sure to wash your hands with soap and water. To be more effective, the drugs need to be changed, as rats quickly get used to the same means.
How to save birds and animals when using poisons
When destroying rodents with pesticides, it is necessary to remember that not only rats can suffer. Poison is of interest in chickens. They will also want to try it, so you need to decompose the poison in places inaccessible to birds and pets. The danger is poisoned rat. She can eat a cat, after which she, most likely, also die. To ensure the safety of chickens and animals, you must follow a few simple rules:
- When using poison, move the chickens to another house or a separate room. In a rodent shed, decompose the poisonous substance. After the death of the rats, thoroughly clean the room. Check for dead rodents under the hay. Remove the old flooring with the remnants of poison and make it clean, and only then put the birds back into the chicken coop.
- If there is no spare chicken coop, you can use another method safe for chickens. Place the poison in a wooden box, preferably with a flap. Punch through holes in it so that the rodent gets inside. There should be two holes, because if there is no exit from the box, the rat will not reach the enclosed space. Catching a delicious flavor, the animal will run into the box. Neither chickens nor other animals can get inside and remain safe. So that the box does not fall or the birds turn it over, put something heavy on it.
- Secure the chicks with a metal mesh fence. Install protection not only on the sides, but also on top.
Rats in the hen house - methods of control and feedback from practitioners
For breeders of domestic birds, rats are a real disaster. Rodents spoil the chicken coop, haul clutch and kill the chicks. In addition, most rats carry infectious diseases and parasites.
To get rid of rodents in two ways: scare or destroy.
Destruction
If it is not possible to bring out rats, it is necessary to use more radical measures - physical destruction. You can do this as follows:
Biological
You just need to have in the household of natural enemies of rodents, for example, cats. Fluffy hunters will quickly imitate rats on your site. The cat-rat-trap is the best solution possible for fighting rats in the hen-house.
The best rat traps are a breed of Siberian cats. In addition to the potential pledged by genetics, they are perfectly adapted to the harsh Russian winters. Excellent rat-catchers are also obtained from sphinxes, but they can only work on hot summer nights.
Mechanical.
This method includes all sorts of traps and traps. It is worth noting that the effectiveness of this method is questionable. Rats are very clever predators, so the traps are usually left empty. But they will come across chickens and the more chickens.
Glue traps are effective only against mice. An adult rat is unlikely to be retained with glue.
Chemical
Aeration. It is an indoor spray of substances such as chlorine, hydrogen phosphorous and carbon monoxide. This method of processing is very complex and requires certain knowledge and skills.
You can use the method of pollination. A poisonous powder is scattered on the floor, which sticks to the paws and rodents' hair. Rats are very clean, so often lick. Thus, powder particles enter the stomach, causing poisoning and death. This method is very effective, but not suitable for a chicken coop.
Poison. It is much easier to buy bait from toxic substances on the market. Due to its composition, such bait attracts rats with its smell, and they represent a mortal danger for them. It should be noted that this effective method has two significant drawbacks:
- Most chemicals are dangerous not only for rats, but also for people
- Lures attract not only rodents, but also chickens and domestic animals (cats, dogs), sometimes - children.
Of the most effective means can be identified:
Ratid-1. This is a poisoning agent in the form of small granules. Recommended for use in residential and utility rooms. To clean the rodents of the house and the coop is usually enough one pack (40 pellets).
Goliath. This tool is sold on the market in containers from 1 to 10 kilograms. It is considered one of the most effective and widely used disinsector companies.
The principle of action of this drug is as follows. After falling into the stomach of a rat, the substance does not cause instant death, thereby scaring the rest of the rodents. The poison takes effect in 10-12 days, and all this time, the rats eat the bait, considering it safe.
"Goliath" causes oxygen starvation in rodents, so they tend to leave the premises to open space. This will greatly facilitate the process of collecting the bodies of dead rats. The corpse is also mummified.
The cost of the drug depends on the amount of packaging:
- 1 kg. - 2 800 rub.
- 2 kg. - 4 300 rub.
- 3 kg. - 6 500 rub.
- 5 kg. - 9 200 rub.
- 10 kg. - from 15 000 rub.
