Rats in the chicken coop - what do I do?

[abbieangel]

I am sorry. I am not a chicken keeper. My neighbour is. I know she / they have rats in the chicken coop. Yesterday I watched at lunchtime after I came back from shopping and saw four bravely run up the side of the fence into her chicken coop (four large adults).

I knew there was a problem in the summer when I found an adult dead rat on my garden and then I saw another in the main road , although to be honest there has been a rat issue on and off since she got the chickens seven years ago. I was afraid to speak out. They keep their chickens in a section of garden which borders my home/ garden and effectively they are nearer to me than to her. So her rat problem is essentially mine.

I am not a horrid neighbour or the one from hell. I am not opposed to her having her hobby but honestly, I do not like rats, they scare me. I dont want them near my home.

So, can someone advise me on what I can do about it. What can I do to get rid of the rats myself ( if anything)?

Well first of all I would go and tell her. If they are further from her house she might not realise she has rats. I would then be laying rat poison on my side of the fence. I always fancied getting chickens but the thought of bringing rats close to my house puts me right off. If she refuses to acknowledge the problem then I would ring the council.

We had problems with our ducks. We tried the poison route in the sealed boxes to keep out the ducks and the kids. The poison wasn't effective until we got a Grandpa feeder (in picture). This only opens when the ducks step on it and the rats are not heavy enough to activate it. Maybe try a gentle word with the neighbours and suggest the feeder, although they aren't cheap!

You could try the poison boxes in your garden, but without your neighbour limiting their access to food it probably won't be effective.

There are sticky pads you can get to trap them but they're not for the faint hearted.