Help, help, rats everywhere....

[chicknmania]

OK, I've had it. I set out plaster of paris mixed with powdered sugar. I hated to do this, because even rats shouldn't have to suffer, but I can't use poison and traps are just not workingThey are stealing the bait without springing the trap. Well, the rats happily ate all the plaster of paris and powdered sugar. How the heck much of this stuff do they have to ingest before it kills them? They seem happier and healthier than ever! I have ordered rat repellers made for barns and we are setting traps and we tried electric traps last year and the only thing that got electrocuted was my DH

I am thinking of going to the health food store for a couple gallons of peppermint oil and is there anything else anyone knows of that works really well? I don't want our hens to go broody and have the flipping rats eating the viable eggs from under the hens! My DH bought a rat rifle but he will not use it, I give up. I think he is afraid of missing and hitting a chicken.

 

[clport]

We were going through the same thing about 3 weeks ago. I didn't want to use poison either because of all the animals around our farm and I didn't want the little things to suffer either. The rats finally got so bad that they were coming out during the day and staring us down as we gaped at the number of them in horror! I finally gave in and we bought Hawk rat bait and put the bait packets into 3 gallon plastic buckets with a hole cut in the side just big enough for the rat to get in and eat the bait (put the top on the bucket, too). No rats after that. If you have seen a couple, that means you have a couple HUNDRED and nothing will get rid of them except the nasty stuff. You've already put a lot of money and time into getting rid of them and it hasn't worked. Go for the kill, girlfriend! Just be sure to check each morning before you put the chickens out that there are no dead rats in their run. I read on BYC that the poison in a dead rat will only be toxic to another animal who eats the dead thing if the poison hasn't been digested. If it's already metabolized and out of the rat's stomach, that's OK. Good luck!! It's a nasty problem, isn't it?
Carol

 

[cimarron]

OOOO Man, can't stand dem rats. We have been putting out traps, they're staring to make a ruckus down here in central texas too. The traps are taking care of these particular rats. With some help from Reynardine Serpentina, the rat snake who lives in our yard.

 

[chicknmania]

Well, our chooks are free range and there's the problem, the barn they are in is big and they will peck at a dead rat, though they don't seem to care to really eat it. Rat poison is really more humane for the rats, but how do you KNOW if they've metabolized it all? That's what ours are doing too...coming out in the middle of the day and staring us and our chooks and peacocks down over the food. It's disgusting.

 

[chicknmania]

I wish we had a few snakes out there but I'm sure the chiokens and peas are gonna make sure that doesn't happen.....

 

[TheReidHomestead]

Don't know if this works, but I saw an ad on craigslist the other day, someone was asking to borrow a goose to take care of a rat problem. Know anyone with a goose you can borrow?

 

[chicknmania]

Hmmm. I've always wanted geese....

 

[TheReidHomestead]

I don't know a thing about geese! Just so you know. But I truly did see that ad! Might be something to look into.

 

[Princess_Layer]

We've got rats also

I can't stand the thought of them. I saw 2 at dusk the other night hovering around the coop. They've been getting into the pen at night, but we lock the coop up so they can't get to my chucks.

Looks like we need to get some poison. Where abouts would we put it. In the coop or outside?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

My geese are not interested in rodents, not sure if that would matter. If you have a bad rodent problem, the first thing you have to do is get rid of thier food and water sources, and then areas they use for nesting. Poisoning alone isn't going to take care of the problem, also rats have "tester" rats in thier communities that check out food first to see if it is toxic. If the tester rat dies, the others know not to eat that bad food.