Sightings of large rats in West Haven’s West Shore neighborhood have some residents pointing to residential chicken coops as a culprit.

Residents in the area of Prospect Beach said they’ve seen large rats scurrying around their homes since last month. A number said on a locally popular Facebook page that they’ve never seen rats at such a high frequency or so large in size.

“We are trying to identify the root causes,” said Mayor Dorinda Borer.