How rats steal eggs: useful information, methods of controlling rodents

Damage from rodents in a chicken coop

The rat is an intelligent and complex animal. She is able to defeat a cat and injure a dog. And in the chicken coop she is calm, safe and has something to enjoy. For permanent residents - chickens, rats pose a particular danger because they:

1. They carry dangerous infections that affect not only birds, but also humans.
2. Birds are infected with helminths, fleas and ticks.
3. They eat food from trays consisting of grains, root vegetables and vitamin supplements.
4. Rats steal eggs from the chicken coop, considering them a delicacy.
5. Hatched chickens and young animals are killed.
6. They cause harm to the health of adults by biting off scales on their paws during sleep, which leads to stress in the birds, and this, in turn, negatively affects egg production and weight gain.

Rats are not stopped by strong walls and concrete foundations. In the hunt for food, they gnaw passages, make tunnels, and get to the delicacies that are in the chicken coop by any means. It’s amazing how rats steal eggs.

Prevention

To prevent rats from entering a barn or chicken coop, you need to follow these simple rules:

1. It is better to use bricks in the construction of the chicken coop that cannot be chewed through. Strengthen galvanized mesh around the entire perimeter of the poultry house. The floor should consist of a concrete base with the addition of fiberglass. Straw is poured on top for insulation and moisture absorption. The door to the chicken coop should close tightly.
2. It is necessary to regularly ventilate the room.
3. Be sure to keep the chicken coop clean and outside, carry out sanitary treatment, and take out the trash on time.
4. It is important to provide good access to light.
5. Strong-smelling plants (chamomile, mint, wormwood) should be planted around the chicken coop and barn.
6. To prevent the rat from stealing the egg, the nests should be located at a height of about 40–50 cm from the floor.
7. There is no need to leave supplies of feed and grain in the chicken coop for a long time or overnight.

Compliance with all the rules for building a chicken coop will help protect chickens from uninvited guests in the form of rats

Difficulties in fighting rats

People have been fighting them for a long time. They get rid of rodents in different ways. That is why rats have developed many methods of defense and the ability to survive in any conditions. Do not underestimate the mental abilities of animals, which also complicates the fight against them.

Rats sense danger and behave very carefully. They deftly bypass prepared traps and warn other individuals about them. Their intelligence is also evidenced by the fact that rats steal eggs from the chicken coop (photo posted in the article). Experts say that they do not abandon their elderly relatives and take care of them, and teach the young to hunt and avoid danger. Therefore, when choosing methods of rodent control, all these nuances should be taken into account. A person will have to use cunning and ingenuity to defeat the dangerous pest.

Signs of rats in a barn or chicken coop

You can tell that there are rats in the chicken coop by the following signs:

• a specific odor reminiscent of ammonia;
• the appearance of rat droppings on the floor - large black granules;
• the appearance of holes and passages in the floor and walls;
• the appearance of tears and holes in bags of poultry feed;
• loss of eggs and strangled young birds;
• extraneous rustles, fuss and squeaking in the chicken coop at night;
• damaged wires and cables running close to the chicken coop;
• death of birds from an infectious disease (possibly as a result of infection from rodents).

Try to carefully inspect the entire room in order to detect signs of harmful neighbors in time and promptly take action.

Destruction of chicken eggs by rodents

Can rats steal eggs from a chicken coop? It turns out they can, and they even have several ways. They act:

1. One at a time - they take the egg with two front paws, and move with the help of their hind paws, crawling.
2. In twos, one grabs the prey and turns over on its back, while the other drags it by the tail to a secluded place.

It is noted that rats store stolen goods in a certain place and feast on them when the product goes rotten. Now you know how rats steal eggs and ruin their owner. Moreover, these animals move not only on the floor, but also on the walls and ceiling.

Why are rats dangerous?

These animals are dangerous because they are carriers of serious infections. By visiting neighboring chicken coops, they can infect their inhabitants with various diseases, causing the bird to get sick and die. In addition to diseases, rats carry parasites that also infect chickens.

In addition to the harm that rats cause directly to chickens, they can also harm in other ways: by eating food intended for poultry, spoiling root crops and grain. It is known that rats gladly steal eggs laid by laying hens: for them they are a delicacy, so the animals eat them with pleasure. They also spoil the structure of the chicken coop, making holes and passages in the structure, causing it to gradually collapse.

