da rat

[kareninthesun]

I'm in the home office, hear an odd rucus at the side of the house. Chickens and another noisey critter. It's like 10:30 in the morning. I book outside to see what's happening and find all the older girls in a circle. Elbow my way through the crowd (yes I am short) and find one unhappy rat. He isn't dead, but something internally must have happened, because although his eyes are moving and his tail moving a little, he's hunkered do his belly like he's been stunned by something uncomfortable. I get my big shovel and whack him one. He is suddenly motivated to move. I should mention that I do NOT like rodents. Whack him again, hoping he hasn't seen any sy fy movies. He scurries over to a wooden box and manages to get inside. I finish him off, trying not to look. I heard his cries.... Trying not to, ahem, get sick. I covered him with a brick until I work up the nerve or decide to take up carreer drinking to dispose of its body. Sooooo much simplier when they mosie into the battery opperated zappers.

Question: surrounded by a bunch of chickens, would they have eventually killed him? Could he have harmed them fighting back? I'm going to keep an eye on them to make sure they weren't snacked upon, bribe them with their fav treats: grapes. Another reality check for me in what it really takes to raise chickens.

 

[TigerLilly]

Yes, they could eventually have killed it--sounds like they were well on the way if it was hunkered down! Given the time, they'd have had it picked to pieces (appetizing, right?)
Yes, it could have harmed any one of them--anything with teeth has that ability.
Good job, though...one less predator to worry about!

 

[hennyannie]

He was definately on the menu!!!

My girls think mouse is fine eatin', so I'm sure they would take on the rat.
(I have them in therapy for the addiction, I also get flutterflies in the tummy over rodents!)

 

[kareninthesun]

could they have stunned him just by pecking? Are they that strong but I just don't know it? There were no visable marks that I could see while squinting...it just seems odd that something that big could have been damaged by them. I worry more that if it started somewhere else in the neighborhood and ate poison which may have slowed him down, that this is why he'd be outside in broad daylight to start with. I don't use poisons at all, but rely heavily on the battery tented zappers. I REALLY don't want to leave the carcass out there just in case.I know one neighbor uses poisons because she shared with me how her young grandson got ahold of some, she caught him just before he picked it up.