Rats stealing eggs ?

Z

ziggy

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Would a rat be able to steal eggs & get them out the coop that's pretty well guarded with concrete and wire perimeter ?
I see the odd hole but yesterday I had a dead mouse near the food bin and it was sort of punctured , would the rat be able to kill the mouse ? Only it left it alone , bizzare
 
If you have mice you generally haven't got rats as rats will kill and eat mice. If the mouse has been poisoned rats won't eat it, but chickens will !

If you are losing eggs with no obvious culprit it may be airborne.
 
Interesting , I'm sure there's more mice, I caught a rat last yr ANSI just don't want to encourage anymore
I've got traps down now , a job I'm going to be doing is concrete to the perimeter edging
 
Just caught a big rat in our rabbit trap and despatched it with the Crossman PCP. Weighs just under a Kilo I would say -full of chicken feed! Have caught more rats in our rabbit trap than by any other means and because the door is soft closing, under its own weight, it is safe for chickens as well (caught the bantams several times). Also caught a Magpie in it. I don't bother so much with small rats and mice, they are not so destructive.
 
I've had Magpies in my ark - they've got as far as upstairs too. Can only presume they where after eggs, as never have food in the house?
Do you have the run covered over?
 
We've lost another egg today. Same M.O. as last time. Small slot cut into it and some contents eaten. Doubt it is a Magpie, suspect a Robin or Blue Tit. Will be putting a curtain around the nest box. It's the only coop without one.
 
Rats are very resourcsful and I've had eggs broken and eaten in the nest by rats. The eggs have been eaten after the hens have gone to bed so I knew it wasn't them. Whether they could carry one away I don't know but would not rule it out.
 
When we first moved here the owner had 4 ex-bats. Complained he rarely got eggs. When we moved in we cleared the canal bank of nettles and found a huge pile of eggshells. Concluded the rats carried the eggs off and ate them on the canal bank in the undergrowth where they would not be disturbed. They are very intelligent creatures after all and do make good pets.
 
do you have a river nr you ?
i would say that any rat is a problem big or small as small will get big !!
last yr all my quails were killed and taken away by rats I now have perm rat poison down no where near the chickens
i had a pro come in and found the runs and nests I live on a game farm next to some woods and open fields behind me
since i have put the poison down the chicken food is lasting twice as long but i also take all food out of the way from 5pm at the mo and clear away all food source
river animals love eggs otters ect
 
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