Methods for getting rid of rats

Before you start fighting rodents, you need to think carefully and choose the most suitable methods. There are five main ways to get rid of rats, these include:

• mechanical – involves the use of traps;
• chemical - using insecticides;
• biological - the safest and most frequently used;
• folk - time-tested without harm to chickens;
• modern - the use of ultrasonic repellers.

Each method has its own positive and negative qualities. Depending on the specific conditions, you can choose one of them or use several at once.

Poultry house reconstruction

The main purpose of a chicken coop is to keep the birds comfortable and to protect the premises from pests. This should be taken care of at the stage of its construction or during operation. Remembering how rats steal eggs, showing their agility, you need to create unfavorable conditions for them. Since there is plenty of food in the chicken coop, you need to be concerned about its tightness. For this:

1. When building a chicken coop, place a concrete foundation under it.
2. Make the walls impenetrable. Rats are able to penetrate through a very small hole, so it is advisable to cover the side surface of the building with metal sheet to a height of at least a meter.
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3. Install metal doors so that there are no gaps.
4. The windows should be glazed and the floor concreted; the rats will gnaw through all other materials and insulation.
5. Keep the room clean. Systematically remove droppings, monitor the hygiene of food trays, and collect eggs in a timely manner.

Having eliminated the access of rodents from the outside, you can start exterminating them inside: yourself or invite specialists.

Precautionary measures

In addition to using various means and methods of rodent control, it is also necessary to take some precautions to ensure that the pests never disturb the chickens at all. To do this, first of all, you need to properly build a room for chickens . When building a poultry house, it is imperative to lay a foundation. In this case, you can add broken glass to the concrete or sprinkle it in the corners of the foundation. Only after that it is necessary to make screeds.

If the chicken coop does not have a foundation, but it stands on supports, then along the perimeter it is necessary to deepen sheet iron into the ground. Most often, rodents enter the poultry house through tunnels in the ground. Therefore, it is important not to leave any holes in the coop. If holes appear over time, they must be concreted immediately.

Rodents live in close proximity to human habitation. With the onset of cold weather, they sneak into the house, barn, cellar, and outbuildings. The chicken coop is especially attractive to rodents. The room is always warm, there is an abundance of food, and no one threatens. For a person, the question of how to get rid of rats in a chicken coop becomes vitally important.

Mechanical methods of struggle

Can rats steal eggs? Yes, they can and do come up with clever ways. The owner of the chicken coop can suffer significant damage, so it is imperative to fight them. For this purpose, mechanical traps are used, inside which bait is placed.

They are installed in places inaccessible to hens and chicks so that they are not caught instead of rodents. And cunning rats can bypass them. Glue traps are often used, which are ineffective for strong adults that can tear their paws off the smeared surface. Another drawback: the rodent remains alive and must be destroyed or released by someone.

Mouse family

Rats are close relatives of mice, but significantly larger and more cunning; some individuals, with good nutrition, reach a weight of up to 500 grams.
Common rural pests are, of course, much smaller, dark gray in color, and sometimes albinos are found. The toes on the paws resemble a human palm and are very mobile. The animal is secretive and is seen only when the population reaches critical sizes. They prefer to live in large families in secluded places. They can dig holes, but like to find abandoned dark rooms. They feed on everything that gets in their way, they can even gnaw electrical wiring and books, and steal food from humans. They go hunting at night . When the population is restored, the female is able to give birth all year round, 20 pups per litter.

Biological methods

This method of struggle deserves special attention. It is effective and does not require the use of harmful substances. To do this, get a dog or cat that can catch rats. Not all pets are capable of destroying them, so it is advisable to first ask which ones will be useful for this role. In addition to animals, they use plants that have a strong odor that is unpleasant to rodents. These include: elderberry, mint, chamomile, wild rosemary. They are planted near the chicken coop or twigs are laid out near animal burrows. The good thing about this method is that rodents leave places that are unpleasant for them, and there is no need to bother with corpses.

How to protect a bird from eating poison

Chickens can also be poisoned and die from the poison. Even if the poison eaten did not affect the condition of the bird, its eggs and meat may become unfit for human consumption and dangerous to human health.

