Can You Have Chickens Without Rats?
WouterIf you are planning to keep chickens, you should know that rats are a major problem. However, there are several ways to prevent rats from invading your chickens’ home. One way is to secure the chicken coop. This can be challenging, as rats are extremely resourceful. They can scale almost anything and gnaw through most materials. Therefore, it’s important to make the chicken’s coop and feeders as unattractive to rats as possible.
Rats can survive for up to three days without food or water. They can also swim a quarter mile. Rats are known to eat a variety of materials, from garden veggies to livestock. Because of this, it’s important to remove all feeders and waterers during the night. In dry areas, they may come in search of water. Even if the food and water are out of sight during the day, rats will find them easier to gnaw on.
If you want to keep chickens in a small space, you can try rat-proof feeders or build a rat-proof coop. Rats will avoid your coop if it’s not surrounded by overgrown grass or shrubbery. Also, rats won’t want to live in a house where they can’t find food.
Rats are a serious problem for chicken owners. They will eat your chicken eggs and chicks, and will likely attack your mature hens as well. They also carry several nasty diseases, and they can easily get into your coop. They also gnaw off the toes of sleeping chickens.
