People might look at you like you’re crazy, but you know the truth: raising your own chickens at home is an excellent endeavor with plenty of advantages.
Backyard chickens can save you money, provide you with healthy eggs from a known source, and even serve as pets or companions!
When your chickens can give you so many great benefits, of course you want to take care of them properly and give them a safe and clean place to live.
That’s where chicken coops come in! Coops are an absolute necessity for backyard chickens.
Unfortunately, sometimes they may become infested with rodents. If this happens, there are a few things you can do to keep your chickens safe.
Why are rodents a problem?
When it is cold outside, rodents get desperate for a warm place to live and a steady supply of food—which in turn makes you desperate for a way to get rid of them!
Rodents may cause several problems if they get into a chicken coop. Where there are rodents, they are usually engaging in three main activities: eating, leaving behind waste, and producing offspring.
Of course, if they are eating the feed you have provided for your chickens, the chickens are potentially not getting enough to eat, and you are definitely wasting money by feeding rodents.
When the same rodents urinate or defecate, they are likely contaminating the feed and bedding, which could lead to illness in your chickens and hinder egg production as well. And, of course, if the rodents are producing offspring, the cycle is only going to continue.
Note: If your rodent problem starts to create a cleanliness problem, this may attract flies - which can further lead to health issues for your chickens. Read this article here to find out how to safeguard your chicken coop against flies!
It is clear that mice and rats are a major issue for backyard chicken keepers, but there are six simple steps you can follow to get rid of the trouble for good.
1) Warning: Never Use Poisons
You might first want to reach for a rodent poison from the hardware store, or try making one yourself. Either way, this is a mistake; poisons can seriously endanger your chickens.
Remember this:
- Remember that chickens have voracious appetites, and will eat almost anything, including poisons.
- Keep in mind that chickens will also potentially play with a dead rodent that may have been poisoned, thus spreading the poison to other chickens.
- Don’t forget that even if a chicken shows no signs of damage from poison, its eggs may carry some contamination.
2) Install Secure Feeders
Photo credit: The art of doing stuff, flickr
The more secure a feeder is, the better off you’ll be.
Ideally, you would want to install a feeder that is only accessible to your chickens and not to anything else.
The most common way to achieve this is to have PVC vertical feeders such as the one pictured here; Chickens can access it, however rodents can not!
Note: younger chicks may not be able to reach it, keep this in mind.
How-To
3) Make Use of Secure Feed Storage
Like the secure feeder, you will also need to use a secure feed storage system. If rodents can’t get into the chicken feed, there will be very little reason for them to be interested in the coop at all.
How-To
4) Rodent-Proof All Bedding
Keep your chickens’ bedding stored safely to prevent infestation. You definitely don’t want to encounter any rodents when it comes time to lay fresh bedding for your birds!
How-To
5) Utilize Traps
Use a humane trap!
Traps are not the best option for getting rid of rodents in your chicken coop, but there are ways to use them effectively.
How-To
6) Keep Your Coop Repaired
Last but definitely not least, keep your coop in good repair, and you will stop the problem of rodent infestation before it even starts.
How-To
Just by reading through this article, you’re already well on your way to safer, happier chickens with no rats and mice to bother them!
Remember to follow these simple guidelines, and your coop will be rodent-free in no time. For more information on other types of pests that can invade your coop, check our great article right here!
For more tips and advice for the urban chicken farmer visit our backyard chickens section or start at https://www.ecopeanut.com/.