How to protect chickens from eating poison:

• Use toxic substances carefully and place poisoned bait only in places where birds cannot reach it.
• Try to carefully monitor the premises and feeders - a rat can drag the poison into a place accessible to the birds, and the chickens will eat the poison.
• Carefully monitor the condition of the birds and note any changes - the appearance of lethargy and unusual behavior may signal poisoning.

Folk remedies

If mechanical and biological means are ineffective, you can try folk remedies:

1. Wood ash. It is scattered along the walls. It does not pose any danger to chickens, but the alkali present in it corrodes the paws of rats. It is activated when the rodent begins to lick its dirty paws. The appearance of discomfort forces them to leave the coop.
2. A mixture of flour, alabaster, sugar and lime. Rats like its taste, but once inside, it causes organ burns and the rodents die.
3. Barrel of water. It should be filled halfway with water, and pieces of lard should be placed on the surface. Place boxes near the barrel, making a kind of ladder out of them so that the rats can get to the treat, the smell of which they can smell well. All that remains is to collect and dispose of the corpses of drowned rodents.

... and destroy

If deterrents do not give the desired result, you will have to resort to destructive measures. The simplest method is to get a cat, the biological enemy of all rodents. However, not all pets are capable of fighting rats in a chicken coop. A representative of the Siberian breed can become a good hunter.

Folk remedies

Many means have been invented to combat rats. Some of the methods are not humane and can even shock with their cruelty. But if you think about what harm rats can cause if they are not stopped in time, pity for rodents immediately goes away. There are three most effective folk remedies for rats in the chicken coop.

1. Barrel of water. Take a large barrel and fill it halfway with water. Lower a lightweight board that will not sink in water. Place a fragrant piece of smoked meat or fried lard on it. Place boxes or boards that can make it easier for rats to climb. Leave it like this overnight. In the morning you can get quite a significant “catch”.
2. A mixture of alabaster. Mix wheat flour and alabaster in equal proportions. Place such baits in small feeders. Be sure to place containers of water nearby. The rat will happily eat the left “treat” and drink it with water. The liquid will react with the building material, causing it to harden.
3. Wood ash. This is the easiest way. Take the ash and grind it. Sprinkle the floor thickly, especially near rodent burrows. Ash falls on the paws of tailed pests and causes irritation. To relieve discomfort, rats lick their paws, causing ash to enter the digestive tract. It gradually eats away the intestinal walls, leading to death.

Drugs

You can use commercial rat repellents in your chicken coop to kill pests. However, they must be used extremely carefully. Most poisons can cause intoxication not only in pests, but also in humans, domestic animals and birds. To protect chickens from possible poisoning, you can resort to one of two options.

1. Translation of birds. During the fight against rats, all poultry are transferred to another room. When there is not a single individual left within the walls of the old chicken coop, they begin to lay out the poison. After the death of the rats, a thorough cleaning is carried out. You can then return the bird to the coop. On average, such an event takes two weeks.
2. Special box. To protect overly curious chickens, you need to place a box in the barn with small holes cut out so that only a rat can get through. Poison is placed inside the box. It is best to put it in a container of beer. The aroma of the drink will attract rodents. Rats will easily get into the box, drink poisoned beer, and eventually die. But chickens will not be able to climb into such a box.

There are many different rat poisons available. The poisons listed in the table below are considered the most effective.

Table - Industrial rat repellents

To catch a rat in a chicken coop, you can use special traps or traps. Both purchased and homemade rat traps are effective. However, when placing them, remember that one trap cannot get rid of the tailed villains. Consider installing several devices at once.

Chemical method

To the question of whether rats steal chicken eggs, there is only an affirmative answer. Therefore, it is imperative to get rid of rodents in the chicken coop. Insecticides, the range of which is very large, are suitable for this. But it is important to remember that pesticides are not safe for birds. Therefore, when using them, the chicken coop is cleared of its inhabitants for a while, moving them to another room. Gaseous preparations are considered the most effective means, but to use them you need to invite a specialist.

