I got a RAT! Gurr!

[Nslangton]

"a" rat...funny. If you see one you have a lot of them and more and more will come since they know where the free meal is. Poison is the only way to dispose of them all. Unfortunately if you poison them, you poison what eats them also. You need to be very careful about where you place the poison and keep any other animal you have away from the poison and the poisoned rats. They multiply like crazy so you need to get a handle on it now before the problem is serious. A group of rats will kill your chickens. Good luck!!!

 

[FuryanGoddess]

Yeah. I got some poison today. Gonna get them... rats! GURRR

 

[kitten6566]

How did it go? kill any? I have a huge rat problem. every night we are shooting them. they are up to 8 inches long. any idea what poison i can use to get rid of them without killing my other pets if they eat the rat?

 

[FuryanGoddess]

So far, nothing. I put out decon.. waiting for the SOB's to DIE! I'm gonna put out another tray of it tonight where I can see a hole in the coop and then fill it up w/ some foam or something. I hope they die soon. Gurr... Every morning, I see fresh poop!

 

[kteel]

I feel for you - we were having a rat problem. Our chicks are still in the brooder so they are not outside yet. My husband did the sitting out at night with the BB gun trying to kill them, got a couple but they took to climbing the trees. Put out poison, at that point the brazen rats started coming out in the daytime and my dog killed 3 in one day. She didn't even try to eat them, just killed them, showed me and came in for a treat. I can usually find something in my heart for any animal but I just can't stand rats. I'm hoping we are done and I wish you luck.

 

[cheetahpop]

I had A rat earlier this summer. I think he got in during the daytime and got stuck. I did stop a couple attempts at tunneling out (I have 2 feet of 1/2" grid steel mesh on the ground along the edges of the coop). I channelled his tunnels into a box with a trap. He could lick off the chocolate without tripping it. I tried glue pads. He tiptoed around them. I considered poison, but they generally take weeks to kill and I wasn't sure I wanted the poison in the coop. Finally, I saw him foraging for feed one day and got him with a .22 rifle. (A little 20-gauge shotgun would do well, and little bird- and snake-shot bullets are made for .22 caliber.) I've had no more signs of rats. Don't give up!!
Now I'm battling raccoons... I've had 2 chickens killed and 1 wounded in 3 weeks. I've gotten one raccoon so far.

 

[FuryanGoddess]

Yeah. I'd love to use a .22 but I have the turn pike right at the bottom of my yard and the State Boys about a mile down on it. Crazy ppl next door and I'm not supposed to have chickens. I did see some more poop today! Gurrr I'm so getting annoyed! Got to let poison do the work, if the little crapper is eating it

 

[kitten6566]

heres an idea. if you have a few friends with 22s come over. find a rat hole and pour water down it. have your friends stand around the coop and shoot when they come out.

 

[Baxter-Shamo]

If your up for killing them then read below, If your not then dont.



Couple of things to try,

Shooting them - I used to sit on top of my shed with a Rifle picking them off, This helped control them.

Find the holes, Petrol down them, Stockings over the top. They'll scatter out within seconds, and get caught inside the stocking, Then hit them with a bat or something.

I also know someone who used to catch them and burn them alive, Apparently the sound they make scares the other rats off, Never tried it myself and personally would never try it unless the rat situation got too uncontrollable, Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Best of luck.

 

[Baxter-Shamo]

I also see most of you are using traps, Where are you putting them?