Rat problem in your chicken coop?

Here are 5 things that won't work - and my checklist of what will!

So you have a mouse or rat problem in your chicken coop?

You never want to think it will happen to you - and then, one day, it does.

Myth #1: Ultrasonic repellers will get rid of your rat problem.

There are many of these on the market, and they're sold at a considerable price. 

You'll see manufacturers singing their praises and making all kinds of claims for them.

The most common is that they will get rid of more or less anything that moves - rats, mice, cockroaches - by transmitting an ultrasonic signal around the home which humans can't hear but rats and mice hear and can't tolerate.

Myth #2: Chicken wire keeps rats and mice out of the coop.

Chicken wire is very good for keeping chickens in. But it won't keep anything much out of your run, and it's certainly no deterrent to rats.

Rodents have learned to be extremely resourceful in order to survive. They can climb through (and up) pipework, they can jump up to three feet high and leap four feet across. They can swim, and they'll eat through virtually anything. 

So a little chicken wire, which has holes easily large enough to fit an entire family of rats, is absolutely no problem for them.

You will not get rid of your rat problem like this.

Myth #3: Dog / cat / ferret urine are a solution to a rat problem.

It's not as laughable a theory as some - but it's still not true.

Here's the theory: rats are deterred by the urine of any animal they know to be a predator. 

Humans, dogs, cats and ferrets are the top predators rats are wary of.

Here's the fact: creatures which prey on rodents are actually fewer than you might think. Their chief enemies are human beings. They're also vulnerable to attack from terriers, birds of prey and some snakes.

Do you really want to try to extract urine from a snake? Or use your own round your coop? (Think of the smell...).

Rats are intelligent beings who have learned to live with their predators for centuries. Food is their main driver.

They know their smells, and it doesn't put them off setting up home wherever they have free access to food.

So breathe a sigh of relief. You don't have to try to get some urine from your pet cat.

Myth #4: Peppermint / essential oils / cayenne pepper / human hair all deter rats.

Here's the theory: rats have a good sense of smell. 

That much is true - they can smell out a feeder full of grain at some considerable distance.

The rest of the theory? All rodents hate the smell of peppermint. Or other essential oils, such as lavender, grapefruit or eucalyptus. Or cayenne pepper. Or human hair. 

Take your pick.

Here's the fact: Rats really are not worried by the smell of peppermint - they will actually eat it. They will certainly not pack their bags and leave if you hang sprigs around your coop.

Nor will they be phased by the smell of other essential oils, or cayenne pepper, or toilet blocks, or deodorant, or any of the other many, many things you will see advertised as "old timers' deterrents which definitely work".

They definitely don't work.

As for human hair, the theory is that rats don't like humans and will stay away from anything that smells of them.

Except of course - all rodents love to live where humans live. They have learned that where there are humans, there's food. 

And they love food.

Myth #5: And finally: can mothballs solve your rat problem?

Here's the theory: the smell of mothballs will keep rodents away.

Your grandma swore by them for keeping moths from eating her woolly sweaters (and she always had that tell-tale sickly sweet smell about her). 

But Naphthalene, which mothballs are made of, has been found to be a highly toxic chemical which can cause cataracts and bleeding in the eye, and has been linked to serious illness and death⁽³⁾.  

For that reason it was replaced by some manufacturers by Dichlorobenzene - which has since been found to be carcinogenic⁽³⁾. 

Despite that, both these chemicals can still be found in products on the market sold as rat and squirrel repellants. 

If their toxicity isn't enough to put you off using them as a way to solve a rat problem, perhaps the fact that they have both been found to ineffective should. 

Steer clear of these. They will not control any level of rat problem - and they can make you and your family ill.

They can look like sweets to children - they have that sickly sweet smell too - but they could prove fatal.

So what does work in getting rid of a rat infestation?

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