Tips for a rodent free coop. Rats and mice in our chickens coops have to be one of the nastier aspects for raising backyard chickens. But I’m here to tell you that it can be prevented! Rodents in a coop do a lot more damage than just eating your feed. Rats have been known to chew on tail feathers, crack and eat eggs, and even eat little chicks! They also spread filth and carry parasites that can be transmitted to your flock.
Tips for a Rodent Free Coop
I have some simple tips to keep your chickens in a rodent free coop.
Rodent Free Coop Tip #1 – Deny Access
The first thing you need to do is prevent the little boogers from getting in. Install 1/4 or 1/2 inch hardware cloth around the coop. You’ll want to attach to coop and bury as a perimeter about 10 – 12 inches underground. This will keep digging rodents from tunneling into the coop. Next take that same hardware cloth and use it as cover for all the coop windows and other openings to prevent them from sneaking in that way.
Rodent Free Coop Tip #2 – Natural Repellents
Rats and mice detest mint – a little planted around your coop can be a great deterrent. I’ve also heard of people using essential oils for this job but I think that would be a much more costly way to prevent them versus planting the mint.]
Rodent Free Coop Tip #3 – Get a killer on the job
People have been keeping barn cats since there were barns. But a good ratter dog can be helpful too. My Australian Shepherd caught a few in our early years of keeping a backyard flock. My cat was more of a Garfield; he wouldn’t have chased a mouse or a rat for anything. Also to note even if you have a cat for rodent patrol, you’ll need to feed and water him – they are not care free.
Rodent Free Coop Tip #4 – Don’t feed them.
The rodents are looking for easy meals. Don’t leave food out over night…ever. I recommend investing in a Grandpa Feeder. This one investment changed our coop entirely. The first year was a battle! But once we had the Grandpa Feeder in the rodents and wild birds quit thinking our backyard was their personal buffet!
Rodent Free Coop Tip #5 – Don’t give them water.
The other thing that the rodents are looking for is water. If you live in a warm climate, like ours in Arizona, this can be a real issue. Mice and rats will poop in the water and generally just make everything nasty. The best thing you can do is make it harder for them to get a drink. Systems like poultry nipples can be a lifesaver, without costing you a fortune. Check out The Advantages of Chicken Nipples.
These 5 tips are a good way to get you started on the road to a rodent free coop. Remember that traps and poisons are not options for a safe coop or a backyard homestead. Those options may very well hurt your flock, your other animals or God-forbid your children!
You don’t want to deny rodents water. We have had water lines chewed through several times during droughts and that’s even drain lines. Provide water out in the open where your cats or dogs can catch them.
We have a little minpin (dog) he has caught more mice and field rats than an ole cat.
I keep the feed in a metal garbage can by the coop. It’s convenient for feeding the girls and keeps critters out. Use a rubber bungee cord run through the lid handlehooked onto the side handles. Works to keep out raccoons and possums too.
I tried the bungee cord. They chewed it off the first night. I now have a metal “buggee”from TSC.
What do you do during the day when the chickens need to get into the coop to lay eggs.
Mint doesn’t work either. Not unless you don’t want your birds to lay any eggs for a couple of days
My birds flick the food out of any of those treadle feeders.
And lastly rats can go without water for longer than a camel.
The only way to get rid of them is to trap and dispose of them. Making them “go away” only works if you get rid of your chickens. Even if you clean up food put it away etc will you get rid of them temporarily.
Rats are so smart. What keeps them from opening the Grandpa feeder?
Mainly size, they simply aren’t heavy enough to open it.
True, but the rats in our neighbourhood found out they had to be with 3 to open the feeder. 😀
Whoa – you must have some industrial sized rats!
i had a grandpa feeder and the rats just lifted the lid of the feeder
You have some super rats. I’ve not seen that.
Had a problem with rats ,so got a rat cage and cough one in it , let the dog in beside the cage with the boy o in it and the squiles of him scared every other rat away for bout 2 years
Chicken nipples are not physiological. There are other means more adequate with bird anatomy to prevent rodents from soiling water.
My problem is not with the cereales and grains I give to them, I have a suspended feeder, it’s about the pasta or other waste of our meals I give, they eat in a really dirty way, so the grass is always soiled with their food waste. I’m searching now how to solve this problem.
My second problem is about deworming the grass once the hens have been dewormed, to prevent them to be reinfested by worms in their droppings. Cutting the grass and letting the sun doing the job could do it, but I’m not sure there’s sun enough in my backyard.
Everything about natural care of my babies interest me. Any essential oil you use to deworm or heal?
You can use DE or diatamaceous earth on your grass and in your coop…kills all bugs, mites, etc naturally can even be fed to your chickens as a dewormer.
Please read up more on DE or speak to a vet before using it in your coop and definitely before feeding these sharp crystals to your chickens! It is bad for you to breathe the dust, and for your chickens too.
There are several herbs you can feed you girls… and garlic…if you have a problem with worms I’d google for more info…
My neighborhood has an infestation with realy large rats…and ihav four duckz…n they keep getn ing tha cage…isee them eatn and drinkn next to tha ducks n im scared they had babies under our ramp tooo…ihavn issues jeepn them out..idug the hard wire cloth in tha ground..but they dug all tha way under it..its seems they keep getn..n im about hav to get rid of becuz of tha lanlord if icant solve tha problem asap…PLEASE HELP:(
Have you put out traps?
You could make some peppermint tea and spray the area. Works for mice.
I would like the recipe about peppermint to ride off of mice. I have that problem.
Just peppermint essential oil around the base of the house and planting peppermint plants.
I have rats living under my Coop (build it yourself shed that came with the property). Building is too close to the ground and made so that I cannot raise it up very easily (would be a major Project).
I also have other / Larger animals living closely to this chickens – but still separated.
Would Rat Bait stations be the way to go or is there another (perhaps better) way??
Thanks.
You may need to move the coop, if possible and dig up their home. We’ve had to do that with garden boxes. You can try electric stations but I’d be very careful with bait because it could get into your coop and kill you chickens.
Ah… you just shattered my dreams of making raised up garden boxes. I am more than terrified of rodent’s big or small
they are all monster’s to me and I didn’t think about them getting under garden boxes soooo NOPE no planting gardens by me. Hey this is not a bad thing you actually helped me to prevent a heart attack or myself from hurting me by trying to run. YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO LAUGH NOW, WHAT THE HECK I LAUGH AT MYSELF TOO.
thank you for the informative educational insight!
Oh no! I hate to think I’ve discourage you!!!
Mint is invasive, but nothing chickens can’t knock down. Grab yourself a couple plants and plant as a preventative.
It is better in pots if you’re worried about it spreading.
Thank you for the tips i will try it
Great! Let me know how it goes!
I always believed the “mint myth”….until i found a momma mouse with a nest full of babies in a bunch of dried mint stored in the coop….
:O I’ve always had good results with it. But I suppose those suckers build up a tolerance to just about everything.
I’m SUPER nervous about trying urban farming again……a couple yrs ago at the turn of fall-winter a bunch of rats got to my DIY quail coop (not that difficult as it was a mini-tractor type) but after I made them a temporary home in my 3 season porch getting ready to build my big coop they GOT INTO MY HOUSE….not cool for my 1845 older home to be peppered with tunnels. I got rid of quail unfortunately but worry about them getting in again…was planning like 3-4 chickens and having ALL supplies OUTSIDE as not to temp them to come in….thoughts?
Start small. It is a lot easier to find “issues” when you add on a bit at a time. We had issues with pack racks and it took some time to find all the places we needed to seal up.