Krysin. High-speed and effective drug. On the market this substance is sold in ampoules. Use this bait as follows: one vial is mixed with 500 grams. sunflower seeds and a tablespoon of sunflower oil.
The resulting mixture is laid out near the rat holes and in places of frequent occurrence of rodents. As an ingredient, you can use any bulk foods. After eating poison in food, the animal dies within 1-2 minutes.
Despite the seeming simplicity of use, poisons are the worst option for dealing with rats. In addition to the dangers to birds and humans, a huge number of cats die from them: after eating a poisoned rodent, they almost certainly die as well.
How to protect chickens when using poisons
To the bait did not cause fear in rats and remained inaccessible to chickens, you can use this method. You will need a wooden box, preferably with a flip top lid. In the side walls it is necessary to cut two small holes, 8-10 cm in diameter. The rat, seeing the unclosed space, will go inside without fear and eat the bait.
Poultry, cats and children will not be able to get to the poison. For chickens such a box will be at the same time a convenient place to sit along with the roost.
Causes of
The coop is a paradise for rats. Here it is dry and warm in winter. Plenty of food: in addition to full feeders intended for the main inhabitants of the coop and stocks of feed or grain, chickens carry delicious eggs. Rats are most active at night.
As a rule, the chicken coop is a separate building with an open manhole for chickens. Rats have a unique ability to penetrate and settle even in enclosed spaces, all the more so if there is an opportunity to enter freely.
Rats get even in those chicken coops that are located on stilts high above the ground. The reasons are simple - rodents perfectly climb on vertical surfaces. In nature, some of them lead a semi-woody lifestyle.
How rodents can harm chickens
Chickens that react very aggressively to mice and catch them are not worse than cats react very carefully to rats. Over time, just get used to their presence.
The appearance of rodents in the hen house creates huge problems:
- Rodents are carriers of dangerous infectious diseases. They are regulars of garbage dumps and landfills. Even settling in the hen house, they do not stop their raids on the breeding grounds of pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms. Moving between neighboring poultry houses, they may well bring with them pathogens of chicken diseases that pose a threat to humans.
- In addition to infections, they bring with them parasites. Along with them, fleas and ticks can appear in the hen house.
- Rats manage to steal not only food from feeders, but also stocks of grain, animal feed, vitamin and mineral supplements, and root crops. The latter is especially dangerous: damaging the integrity of vegetables, they provoke their rotting and spoilage.
- Rats steal eggs. Despite the fact that most of them prefer vegetable food, they cannot deny themselves such a delicacy.
Bringing damage to chickens, these animals damage the chicken coop itself. Building a system of moves and manholes for their own comfort, they gradually destroy the structural elements.
Methods of struggle
At home, the rats in the hen are fighting as much as the whole history of the poultry industry. It is absolutely impossible to destroy them, but there are ways to protect their chickens from them.
Ultrasonic devices. One of the most progressive and at the same time humane ways to destroy rats is to use an ultrasonic repeller. The principle of action is directed stimulation of the sense organs and the nervous system of rodents. It causes panic, fear, discomfort, and thanks to the ability to change settings, it is not addictive.
In addition to rats, a powerful ultrasonic repeller will help get rid of mice and moles around the chicken coop. If you have rabbits, it is better not to use such installations.
When buying, pay attention to the range - it, at least, should be enough for the area of the chicken coop.
Folk. The appearance of rats in the hen house always happens inappropriately, and you must act as quickly as possible. If it is not possible to quickly acquire any of the new-fangled inventions, it is possible to destroy rats with the help of the richest national experience:
- Use stove ash. It is scattered on the coop at the rate of 1 standard 10-liter bucket on 5–10 m2 of floor surface. It is believed that alkali has a detrimental effect on the digestive system of rodents, helping to destroy them. Even if it does not work on uninvited guests, ash hens will help get rid of parasites.
- Fumigation of the hen house with burning wool. If you set fire to a woolen sock and fumigate a room for them, and lay out the remnants with traces of burning around the walls, you can get rid of the rats for a long time. They diligently avoid danger, and the smell of fire as well as possible makes them flee and escape from the hen house. As an option, it is proposed to set fire to the carcass of a rat with alcohol: put it on a metal pan and light the chicken coop.
