Help With Rats

[kingmt]

I have a rat problem that only seems to get worse. I have killed 2 of them with poison but now they only move it out of there way & keep killing my young birds. I have lost about $300 in birds so far & I am running out of ideas. I tried flooding there hole, covering the ground with pepper, & Tom Cat poison.

 

[jjthink]

I wish I had handy my other posts on this because I'm racing on a deadline right now but long story short. I never have and never will use poison - so many awful downsides, including unintended victims. The only long term solution is to make your coop a fortress so they can't get in (hardware cloth, hardware cloth, hardware cloth). It is a big project at first but it is worth every moment of effort because it lasts. Hurry, before any other birds are lost (get them somewhere safe until you secure the coop). Also secure all food at night (metal cans with weights on top).
JJ

 

[kingmt]

I wish that were a option but it isn't right now. These aren't even native rats to my area so I don't even have an idea how bad this is going to get.

 

[jjthink]

I appreciate how confounding a rat situation can be. I've grappled with it a couple of times and found the only lasting answer to be keeping them out in the first place. I never had a rat hurt a bird - if you have rats actually killing birds, those still alive need a safe haven somewhere until you can make their home a fortress.

You note that you've lost ~$300 in birds - it really should cost far less than that to fortify their home and if not, you have significant breaches such that your birds are proverbial sitting ducks and will keep suffering attack from one pred or another until you can make their home safe. It's not easy - I know.....I'm sorry.
JJ

p.s. Another thing I found helpful was getting rid of anything they could nest and snuggle into. Difficult in winter because I have straw and pine shavings everywhere to increase warmth for my birds but now that it's getting warmer, I got rid of most of it, leaving only that which is in their small coop and removing most of that which was in the larger building within which my coop resides (so it's kind of a unique situation).

 

[kingmt]

I understand what you are saying & agree. The thing is that they have a dirt floor & I think the rats are living in the ground under the coop. I need to build a new coop but I don't have the time right now & if I don't kill them soon there won't be much to save. I am also afraid that if I take there food or home away before I kill them they might move in the house.

 

[Mrs. K]

My husband puts the poison in pvc pipe (the white plumbing pipe) only rats and mice can crawl in and get to it. works for us in the barn and garage.

Years ago, in a terrbile house, I put moth balls in the basement/crawl space. That kept them out of the house.

 

[geebs]

Mice and rats are allergic to peppermint oil

 

[PhilErvin]

I took a five gallon plastic bucket with a lid and cut a small opening at the bottom side. Then I tied the block of poison to a brick and lowered this into the bucket. I put the lid on secure and sat it under my motorhome next to the house. I take the top off occassionally and replace the poison but so far I have not had any collateral damage. Plus I have some wild cats hanging around in the shed.

 

[redstars]

Mrs. K :

My husband puts the poison in pvc pipe (the white plumbing pipe) only rats and mice can crawl in and get to it. works for us in the barn and garage.

Years ago, in a terrbile house, I put moth balls in the basement/crawl space. That kept them out of the house.

Good Idea the pvc pipe thing.​

 

[Stonerowfarm]

We have been battling the same problem all winter. We keep reinforcing the coops, but they stil find a way in. What we have resorted to is trapping them in a hav-a-hart trap. Tonight we have three separate traps set up. You don't mention how many birds you still have left, and if it's a managable quantity. But, could you cage them somehow at night (when the rats are most active) and then release them again in the a.m. until you get your coop built?

Additionally there is a recipe here in the forums about using plaster of paris made into balls with peanut butter that kills rats. I guess it has less collateral damage but I'm really not sure what it does to the rats. Perhaps someone with more experience can fill in the blanks for you.

Good luck, I know it's been a horrible problem here for us this year.