Does your neighbor have chickens? Do you think they are attracting rats into your yard? If your answer is yes to all these questions, simply checkout the article below in order to find out how you can put an end to this.
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What To Do When Neighbors Chickens Are Attracting Rats
1. Talk To Your Neighbor
This is one of the best ways to deal with the situation. This is because it makes your neighbor aware of the situation and gives them the opportunity to try and make things right. When approaching your neighbor about their chickens and how they are attracting rats, make sure you do it in a polite way. This is because, if you approach them head on, it might seem like you are confronting them and this may force them to be defensive or rude towards you. If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, there is a chance that they will do something in order to minimize the problem.
2. Check Local Backyard Chicken Laws And Ordinances
If your neighbor doesn’t want to listen to your concerns about how his or her chickens are attracting rats, it’s important that you check your local backyard laws and ordinances. This is because certain neighborhoods limit the number of chickens that a person can have in their backyard. If your neighbor is keeping more chickens than the expected amount, it means they are in violation of the law and you can actually build up a case against them. In order, to build the case make sure you get some legal advice.
3. Contact Homeowners Association
If your neighborhood has a Homeowners Association, it would be a nice thing to contact them and let them know about what is going on. The Homeowners Association will look into the issue and confront your neighbor on your behalf.
4. Remove All Food Sources
Sometimes talking or reporting your neighbor may not solve the problem entirely and that is why it’s important to take necessary steps to prevent the rats from entering your yard. One of the best methods is to remove all food sources from your yard. This is because, although your neighbor might have chickens that are attracting rats, the same rats are attracted to your house because there are multiple food sources available. In order to prevent rats from entering your house, it is highly important that you remove all food sources from your yard. This means picking up all litter and closing trash or dust bins. This helps to ensure that when rats get into your yard, they starve and eventually flee.
5. Use Traps
Using traps is a good way of getting rid of rats in your yard. There are various traps that you can use and they are actually more effective than using poison. When using traps to get rid of rats in your yard make sure you position them in areas that have high activity of rats. You should also use bait in order to lure the rats. Some of the most common types of bait used include peanut butter, apples, bananas and unsalted seeds.
6. Use Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil can be used to keep rats away from your yard. This is because rats dislike the smell of peppermint oil and they will do everything to avoid it. When using peppermint oil to get rid of rats, you should apply it in areas where the rats like playing around. This will ensure that they desist from coming to your yard.
7. Use Crushed Pepper
Crushed Pepper can also be used to get rid of rats in your yard. All you have to do is to place the crushed pepper near the rat holes. Crushed pepper affects the sinuses of rats so they will flee from that area thus, leaving your house free from these rodents.
8. Call A Professional Pest Management Company
If all these methods fail, it’s best that you call a professional pest management company. They will help you to get rid of the rats by identifying their entry points, nests and food sources. Professional pest management companies can remove rats from your walls without causing much damage. Therefore if your yard is highly infested by rats, calling a professional pest management company is your best option.
How Do I Stop My Chickens From Attracting Rats?
If you have chickens and they are attracting rats, here are a few things you can do in order to solve the problem.
- Clean chicken coop before nightfall and leave it free of food scraps.
- Remove feeders every night and replace them in the morning.
- Replace chicken wire with a thicker hardware cloth.
- Trim grass and vegetation around the coop.
- Seal holes and cracks in the coop.
How Do You Keep Your Neighbors Chickens Off Your Property?
Your neighbor’s chickens can naturally wonder off into your yard and if you are tired of this there are a few things you can do.
Talk To Your Neighbor
If you are worried that your neighbor’s chickens are getting into your property and causing damage, the best way to address the issue is to talk to your neighbor about it. Explain to them in a polite way how this is affecting you and also proffer a few solutions to them.
Erect A Fence
While talking to neighbors about this can help minimize the problem, erecting a fence can actually get rid of the problem. All you have to do is to erect a tall fence within your property line. This will help to deter chickens from entering your property.
Remove Food Sources
Another option that can help to prevent chickens from entering your property is to remove food sources. This is because chickens usually go where there is food so you need to investigate what exactly the chickens are eating in your yard and then remove that.
Conclusion
If your neighbor’s chickens are attracting rats the best option for you is to find ways of getting rid of the rats yourself. This is because talking to your neighbors or reporting them does very little to solve the problem.