- Use bait. The easiest way to kill rats with their passion is to eat deliciously. To do this, bulk products like flour or sugar are mixed with alabaster, cement or lime. Рекомендуется поставить рядом емкость с водой, чтобы наверняка произошла реакция, однако это необязательно – поев, крыса сама найдет источник влаги.
Второй вариант приманок – сало или мясо, желательно имеющие сильный запах, например копченые, положить на деревяшку внутри наполненной наполовину бочки с водой. It is placed at night in the middle of the hen house and put a ladder for the convenience of the pest. In the morning, check the catch.
Biological. Cats are the natural enemies of rats. Not all, but only the most courageous - rat-catchers. As a rule, these are ordinary yard cats. In the villages, they are worth their weight in gold. They reliably help to get rid of gray freeloaders, but there is always the risk that a useful predator will start to carry chickens.
Rats catch some breeds of terriers, however they need to be trained first.
In order not to look for a purebred dog and not to overpay for it and its training money, there are recommendations to raise a rat that has the same qualities. For this you need to catch a few living and healthy rodents.
Place them without feed in the barrel and securely close. The surviving individual will forever become a threat to their own kind. It is guaranteed to help destroy all pests in the area. It takes time, but it works.
In addition to the natural enemies that help destroy the rats physically, there are plants that are no less effective. Mint and elderberry possess repellent properties.
Mechanical. Rats in the hen house require maximum care. To destroy them, it is not enough to set a trap or a trap. It is necessary to do this so that the chickens are not affected. It must be borne in mind that rats are extremely intelligent pests, and this kind of device is bypassed.
Craftsmen invent ingeniously ingenious devices for their fishing. For example, a large jar, the inner walls of which are doused with oil, and at the bottom is a piece of delicacy: the chickens will not climb into it, and the rat, having slipped down, will no longer be able to get up.
In addition to the means and knowledge of measures, how to destroy rats, it is not bad to arrange mechanical prevention of their appearance:
- dig a sheet of iron or a fine-meshed net around a chicken coop to a depth of about 50 cm,
- carefully seal all the gaps and holes in the foundation and walls. At the same time, it is recommended to add broken glass to the solution,
- raise nests above floor level
- Do not leave for long and do not store food in the hen house.
Chemical. Industrial poultry farms kill rats immediately and for sure. Chickens are sent to quarantine, and the chicken coop is treated by spraying poisonous substances inside. At home, such events can not be spent: professional disinfestation requires serious financial investments.
Among the most popular drugs "Krysid" and "Rat death". It is recommended to buy funds based on denatonium benzoate, for example, Bitrex. In addition, there are Ratindan and Zoocoumarin on the market, as well as Phosphide and Zinc.
Securing chickens when using poisons
Destroy rats with poisons easily and quickly. However, the process is fraught with danger to all living creatures in the area. Chickens, cats, dogs and even small children are at risk if decomposing toxic substances in places accessible to them.
Poison is recommended to be placed in closed boxes with through holes, designed only for rats. However, even this method of precaution does not guarantee absolute security. By eating poison, a rat can go about their business.
Bringing rats is much more difficult than preventing them from occurring. Before building a chicken coop, consider building structure. As much as possible having strengthened the base and the gulf of floors, you will get rid of one of risk factors. Cleanliness, regular sanitary and hygienic measures and control over food will help to avoid mass invasions of uninvited guests.
Harmful rodents in the chicken coop - fight them correctly
Rats and mice are well-known peddlers of various infections, including rabies, plague, leptospirosis, and besides this itch and mites and helminth eggs. Therefore, it is necessary to fight with them!
In addition to the threat of terrible diseases, these pests gnaw almost everything they find on their way: concrete, drywall, wiring, plastic. The damage that these nasty rodents can sometimes do can be enormous!
Therefore, if you have found the first traces of the uninvited guests in your hen house, you should immediately sound the alarm. Mice are usually calculated by a specific smell, rats leave more obvious traces of their stay - stolen eggs, strangled young.
