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There is no such thing as a Rat Proof Chicken Feeder

Feed your chickens, not the rats!

Rats are a terrible pest in the chicken coop. Rats can consume hundreds of dollars worth of valuable feed each year. They contaminate food and water and also expose your chickens to parasites and disease. They may also eat Chicken Eggs as well as chicks. While many Chicken Feeders may suggest they are Rodent Proof, the reality is There is no such thing as a Rat Proof Chicken Feeder. The Dine A Chook Chicken Feeders have been engineered however to aid in rodent prevention.

Smarter Designed Chicken Feeders

The Dine A Chook Feeding Bay is engineered to prevent Hens from Thrashing and Raking feed onto the Ground. Food sources on the ground naturally attract rats as well as other pests. By preventing Chickens from Thrashing and raking, our Feeders are waste reducing and also lessen the food source for pests.

Rats are attracted to chicken coops by the easily available food source, so many people try to deal with the problem by buying a rat proof chicken feeder. But does it work?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. There is no such thing as a Rat Proof Chicken Feeder. A rodent resistant feeder might remove the most obvious food source, it is not enough. You cannot rely on a feeder, even the best “rat-proof” feeder, to remove an infestation.

Using a Dine A Chook Feeder with a good coop management can deter from taking up residence in the first place.

3 simple tips for rat proofing your chicken coop

Rats love chicken coops because they are an easy food source. Remove the food source, and you will remove the rats!

1. Prevent feed waste

Although any rodent will appreciate an easily-accessed feeder, the fact of the matter is that spilled and wasted food is the main attractant for rats and mice in your chicken coop.

  • Buying a feeder that prevents birds from raking the feed onto the ground. A waste-reducing feeder is worth far more in the fight against rodents than a rat-proof one!
  • Using a nutritionally balanced pelleted or crumbed feed. This will stop birds from feeding selectively on only the seeds or grains that they like, reducing waste and raking.

2. Never leave food out

Rats are largely nocturnal, coming out at night to eat spilled grain and any scraps that your chickens have not eaten. Remove these sources of food, and the rats will look elsewhere for their dinner.

Sweep up any spilled feed and remove uneaten scraps from your coop at the end of the day. If rats have already discovered it, you should also remove your feeder to a rat-proof container or location overnight.

3. Store feed safely

Rats can, and will, chew through wood, plastic and even chicken wire! Securing your coop with hardware cloth or chicken wire will deter pests and predators, but storing feed safely in a metal container, preferably away from the chicken coop, will stop rats from trying to enter the run in the first place.

Severe rodent infestations

Good coop management can discourage rats from taking up residence in your chicken coop. But in the case of a severe infestation, you will have to take active steps to remove the rodents. There are a range of humane removal methods available, as well as traps and poisons.

In the long run, preventing rodent infestation relies on a combination of good coop management, preventative measures and feed management.

For the Dine a Chook Guide to Good Coop Management, click here.