New to this chicken business!

[Thalassa9]

Hi all! We took the plunge and have two chickens (with 2 more arriving later this week). We have had them for about a day and I’ve already spotted a mouse/rat in the flower bed. I am sort of freaking out!!! The chickens are adorable and the kids love them but that was fast! I have since bought a metal bin with bungees to secure the lid and a treadle feeder. Am I missing anything else? We live semi-rurally and haven’t had a problem since we moved in just over a year ago. Thank you!

[gonewiththerain]

Unfortunately you probably already had the rat or mouse and you just saw it because it popped out to eat the chicken food.
We have one rat, weirdly it’s never more than one rat that lives in the compost heap. It does dig under the chicken run to get to their food if there’s any left around so we keep the food contained. There’s also a few squirrels and a couple of hedgehogs in the same area of the garden.
Don’t feed the wild birds as that really does attract vermin.

[MissFoodie]

I use the cheap plastic feeders but always remove it at night (just leave drinker).

The food is in a large bin with lid in shed, I wouldn't leave outside as have two foxes who come through.

I just fill a smaller container with enough food for 10 days which I keep in kitchen as I fill feeder in the morning.

Have you got cats?

I wouldn't worry about mice or rats as long as you remove food at night

[BeardyButton]

This is my fear. We had rats before (had a compost that they were feeding from).
Your chicks are beautiful. Mine arrive on Friday.

[Thalassa9]

In an update I think I may have over reacted and it was in fact a bunny. In any case I think being proactive is the way foreword for keeping my sanity!! Thanks for the replies and I’d love to see your new additions BeardyButton when they arrive Friday!