In this short blog post, i will discuss the various ways to rodent proof your chicken coop.

1. Mesh, Mesh and more Mesh.

Probably the best way to reduce rodents in your coop is to make it impossible for them to get into it. To keep out both rats and mice its important the mesh is around a 0.5cm by 0.5cm holes or smaller and is of a large enough gauge so it cannot be chewed through. 

It is important to cover all openings for airflow and to line the floor or dig and bury wire to discourage digging under the coop. I would recommend at least a 20cm deep wall of wire mesh inserted into the ground along all the coop walls and securely attached to the bottom of each wall.

But what about the door? Wont it always be open, so what's the point? That's why i recommend having a door you can close during the night. Most coops do have a door, however, it is usually left open as most coops are in a permanent fox proof coop so the need to lock the birds up every night and let them out in the morning doesn't make sense. That's why I recommend an automatic coop door which does all the hard work for you.

There are many brands of coop doors however they are very expensive and are prone to issues. That's why i love this door below, it is very simple and runs off 3 AA batteries and uses a light sensor to open and close the door. With little moving parts not much can go wrong. Here's a link below.

 

 

2. Secure Your Feed and Water

At some point in the battle against rats and mice we must consider why they are so desperate to get in.

• Feed?
• Water?
• warmth?
• Safety?

While it is very hard to stop rodents from getting in we can make it not worth their while by denying them access to feed which seems to be a favourite of theirs.

The best way to do this is to eliminate feed spillage and or open air feeders. I've had the most success with treadle feeders others have used spill reducing feeders which makes it harder for the birds to paint the coop floor with pellets.

The best treadle feeders seem to be grandpa's feeders however they are very expensive. If you would like a less expensive but similar unit there are many stores stocking almost identical feeders.

Another inexpensive option is a regular treadle feeder which makes it impossible for rodents to get to your chicken feed. Heres a link to mine below however there are many stores stocking treadle feeders so make sure you have a look for the best value for money.

 

For water (which only really applies in dry areas or during summer) i suggest using nipple drinkers which are high off the ground which only your birds can get to. Another way to keep rats from getting to your birds water is to use a treadle waterer. A treadle waterer is a treadle feeder but with a float valve and hose attachment so it automatically fills up while keeping dirt and rodents out. Here's the link to both products below.

 

But why keep rodents out of water? Rodents can carry many diseases which could be transferred via water. As a poultry keeper who has had whole breeding lines completely wiped out by disease it is important to reduce every risk you can to keep your birds safe.

 

3. Poison...

Not a favourite for most poultry keepers for obvious reasons. But i have successfully used poison to completely eradicate a rat infestation in my own coops which was out of control. I did this by moving out all the bird, feed, water ect, then i filled the coop with rat poison in places inaccessible to the native bird life. After around a week of replacing the poison and collecting the dead rodents I was satisfied with the result. I then did a thorough walk around the coops collecting any left over poison and any rats i missed. I dug up all the rat tunnels under the coops and blocked all the holes i could. I then replaced the feed water and birds and saw no adverse affects to the birds.

It was a risk to use poison but it got the job done effectively and cheaply.

If you are against poison i recommend using traps/cages to relocate the rats if you are against killing them. I don't currently stock any rodent traps so i recommend going to your local feed store or hardware store which should have some.

If you got value from the blog post please share it to another poultry keeper. If you would like me to do a in-depth video on building a rat proof coop please leave a comment below.