Keeping Rodents Away When You Have Outdoor Chickens

If you’re keeping chickens outdoors you may end up having a problem with rats. Rats are large enough to disrupt your chicken coops, keeping your chickens on edge by eating their eggs and stealing their food. They can also contaminate the food and water, serve as a carrier of disease and parasites, or even prey on chicks. You certainly don’t want rats around your home and you definitely don’t want them near your coops either.

What do you do? At Action Pest Exterminating we specialize in rat and pest control, so we know a few things about keeping these big pests away from your chicken coops and away from your home.

Store Food Securely

The main thing that attracts rats and other pests to your chicken coops may not be the chickens themselves. Instead, it’s what the chickens are eating. That feed that you’re giving them is quite tasty to rats as well, and if it’s left out you might as well be inviting these pests right into the coop.

Keep the food in a secure container, like an industrial metal drum that can be sealed up and won’t leave holes for rats to squeeze their way into. If any feed has spilled into the coop during the day, clean it up before you go to sleep. Leaving any food out is sure to attract rats.

Keep the Coop Clean

In addition to cleaning up the food, just keep the coops clean in general. Cutting the grass around the coop and keeping it low, cleaning up any debris, and removing any places where rats could set up shop and hide will help a lot. They still might travel a bit to try and get into your chicken coops, but at least they won’t be taking up residence right next to them.

Build Some Barriers

You also might be able to use some barriers, like sheet metal, to block off the coop from the outside. If it’s a material that rodents can’t chew through, it can likely work well to keep pests out.

Set Traps

If you see signs of rats, like droppings left behind, it’s wise to set out some traps. You can set out snap traps to catch some of them or invest in colony traps, which can catch multiple mice and don’t need to be monitored quite as closely as the individual snap traps do.

Call in a Professional

When all else fails, call in a professional. An exterminator knows how to get rid of rats, and our team can tell you about more prevention methods that can help keep your home and chicken coops free of rats and other pests. If you’re really tired of the rats, this is your best option.

For Rat Control in Charlotte, NC

If you’re having troubles with rats or other pests we’re ready to help, even if you don’t have chickens! Contact Action Pest Exterminating today if you have any problems that require an exterminator, and we’ll be ready to make your yard and home a cleaner and safer place.