Are groundhogs predators?

[mudhen]

Hello everyone!
I am so glad to get all these suggestions. Castor Oil is worth a try.
Another valid reason to keep these overgrown rodents away is the damage caused by their tunneling under sheds and houses.
It results in foundation damage which can become catastrophic in heavy rains. I'm close to loosing my garden shed and another has been trying to start a tunnel under the house. Havahart traps don't work in my area: even if did take is as far as 10 miles or more (minimum per game warden to keep from returning), no one would appreciate having a relocated groundhog dropped off on their pasture/farm/property.
Fortunately, I keep the feed in covered metal cans and the cans inside a giant rubbermaid container, so I don't have a problem with any rodentia

Sandra, have you used the castor oil tx near your chickens?

 

[SandraChick]

YUP! my chickens have access to the whole property.... I don't spread the granules when they're around (don't want to temp them), and then I water really well. I have to admit though, I prefer the liquid form around my plants. The granular, I find is perfect for the grassy areas and I've started putting a few granules in the hole when I plant seedlings. If I had groundhogs...I'd put a bunch of granule UNDER the house and sheds, water well and keep an eye out for activity. Then I'd spray the liquid for a 10' perimeter. I don't think the granules would hurt the chickens....but I'm not willing to find out--and the house perimeter is a favorite place to scratch and eat worms.


Now, I also have a master hunter cat, who LOVES gophers.... When she was just a kitten, I'd give her the one's I trapped to "play with", and she immediately started hovering over the gopher mounds! (Before finding out about the oil, we trapped heavily---got 20+ in one week---YIKES). Now she hunts our house and the surrounding neighbors' yards- they've all stopped using poison, cuz she's on top of the problem. The new cat rescue is now been seen hovering over the mounds, so I expect he'll be helping too--old fat cat on the other hand is USELESS when it comes to rodent control.

I didn't believe this castor oil thing, so the first time I used it, I put in on half the yard and heavily on my flowers. There were NO flower losses that season, AND, all the gopher mounds were in the "untreated" area. That was enough Proof for me!

If you can get castor oil cheap, I can give you the homemade recipe--but in my area it 's hard to find and costs just as much or more as the ready made stuff. I can now find all the versions of it at my local garden store (they're good about getting non-toxic stuff for your garden), but I've found it online at first. Gopher-med (or mole-med) is the "original" one ( the bigger the rodent, the higher concentration you'll need), but the competition's works good too. The KEY for it to work well is to water well afterwards (as the instructions state). Too much rain and you have to reapply ( I wait until I see activity myself). If you don't water it in, it doesn't get immersed in the soil and the gophers/moles/ etc...just dig UNDER it. The idea is to get it at the root level of the prominent plants...they'll want to Spit it out with the castor oil on it!

Can you tell I love the stuff!!!!
Good Luck!
Sandra

 

[SandraChick]

I forgot to say....

I've been known to spread the granules all over ( I concentrate it in my vegetable and flower garden) just before a rain storm....I get the whole area done, and mother nature waters it in for me. Being in the pacific NW, I do have to be careful....If I do it before a series of large storms, I've just wasted a lot of castor oil!

Sandra

 

[chicken wild]

no

 

[cat1994]

No, groundhogs are not a predators to your chickens, no matter what size they are. They only eat plants no meat what so ever.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Finally, after nearly four years, this burning question is answered.

 

[woodmort]

Not unless you're a petunia.

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Or just about any plant.


I declared war on them last year, they tend to be in small groups, they are easy to trap in the spring when you can bait with some of the greens that they really would like to get but can't yet.

I prefer hunting them as they have fairly regular eating times and also like to park themselves on large rocks in the sun.

I shot 2 last year using a .22 and three this year using a 16 gauge short brass number 6 bird shot.

They won't bother your birds except scare then, but them your birds are chicken(s) right.

Other than them helping other predators by digging a tunnel or two there is nothing to worry about.

A small word of warning when dealing with them, although it is rare they can get and spread rabies.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I'm pretty sure mudhen has taken care of the issue by now!

Almost 4 years later, I would certainly hope so!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

In our rural farm area there are few teenage boys these days with time on their hands. Thus, lots of groundhogs. When my kids were that age, there were running counts all summer between them and their friends: 18+ apiece some years.
One farmer neighbor was lamenting the lack of free-ranging farm dogs that would take care of the problems. I think every neighbor we have has had equipment damage from running over a previously unknown hole in the middle of a field.
Fortunately, our dear dog Cleo has decided groundhogs are persona non grata in her territory around our house and has encouraged them to move on. Last summer she spent days patiently waiting for the kits under the shed to appear. Then one day they left home, and she had her chance. We found all three on her pillow. I think they were too close to Cleo's chickens and she wasn't taking any chances.
So to answer the OP 4 years later, Cleo says she doesn't want them near her chickens and I'm not going to argue!