Rat? Problem.

I agree with Chris, the idea of rats in your coop is definitely one less thing to worry about, Sue! I think Mollteaser's sad story was more probably caused by a weasel or similar. Perhaps the main focus of all our efforts has to be to keep the blighters out of the run in the first place, and this means a really secure edge all round the bottom of the run, with mesh too small for them to get through, (ie 1/2'', at least one layer round the bottom of the sides, plus underfloor mesh at least round the inside edges, if not all over.)
I think if your run is safe, a greater danger to your hens would be to reduce the ventilation, Sue, because the less ventilation you give, the more condensation you'll get. With 4 full-sized hens in the same sort of house as your 2, I never get condensation, but with night time temperatures well above freezing so far, I do leave the vents and pophole open, and also change the damp paper bedding daily of course.
 
I leave all the vents fully open (except last night because of the rat worry!) The pop hole is closed. I use wood shavings and always pick out the droppings every morning, not that there are many with only two birds!! The condensation must be because the pop hole is closed, which is pretty ridiculous really as it is meant to be closed!!! I may contact the supplier to see what they say. If it had 6 birds in it, it would be dripping!! At least at the moment it is only slightly damp. As I said previously, I'm propping open the nest box lid until lunchtime and this is allowing it to dry out. I didn't have this problem in the summer and it's not as though the temperature has really dropped very much yet.
 
You may need a small fan then Sue. Like the ones in a computer -quiet. Forget bathroom extractor fans -far too noisy. Should be easy to fit, just needs mains supply. Use an exterior Continental 16A socket and plug (like campsites) as they are fairly waterproof. We've got them on our coops for lighting.
 
I don't have mains supply though unfortunately! I could run a cable down the garden and may do this at a later date, as we still have the rest of the garden to landscape and that area is beyond the chicken run and we want electricity down there anyway as there will be a summer house and fish pond. A never ending project it seems at the moment!!
 
They have two either side at the top. Quite bit vents. If you go to the site, you can see them in the photo. There are two the other side, opposite these above the nest boxes. One can't be closed at all, but the other three can be, but when fully open they are very big vents. Mine has the automatic pop hole as in the last photo.

http://www.greenfrogdesigns.co.uk/chicken-lodge-large/

Hope I haven't broken any rules by giving this website! Please let me know if I have and I won't do it again.
 
The Green Frog also has a sort of floating roof - it's supported on the bowed ends front and back, with a 3/4'' gap all along the sides, ie a total of about another 4ft or so of 3/4'' vent. It's actually very effectively ventilated.

I wonder why you feel the pophole 'is meant to be closed' - except as a safety measure if you're concerned about the security of the run, or in extreme weather conditions? Chickens are hardy outdoor birds and the temp. at present is a night time low of about 10C, at least here in Hampshire. I suppose in evolutionary terms it's just a blink of an eye since they all roosted outdoors in trees all year round!
 
Sue said:
They have two either side at the top. Quite bit vents. If you go to the site, you can see them in the photo. There are two the other side, opposite these above the nest boxes. One can't be closed at all, but the other three can be, but when fully open they are very big vents. Mine has the automatic pop hole as in the last photo.

http://www.greenfrogdesigns.co.uk/chicken-lodge-large/

Hope I haven't broken any rules by giving this website! Please let me know if I have and I won't do it again.
Click to expand...

Have you actually seen condensation on the inside Sue? Or is it just the nest box becoming a bit damp?
Btw..not a problem with the link! :D
 
I can feel the condensation on the inside of the house itself, all areas, in the mornings. I only open the nest boxes to get more ventilation in and dry out the condensation.

Marigold, I say the door 'is meant to be closed' because otherwise it wouldn't have the facility to do so! Apart from that, the automatic door closes on it's own anyway. Everyone I know closes their doors.
 
Sue I am sure there shouldn't be that amount of condensation? I wonder if it maybe a good idea to contact the supplier?
 
Sue, i didn't mean you were wrong to close your pophole, I'm just trying to work out why your experience with the condensation is so different from mine. It's a bit late now, but tomorrow night I'll close mine up and let you know what happens.
 
Hi Sue and Marigold. I think all coops suffer from condensation. But wooden coops absorb the moisture into the wood and it dries off from the outside. The Cuprinol garden shades I am using on the new coop (and have used on all the others) is microporous. It won't let water in but lets it evaporate out. We get condensation on plywood which is effectively sealed by the adhesive between the layers so won't let water out. The result is mould growth and sick chickens. I have to scrub it with Poultry Shield to kill the mould.

We may get problems this year with the roof on the new coop which is painted white inside for extra light and then felted outside. Hope not.

Have you seen these industrial moisture absorbtion packs? 1Kg of crystals in a cloth bag. When they are full of water (can check by weight) they go in the oven or microwave to dry out and then are reused. I use them in the boxes in the cellar to keep the contents dry.
 
This thread began as a discussion of safety measures to help keep predators out of runs and coops, following Mollteaser's sad experience, but has now gone a bit off topic, moving into the problems of condensation in coops. However, both discussions are interesting and relevant, so I'm going to start a new thread, Condensation in Coops, to continue this direction,, and leave this thread open for anyone to add ideas about safety and predators.
 
It does seem that a lot of topics wander off eventually onto other things as new discussions arise from the replies people give to the original question/query.
 
I had rats that came in after the farmer cut the maze, I use neosorexa (blue blocks) they have a hole in the which I tie down inside a drain pipe which seems to work really well, I do hope you get on top of it very soon, and I am sorry for your loss.
 
Found those blue blocks, and have been using, along with another HUGE trap. The blocks are disappearing rapidly...so fingers crossed x x
 
mollteaser said:
Found those blue blocks, and have been using, along with another HUGE trap. The blocks are disappearing rapidly...so fingers crossed x x
Click to expand...

Rats do love that type of poison, I have tried many over the years and this is by far the best I have had. It is a good sign that the poison is going, once you find they don;t keep going keep it baited anyway as it is an indication if goes again that the rats are back.
Hope you have no further fatalities
 
I don't like using poison for 3 main reasons. Firstly it is indiscriminate, so a mouse or vole could eat it and then poison an owl. Secondly the animals die anywhere and then you have the heath issue and stench. Thirdly death is always slow and painful. Large snap traps carefully placed are very effective and are not triggered by smaller animals. Whilst kills are not always instant, 5 times out of 6 they are.
 
Modern Rat poisons won't move up the food chain so if an owl eats a rat killed with rat poison it won't die. Some old fashioned poisons would move up the food chain. The old poisons would kill the owl that ate the poisoned rat , then the fox that ate the owl then the family dog that found the dead fox etc' etc.. that's why some old poisons are highly illegal. So if you have some old stuff your grandad had in a tin get it disposed of correctly!

Make sure you rat station is safe for hens their necks can reach almost 8" and can pick up crumbs left by the rats in some rat stations. There a some rat safe boxes listed on a well known auction site among other places.

We've tried traps , with limited success , rats are just to clever. modern poisons in hen safe rat stations is the way!
 
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