How to keep rats out of my run

[VI KING RANCH]

Quote:
wow, last time we tried that, we had a visit from the SWAT team...
oh, right, that was while we were living in CA... SOOooo happy to be in MO now!

Ya well im a long way away from any swat team and the neighbours actually use a shotgun for pigeons...some times the hit one or two of my rollers by acident

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
wow, last time we tried that, we had a visit from the SWAT team...
oh, right, that was while we were living in CA... SOOooo happy to be in MO now!

Ya well im a long way away from any swat team and the neighbours actually use a shotgun for pigeons...some times the hit one or two of my rollers by acident

about your rollers

about being able to manage your predators and pests without ending up face down in handcuffs.

 

[ChickInDelight]

If you are actually seeing rats, I would say you have a HUGE population. Kill if you can, but you will also have to protect.

 

[dadsdeercamp]

I don't go out in the yard without my pellet gun ( high end .22 cal supper quite) and havent seen a rat in two months we also have some big bull snakes ( never seen them by the coop) good luck. BTW I've gotten to be a pretty good shot.

 

[goldtopper]

Quote:
Bull snakes? Cool, I'm down in the cities and had no idea there were bull snakes so close by.

 

[dadsdeercamp]

Quote:
Bull snakes? Cool, I'm down in the cities and had no idea there were bull snakes so close by.

my oldest(25) and youngest(15) sons are snake freaks so i gett to hear about snakes lizards and the like all the time oldest gave the youngest a red tailed boa last fall to make room for 2 savana moniters and now he just payed $200.00 for a frilled lizzard. here is a pic of the red tailed boa she is about 7 foot now

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
Bull snakes? Cool, I'm down in the cities and had no idea there were bull snakes so close by.

my oldest(25) and youngest(15) sons are snake freaks so i gett to hear about snakes lizards and the like all the time oldest gave the youngest a red tailed boa last fall to make room for 2 savana moniters and now he just payed $200.00 for a frilled lizzard. here is a pic of the red tailed boa she is about 7 foot now
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/68414_100_0726.jpg

pretty girl!
now only if she was out there with the rats, there'd be NO more problem...

 

[PtldChick]

Thanks so far for all your ideas!

Portland has a big rat population - every couple years when the water levels flood the lower SE, they come out in droves - have even chewed through people's walls - yuck! We could probably be the west coast version of that NYC rat exterminator reality show.

Good idea with the milk crate! And I'm out in the run multiple times everyday, so sounds like poisoning wouldn't be such a bad idea after all - I could put it right outside the fence, or under another milk crate. BTW, I drilled a hole in one corner of the last trap and held it down with a garden staple to prevent them tripping it and they still did!

There's no way my neighbor is going to reach over her garage roof to get hit with the electric fence sting. I got the smallest model - 3 mi range. And I told the guy at the feed store what I wanted it for. Hmm, I wonder if a rat hit that, would it knock it unconscious? Maybe then the chickens would start eating it before it woke up? If it fell outside the coop, the dogs would get it before you could say 'pied piper!'

 

[calgal98]

This must be the year of rats! I normally don't see any, unless the cat has brought one in. This year they have been all over the place...laughing at my feeble attempts to trap them. I finally resorted to rat poison in safety enclosures. After finding 6 dead ones in all kinds of places, I finally am not seeing any more. I will be using bait from now on! Nasty, nasty rats!