2015 breeding season

[MinxFox]

I have rats that made a big tunnel system right under the dog box in the bird pen. I saw one out the other day and he fought off a squirrel to get all of the peafowl food. I saw a cat out by the pen and I am hoping that the cat has caught some of the rats, but I am thinking I need to kill them as I was told by a local breeder who is struggling with rat problems that not only will they eat bird eggs but they will kill chicks.

So isn't there a box you can put out that the rats crawl into, eat poision, then die in the box? I don't want them to crawl out and the feral cat to eat them or have poison out in the open for anything to eat. So what do you all use?

 

[DylansMom]

I have rats that made a big tunnel system right under the dog box in the bird pen. I saw one out the other day and he fought off a squirrel to get all of the peafowl food. I saw a cat out by the pen and I am hoping that the cat has caught some of the rats, but I am thinking I need to kill them as I was told by a local breeder who is struggling with rat problems that not only will they eat bird eggs but they will kill chicks.

So isn't there a box you can put out that the rats crawl into, eat poision, then die in the box? I don't want them to crawl out and the feral cat to eat them or have poison out in the open for anything to eat. So what do you all use?

Minx, I am currently battling a rat problem that started last fall. First time in 20 years we've had them in our barn. We always had mice, but not rats. I bought a bunch of those bait stations because I have cats and free range chickens and don't want them getting poisoned. So far they are not working at all, it's been about 10 days and not a nibble gone from inside the bait station. We will be trying a different bait if we don't see any results soon and I would be happy to keep you posted. We have the JT Eaton bait stations and peanut butter flavored bait at this time. The rats don't actually die in the box, they simply go in to eat and the bait is attached so they cannot carry it out and leave it laying around. We chose a multiple feeding poison, as there is supposed to be less danger of secondary poisoning. With the multi feeding poison, one dose is not supposed to be enough to kill, therefore if a cat gets a dying rat or mouse the one time will not be enough to kill.

 

[MinxFox]

Thanks for a while I thought they were cute and I liked watching the mom cary her babies to a new nest, but then they got the small covered pen area smelling like pee and of course it isn't a smell caused by the birds it is those darned rats. I am okay with the squirrels and wild birds eating some of my peafowl's food but I don't think I want to be feeding up a whole rat colony. Unfortunately I can't just take up the food for the night since the peas are at my Grandmas.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

I do have the same problem, we have many rats and mice in the peafowl pens, and already used bait stations for few months, but we didn't catch any single rat or mice. I know some breeders will take the food away at night, but we have many pens and we can't do it daily, next week I will buy new feeders, they will be off the ground, hoping this will make them going outside the pens looking for food, then we have many cats waiting for them outside

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

By the way, is there any article about fighting mite and rats here?

 

[KsKingBee]

My cat likes to spend some nights in the pens with the birds. We find a few dead mice, but I think the peas eat most of them before I see them.

 

[DylansMom]

I do have the same problem, we have many rats and mice in the peafowl pens, and already used bait stations for few months, but we didn't catch any single rat or mice. I know some breeders will take the food away at night, but we have many pens and we can't do it daily, next week I will buy new feeders, they will be off the ground, hoping this will make them going outside the pens looking for food, then we have many cats waiting for them outside

We too are unable to take out the food. Our food dishes are attached to the sides of the pens, about 12 inches off the ground. We did this to keep the Peas from standing in the dish and scratching everything out into the wood chips. I am convinced it is my current lack of barn cats that has allowed the rats to get a foothold. I used to have about 8 barn cats and they have slowly died off (old age)to the point where I have 1 now. We hung our bird barrier netting and that has drastically cut down on the starlings and sparrows getting in and eating all the food and pooping in the water, but these rats are smart.

 

[DylansMom]

I have rats that made a big tunnel system right under the dog box in the bird pen. I saw one out the other day and he fought off a squirrel to get all of the peafowl food. I saw a cat out by the pen and I am hoping that the cat has caught some of the rats, but I am thinking I need to kill them as I was told by a local breeder who is struggling with rat problems that not only will they eat bird eggs but they will kill chicks.

So isn't there a box you can put out that the rats crawl into, eat poision, then die in the box? I don't want them to crawl out and the feral cat to eat them or have poison out in the open for anything to eat. So what do you all use?

Minx, I am currently battling a rat problem that started last fall. First time in 20 years we've had them in our barn. We always had mice, but not rats. I bought a bunch of those bait stations because I have cats and free range chickens and don't want them getting poisoned. So far they are not working at all, it's been about 10 days and not a nibble gone from inside the bait station. We will be trying a different bait if we don't see any results soon and I would be happy to keep you posted. We have the JT Eaton bait stations and peanut butter flavored bait at this time. The rats don't actually die in the box, they simply go in to eat and the bait is attached so they cannot carry it out and leave it laying around. We chose a multiple feeding poison, as there is supposed to be less danger of secondary poisoning. With the multi feeding poison, one dose is not supposed to be enough to kill, therefore if a cat gets a dying rat or mouse the one time will not be enough to kill.

Looks like somebody took the bait. Big sucker too, my cats were nice enough to bring it up to the porch before eating it.

 

[zazouse]

We too are unable to take out the food. Our food dishes are attached to the sides of the pens, about 12 inches off the ground. We did this to keep the Peas from standing in the dish and scratching everything out into the wood chips. I am convinced it is my current lack of barn cats that has allowed the rats to get a foothold. I used to have about 8 barn cats and they have slowly died off (old age)to the point where I have 1 now. We hung our bird barrier netting and that has drastically cut down on the starlings and sparrows getting in and eating all the food and pooping in the water, but these rats are smart.

I have been putting out rat poison 2 to 3 times a year for the last 30, years i have lived here, i have never lost a cat, dog, chicken, goose, guinea or chicken, never found dead snakes, or any other wild life, i use bait blocks now but back in the day we used pellets, i have barn cats and there is no way they can get to enough rats to slow down the population, they can't get in tight spots rats can and they can't dig them up from a hole in the ground or under the flooring.

IMO the only way to keep rats and mice under control is bait station pure and simple, it is the only way i have found in all these years that works, i keep one bait station full 24/7 mounted on the 2by 4 railing along the barn wall when i see that something has been eating at it i know it is time to fill all the stations within 2 days i find a rat or 2 but keep the stations full till they stop feeding at them, with these wax blocks the feed in them stays rather fresh on the inside all the time so it is always appetizing to a rat

PS rats and mice do not get along so when rats move into an area the mice will move somewhere else .

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

What is this? He is bigger than mice but smaller than rats.