When treating with chemicals, you should always remember that rats can develop immunity to them. It is best to use new drugs that have just appeared on the market. They do not have an immediate effect, so it is necessary to remove the corpses of pests in a timely manner.

Use of poison

Each chicken owner chooses how to exterminate rodents individually. When using poison, some nuances should be taken into account. Do not place edible baits in a place accessible to chickens. If possible, rat poison is stuffed into holes and crevices.

For rats in the chicken coop, do not use powder scattered around the perimeter. It is dangerous to destroy with tablets and briquettes. Chickens are curious birds, they will want to try everything.

If there is an urgent need to poison rats, you need to temporarily move the chickens to another room. In this case, you can use any rat poison with a quick effect. An effective remedy for Rat. A minimal dose of the drug in the stomach causes fatal poisoning. It is enough to swallow a small piece. You can eradicate rodents in a week.

You can poison rats with edible baits by mixing a toxic substance into raw meat, fish, or lard. Rodents equally love salty and sweet foods. You need to use a product with a strong odor as bait. Spoiled meat and lard will be just right.

Ultrasonic repeller

Such devices are sold in any hardware store and are one of the most humane ways to control rodents. The device produces sound waves that are not detected by the human ear, but cause panic and anxiety in rodents, and they urgently leave the room. To select an effective rat repeller, professionals advise paying attention to the following details:

1. Power. When choosing a device, take into account the range of action.
2. Scene. Ultrasound only travels indoors.
3. Safety. The device must operate in the absence of people.
4. Change of vibrations. To scare away rats, the oscillation frequency changes automatically so that they do not get used to it.

Repellent

There are three methods of controlling rats in a chicken coop:

Smell

Undermining of the chicken coop's walking area by rats: a strip foundation will not stop them.

Rats have a very sensitive sense of smell, which means they are very sensitive to odors. Like many predators, rodents cannot stand the smell of scorched fur. Rodents associate this scent with danger, and they try to leave the area as quickly as possible.

Folk remedies

The oldest and most effective way to protect chickens from rodents is to scatter stove ash on the floor. It sticks to the feet and fur of rats, and when they begin to lick themselves, it enters the digestive system. Ash is classified as a caustic alkali, therefore, when it gets into the stomach of animals, it causes discomfort and digestive problems. By using ash, you can get double the benefits of repelling rats and ridding chickens of skin parasites.

You can also fight rodents with the help of plants. Burdock and Blackroot officinalis (ratcatcher) help well. These plants have spines that, when in contact with fur, inevitably cling to it. Rats are not able to get rid of stuck thorns, so they will not dig their holes near these plants.

The photo shows the seeds of Blackroot officinalis and the plant itself at the time of flowering. Very often, the Black Root plant is used to control rats in a chicken coop - although the name is similar, it is completely useless for these purposes.

Mint

Rats have a particular dislike for mint. This plant is akin to a weed, and it can be found in almost any area, growing in a chaotic manner among noble plantings. However, its mere presence in the garden is not enough. In order for mint to be useful, it is picked and dried, then tied into small bouquets and hung in the corners of the chicken coop.

Chickens and other birds are neutral to the smell of mint, but rats are unlikely to decide to stay in such a place for a long time. Or they may not want to enter it at all.

Sagebrush

Wormwood has a similar effect on the nervous system of rats. It grows much more actively than mint, and quite often gardeners pull it out as an unnecessary weed, simply not realizing its beneficial properties. In order to use wormwood against rats, it must be collected during the flowering period, dried, and hung in the corners of the room for the winter. Dried wormwood can also be placed under stacks or spread between sheaves.

Blackroot

Dried black root, which is usually called mouse spirit or cat soap, is good against rats. It is also laid out in the chicken coop either in the hay or on the floor.

Autumn colchicum

This plant is poisonous, so it is not sold in pharmacies. You can assemble it yourself, but wear protective gloves. As a poison, you can take 1/5 kg of seed material or add 10 g of grass to food.

In the fight against rats, all the methods described above are effective; each farmer chooses the most suitable ones for himself. The main thing is to remove these rodents completely so that poultry and animals do not suffer in the future.

Uses of gypsum and lime

To prepare baits, take gypsum or lime and mix it in equal parts with corn flour. Add milk or kefir to the resulting mixture and roll into small balls. They are placed in places where animals gather or in their burrows. After the balls disappear, you need to add new bait.

