[masraum]

Originally Posted by IROC

Valid concern. Our chicken coop was fenced (so no cats or dogs could physically get to the poison, for what that's worth) and our dog was in a fenced area that was 50+ feet from the coop at its closest. I worried about that also, but with the exception of one instance, I found all of the dead rats within 10 feet of the coop. I did find one in the fenced area where the dog was, though.

I literally fought with these rats for about 6 months (or more). I tried everything and in the end felt I had to use the nuclear option to protect the chickens (and eggs).

It sucks, but there is not much redeemable about rats.

Yep. We have almost 6 acres. When mowing the areas farthest from the house that get longer at times, I often see them dart in front of the mower. I have no conception that I can keep them out of that area, but I'll do what I've got to do to keep them out of and away from the house to the best of my ability. It's a 100 year old wood frame house. During some of the work and renovations that we've done, I've found lots of pellets and even a couple/few skeletons. I think there has been times when the house was either unoccupied for long periods or only visited on some weekends. I'm hoping those periods are when there was a major issue.