Do chickens really attract rats? Or is it their food?

Hello All,
Both my wife and my neighbor insist that chickens attract rats. My argument is that the chickens do not attract rats, chicken food does. My chickens are moved around our field every couple of days. Their food is put on the ground and the majority is gone in the first 15 minutes. The remainders are scraped clean by the end of the day. So there is not food left out for them. There are eggs, but I don't think the rats are getting into those.

The feed is in my garage (not rat proof) in a metal (rat proof) trash can. Every once in a while one of my kids (or myself) will forget to put the lid back on the trash can, but that is rare. We have seen a few more rats this year, but it was a mild winter, and I've been disturbing some places they probably were, while re-modeling my porch. Frankly I'm not convinced I attracted the rats with the chickens, I think they have been around, and we are simply seeing more of them this year. And by "more" I mean, I killed 2, found 1 dead, and saw what was probably a rat run around the corner. So not, hundreds or anything.

Can anyone share experiences, thoughts, or opinions?

i agree with you. chickens on their own don’t attract rats, though rats may nibble on chickens at night when their population density is through the roof and other food sources aren’t available. chicken food is definitely more attractive to rats than chickens are.

Hi Matt;
I agree with you %100
The food not the chicken is what might bring rats in.
So unless you suddenly start leaving 100# sacks out for them it is a non issue.
If anything , the chickens might attempt to eat a smaller rat.
They are miniature dinosaurs after all!  

I'm in agreement with y'all that it's the food, not the chickens, attracting the rodents.

I often see a little rodent skittering away from the uneaten chicken feed when I go out at night to close up the coop. They're not in there with the chickens; they're nibbling on the food.

The chicken food attracts rats, which become chicken food...