In addition to the terrible diseases with which rats and mice can “reward” your birds, and then you, they, as already noted, steal eggs, eat grain, and even attempt on the life of birds. Especially easy they cope with chickens and pullets. Rats are generally the smartest animals, which complicates the process of dealing with them.
The fact is that they quickly "realize" that they want to get rid of them and bypass the harvested traps. In addition, it is believed that animals are able to "communicate" with each other and warn of possible danger.
However, in order to permanently get rid of rats a person will have to use more cunning and resourcefulness, since this enemy is not easy and very dangerous!
People try to fight with harmful rodents since ancient times, because they constantly steal chicken eggs and chickens. Therefore, in addition to modern methods of dealing with rats and mice, many continue to use old-fashioned methods.
I would like to highlight the most popular methods of getting rid of rodents: these are biological, mechanical, chemical and folk. Separately, we will also analyze this type of struggle as an ultrasonic repeller. And then about all the methods in order.
Ultrasonic Repeller
Consider another such modern method of rodent control, as an ultrasonic repeller. It is considered an advanced and humane way, because it does not kill animals, but simply creates conditions in which the stay of pests becomes extremely uncomfortable.
But, although the ultrasound is not heard by a person, it also affects it negatively. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically turn off the repeller when you, for example, clean the hen house or collect eggs.
Harm to birds
Rats, who have chosen a chicken coop for their permanent residence, can infect your bird with the most dangerous diseases. These include plague, rabies, leptospirosis and other unpleasant infections. Rodents in the hen house can cause scabby mites and worm eggs in birds.
It is possible to suspect that rats have entered the chicken coop by the following characteristic features: strangled chickens, stolen eggs, gnawed grain, as a result of which your chickens risk remaining hungry.
The fight may be difficult, but it is in your interest to do everything to get rid of the rats. Often these clever animals easily bypass the set traps. They warn themselves about the danger. Therefore, you should be patient, show all your ingenuity to once and for all get rid of such a strong and dangerous enemy.
Not all means are allowed to use to drive rats out of the chicken coop, because some of them can cause irreparable harm to the health of your chickens. Methods to fight pests should be carefully selected.
To date, there are a number of popular methods to help quickly and effectively get rid of household pests. Let us dwell on each of them in more detail.
Mechanical. This method of rodent exile from the chicken coop involves the use of traps, mousetraps, glue-based baits. Mousetraps cannot be positioned so that the chickens themselves become prey. Although, this method could be the best option.
Often, agile animals bypass the traps. Glue baits are more suitable for catching mice, since physically stronger rats can even get out of it after falling into the trap.
Some craftsmen themselves make a rat trap, taking the bottle as a basis. Sunflower oil is poured into it, you can put cheese, sausage, lard as an additional bait. Such a trap is safe for residents of the house, but a rat that has got inside will not be able to get out on its own.
Biological. This method involves the use of animals for which rats in the wild are desirable prey. The enemies of rodents are cats and some breeds of dogs.
However, it is not so easy to purchase a cat-pied Piper, since modern Fuzzies often lose the natural function of the hunter. But to get a cat does not hurt - even its smell well repels rodents.
Biological methods also include the use of such plants, the smell of which does not tolerate pests - elderberry and mint. In order to bring out rodents, it is necessary to place sprigs of fresh mint or a piece of material dipped in its oil in minks.
The branches and roots of elder should be chopped, placed on the floor of the chicken coop or also put deep into the mink. It is believed that the smell of plants is able to scare off rodents, and they will leave the room forever.
Chemical. Chemical pesticides help poultry farmers fight pests. During their use, care must be taken not to harm poultry. Modern drugs Krysid, Zinc, Zookumarin, Ratindan, Phosphide provide indispensable assistance to all owners of domestic chickens.
A drug called “Rat death”, which has been used for many years, has proven itself well. You can use tools such as indirect anticoagulants.
People's. People have long been concerned with inventing ways to catch or expel a rat from a chicken coop. The result was the emergence of many methods, among which there are quite unusual. Consider some popular folk tricks.
The use of ash. It is crushed and placed on the floor in the home of chickens. At 5 - 10 square meters you need to take 1 bucket of ash. The alkali contained in it, corrodes the surface of the paws of the pests, and, getting into the stomach, irritatingly affects its walls. After this procedure, rodents tend to leave the uncomfortable zone.
