Raising chickens comes with the risk of dealing with rats and mice These rodents can cause damage to your coop and harm your flock. While using rat poison may seem like an easy solution, it poses a major risk to your chickens’ health and safety. In this article, we’ll explore whether rat poison can kill chickens, symptoms of poisoning, and most importantly – how to keep your flock safe
Can Rat Poison Kill Chickens?
The short answer is yes, rat poison can absolutely kill chickens and other birds. Most rodenticides contain powerful toxins that prevent blood clotting. Even small amounts can be lethal to chickens. Birds don’t have to directly eat the poison either. Consuming poisoned rodents or insects can also be deadly.
There are a few types of rodenticides homeowners and farmers commonly use
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Anticoagulants – These stop the blood clotting process and cause internal bleeding. Popular ingredients include brodifacoum, bromadiolone and diphacinone.
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Non-anticoagulants – These affect the central nervous system. Examples are bromethalin, cholecalciferol and zinc phosphide.
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Acute toxicants – Fast acting ingredients like strychnine that are banned in many countries.
All of these can be very toxic and potentially fatal to chickens. The estimated lethal dose for an average 5 lb chicken is only 1-2 grams for many anticoagulant baits. So even pecking at a small amount of poison left in the coop can kill your birds.
Symptoms of Rat Poisoning in Chickens
If your chickens accidentally ingest rat poison, watch for these common symptoms:
- Lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite
- Increased thirst and drinking
- Breathing problems like open mouth breathing
- Bruising, pale combs/wattles, blood in stool due to internal bleeding
- Tremors, seizures (from nervous system poisons)
- Sudden death with no symptoms
The time it takes for symptoms to appear depends on the poison. Anticoagulants are slower acting while zinc phosphide acts more quickly.
Catching poisoning early greatly improves your chance of saving an affected chicken. Call your vet right away if poisoning is suspected.
Can Rat Poison Contaminate Eggs?
There is a small chance of egg contamination if a laying hen eats enough poison for it to enter her system. The residues could then get into the yolk.
However, properly washing and cooking eggs should destroy any potential residues. The bigger risk is to your chickens’ health, not to egg consumers.
How to Treat a Chicken that ate Rat Poison
If you catch poisoning quickly, your vet may be able to save your chicken’s life. There are a few things you can do right away:
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Isolate the sick bird from the flock in a safe, comfortable area.
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Provide plenty of clean drinking water. This will help flush toxins from their system.
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Call your avian vet right away. Specific antidotes or treatments depend on the poison ingested. Your vet can advise the best course.
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Activated charcoal may help absorb toxins if given shortly after ingestion.
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For anticoagulant poisoning, vitamin K injections can counteract the effects.
With aggressive supportive care and treatment, chickens poisoned by rodenticides can recover. But their outlook depends on how much poison was ingested and how soon treatment begins.
How to Keep Chickens Safe from Rat Poison
The best solution is avoiding rat poisons entirely around your flock. There are several effective, chicken-safe options to control rodents:
Chicken-Proof Your Coop
Block any small openings and gaps in your coop with hardware cloth. Rats can squeeze into spaces as small as 1/2 inch wide.
Raise feeders and waterers so rodents can’t access spilled grains.
Clean up any feed spills promptly. Store feed securely in sealed metal containers.
Keep vegetation trimmed back from the coop walls so rats have fewer places to hide.
Use Traps and Baits
Snap traps, electronic traps, and live cage traps all work well for trapping rodents. Bait with peanut butter, bacon, nuts or cat food.
You can also try rodent bait stations with non-poison baits liked mixed grains or pet food. Place them away from the coop where chickens can’t access.
Get a Mouser
Cats, dogs or even chickens that hunt mice can help control rodents. A good barn cat is a classic solution.
Natural Rodent Repellents
Sprinkling repellents like pepper flakes, garlic powder or cayenne around the perimeter of your coop can help deter mice and rats from entering.
Owl Boxes or Hawks
Placing owl nesting boxes or hawk perches encourages natural rodent control around your coop.
Remove Food and Water Sources
Eliminate outdoor pet food, fallen fruit, compost piles and anything else that attracts rodents to the area. Rats need a source of food and water to survive.
By rodent-proofing your coop and removing food sources, you can keep rats away without endangering your flock. Avoid using any poison baits or risky extermination methods. Your chickens’ health is too important to take a chance. With some prevention and chicken-safe control methods, you can have both a rodent-free coop and healthy, happy chickens.
Minimise Rats In The Coop
- Use a chicken feeder made to prevent feed waste on the ground. Bell feeders and treadle feeders allow chickens to thrash feed onto the ground. If you use an Australian-made, patented Dine-A-Chook Chicken Feeder, you will all but eliminate wasted feed. Less to no feed on the ground means fewer reasons for a rat to bother.
- Clean the coop regularly. Using a dropping tray under the roosts in the coop will allow you to easily remove droppings daily. The cleaner the coop, the less attraction for rats. Heres our guide to cleaning a chicken coop.
- If you are scattering scraps in the chicken run for the hens to eat, do this between 10 am to 2 pm and only dish out the feed they will eat before sunset. Too much feed will just end up staying uneaten on the ground, waiting for the rats at night.
- Rats prey on eggs. However, if food is scarce, rats will attack young chicks and even adult hens. Rats kill chicks by biting and attacking the neck or head of the bird. Collect the eggs and ensure young chicks are safe from rats. Use a roll-away nesting box for easy egg collection.
- Stop throwing scraps on the ground for chickens to eat. The smell of day-old food scraps is very appealing to rodents.
Is There A Chicken-Safe Rat Poison?
Yes, some rat poisons are safe to use in the chicken coop. Rat poisons are also known as rodenticides.
Ratshot by Freezone differs as it is made with difenacoum. Ratshot is designed for use around pets, livestock, and poultry.
It is still highly toxic to rodents, but it has been made to be lower in toxicity for other, non-target animals like chickens and pets. However, if you are a rat, Ratshot is most likely going to be your last meal.
My Chicken Ate Rat Poison: What Should I Do?
FAQ
What happens when a chicken eats rat poison?
Within a couple of hours of ingesting rat poison, poisoned chickens typically have greenish droppings. Rat poison can also cause greenish diarrhea in chickens …Nov 25, 2022
What happens if birds eat rat poison?
The toxins prevent normal blood clotting. This puts birds at a higher risk of internal bleeding when they experience trauma, or even spontaneous internal bleeding.
What poison kills chickens?
Copper Sulfate Poisoning
Copper sulfate in a single dose of > 1 g is fatal. The signs are watery diarrhea and listlessness as well as decreases in egg production and decreased feed consumption.
Will a rat kill a chicken without killing?
Yes, rats can pose a threat to chickens. They are known to attack young chicks and can also harm adult chickens, especially if they are sick or injured. Rats may prey on eggs as well, leading to reduced egg production. Additionally, the presence of rats can introduce diseases that may affect your chickens.