Ash – wood and stove

Ash has the property of killing rats, so you should temporarily move the poultry to another room, and scatter as much ash as possible in the chicken coop! It sticks to the paws of rodents, then enters their intestines and gradually eats away at it. At the same time, the rats experience severe pain. The death of animals occurs a few days after this substance enters their stomach.

Bird cherry and elderberry

To protect not only the chicken coop, but also the garden, you can plant bird cherry and elderberry bushes. However, you need to be careful with the latter, as elderberry is poisonous. You need to plant it so that small children cannot reach the bush. If it is not possible to either plant a bush or fence it, then you can put dried elderberry branches in the chicken coop.

Ultrasonic devices

You can purchase special repellers on the market that emit sound signals of a certain frequency. This sound is only audible to rodents and causes them to panic. Therefore, rats try to get away from dangerous territory.

It is important to provide escape routes for pests in the first days of ultrasound operation.

In theory, everything is fine, but in practice, such devices are strictly divided into 2 types.

1. Low-power, battery-powered, with a short range. Due to this, it is useless to use such ultrasonic repellers in a large chicken coop.
2. Professional devices powered from the network. There are some powerful ones that are only suitable for warehouses (the instructions say that they should be turned on in the absence of people).

The main thing in this disposal method is a balanced approach to choosing a specific model.

Among the well-known and advertised brands in Russia, it is worth mentioning the Tornado ultrasonic repeller. About 10 different versions of these devices are produced: from those that are inserted into an outlet like a fumigator to more stationary ones that operate from 220 volts.

“Torando 800” has a range of 800 meters and can be used in small chicken coops. Reviews indicate good effectiveness against rats. The price of the device (winter 2015) is about 3,000 rubles.

In second place in popularity are the brands Typhoon and Grad. webferma.com considers the Grad A-1000 PRO+ to be the most advanced model. The manufacturer claims that the device is equally effective in the fight against mice, moles, rats and insects (ticks, moths, mosquitoes, fleas). It is possible to switch on by timer, and the “unique radiation scheme” prevents pests from becoming addicted.

Introducing other birds and animals

It is effective to have geese or turkeys in the chicken coop, which are able to protect themselves from rats. Geese are distinguished by their sensitive sleep and reaction to the slightest rustle. Their cackling repels rats. Turkey produces a similar effect.

You can also get an outdoor cat or a hunting dog. Such animals will catch rodents, but at the same time create a risk for the chickens themselves. A well-trained dog will not harm poultry.

Another animal that can scare away and even catch rats is the hedgehog. This nocturnal inhabitant is a good substitute for a cat, which itself can harm chickens or feast on their eggs.

Mousetraps and traps

Such large structures can easily slam a rat or cause serious injury to it. When placing mousetraps, you must remember that curious birds can get into them.

Spring structures are considered the most effective. You need to pay attention to the material used - the rat trap must be durable.

A rat trap-squeeze helps a lot. Such traps should be placed in boxes, leaving a small entrance hole. It is good to use fried meat as bait. Instead, you can take a piece of bread and dip it in vegetable oil. This method cannot be used if there are chickens in the coop. Due to their small size, they can become trapped themselves.

Another effective option is an electric trap. It works due to the electric charge that the rat receives by closing the contacts with its paws. This charge is enough to stop the pest's heart.

This method of getting rid of rodents is ineffective, so it should be used in addition to other measures. Rats are very smart and rarely fall into such traps.

Glue traps

This method is usually used for mice, since rats are able to escape from the trap. For larger rodents you just need to use more material.

Special glue can be purchased at a hardware store. The tube should be kept in hot water for several minutes, and then its contents should be applied to the board. Rodents can be caught without additional bait, but to be effective, it is better to use it.

The glue does not dry for many days. The fur is tightly glued to it, so the animal cannot free itself. The rat may escape, but will leave some fur in the trap, sometimes resulting in serious wounds. This will force the rodent to look for a safer place to live.

Birds can also fall into such traps, so they should be placed under drawers or boxes where chickens cannot get into, but rodents can. Several entrances and exits must be made in the prepared box, otherwise the rat will sense danger.