Culinary method. In a vessel placed alabaster and flour in equal parts. Add lime and sugar to this mixture. Around the finished poison you need to put a bowl of water. The mixture, swallowed by pests and fed with liquid, turns inside the stomach into a frozen lump, which causes indigestion.
Barrel with water and bait. At night, inside the house, they place a barrel filled with water half full. Put pieces of meat or bacon there. Near put boxes, so that the rodent could scramble closer to the barrel. In the morning you should expect a rich catch of rat corpses.
Ultrasound. The newest way to remove rats from the house recognized ultrasonic repellents. They are not able to prevent the emergence of new pests in the room, which is a small drawback. These devices with the help of ultrasound affect the organs of hearing and the nervous system of rodents.
Ultrasonic traps should work indoors around the clock. Even the most powerful devices, whose action is the constant reflection of ultrasound, use no more than 15 watts of electricity.
High-quality devices can operate at temperatures from -40 to +80. Among the existing models of repellers, you can choose a reasonable price and performance.
Review of methods - how to get rodents out of the chicken coop
To bring pests in two ways: scaring and destruction. In this case, each method has several ways. Consider the most effective ones.
"Rat death" - a modern Italian drug, which is a kind of plasticine, placed filter package. The weight of each such "dose" is about 10 grams. Components of poison that attract rats and mice are sunflower oil, flour and sugar.
The main active ingredient - brodifakum - an anticoagulant that kills rodents within a few days, even after a single dose. Having tasted the "Rat Death" pests die from suffocation, without causing suspicion among their fellows.
The effect of the drug (death of rodents) is usually achieved 3-4 days after the use of poison. An important advantage of the "Rat Death" - low price. Packaging weighing 200 grams (15-20 bags) costs about 100 rubles.
"Goliath" (Germany) - expensive, but at the same time the most effective to date drug for 100% destruction of rats and mice. It is used in its work by professional disinfection and disinfestation services. Having used "Goliath", the pest dies only after 8-12 days, which is very important (other rats will not suspect anything and will be together to absorb the poison).
Poisonous baits are a mortal danger not only for rodents, but also for chickens, so you can not just place the poison in the house.
- For these purposes, you need to build a box of plywood convertible top.
- In the side walls (on each side) small holes are made with a diameter of 6-8 cm so that the rat can get inside and the birds can not access.
- Inside the box put the dishes with poison.
Ultrasound. To make the rats and mice leave the poultry house and the territory adjacent to it, special devices - ultrasonic repellers help. A small device emits vibrations in the ultrasonic range.
These waves are not perceived either by humans or domestic animals, however they act depressingly on all rodents. To eliminate addictive pests, the oscillation frequency changes all the time.
The advantages of using ultrasonic waves are obvious:
- rodents do not die, but simply go away (no need to search and clean up rat corpses),
- unlike poisons, they are non-toxic,
- it is enough to buy a device once to put an end to rodents once and for all.
Ultrasonic scare devices from different manufacturers - Tornado, Grad, Chiston, etc. can be found on the market. Each model is presented in different versions that differ in power (coverage radius). So, the device "Tornado-800" (effective area - 800 square meters) costs about 3.5 thousand rubles.
Basic rules - how to deal with rodents before they appear
Any problem is always easier to prevent than to solve. Therefore, at the design stage of the poultry house, protection against unwanted guests should be provided. A serious obstacle for mice and rats will be the foundation with the addition of broken glass.
In the absence of a foundation, a sheet of iron treated with tar will help you to protect the chicken coop from rats (to a depth of at least half a meter).
One of the most affordable and effective ways to prevent the appearance of rodents in the house is the use of natural repellents ("repellers"). These intelligent creatures smell from afar, so they would prefer to find a more comfortable place for feeding.
Do not store grain in the house and, if possible, do not leave the rest of the feed in the feeders for the night. After all, food attracts rodents.
At all times, the main enemies of mice and rats were cats, so it would not be superfluous to start at least one rat trap on the farm. Even if she is not a noble hunter, the mere presence of the feline spirit will make mice and rats think.
