So I finally got fed up with the ever increasing rat population out at my coops and put out poison (yes, yes, I know. It was my last option. My non-poison traps didn't work and the darn freeloading cat had instituted a catch and release program. Sigh.). So I fixed an area that the chickens could not access and put out a bucket of rat poison bait. The eleventy billion rats overrunning the joint emptied it in three days. They pretty much licked it clean. That was last week. All the poison gone and no dead rats. I had high hopes that they had taken the poison into their tunnels where they would all die in a bait orgy and thus be safely underground when they died. It was that or I had some freaky poison resistant rats. Just my luck.
Well, today was the day. Today the poison kicked in. It is rat apocalypse out there. There were two dead in the runs and one dead by the feed bins this morning. When I got back home this afternoon there were a number of dead rats lying about. I figured them dying above ground was payback for the poison and resigned myself to shoveling up dead rats and disposing of them. I grabbed my shovel and began scooping up dead rats. It was going great until I tried to shovel up one in the corner that apparently wasn't dead yet. I stuck that shovel at it and it took off running. At me. Directly at me. RUNNING STRAIGHT AT ME WITH ITS LITTLE BEADY RAT EYES GLARING AT ME!!!!!!
<<<< that smiley would work if it were screeching in terror instead of smiling. ACCCKKKK!!!! *(&%$!%&^*(!))!~~!!!!! Imagine me dancing about, hopping madly as I tried to get the shovel in front of me as a defensive measure all the while screeching and screaming "Oooo, oooo, oooo, ick, ick, ick, get it, get it, get it (that last spoken to the chickens as they chased the fleeing rat)". It was not pretty. I think the little sucker actually ran across my shoe on its way to safety. I may have to burn those shoes.
So the rats are getting their revenge for the poison. I'm sure I will be shoveling dead and mostly dead rats all week. Of course, now I don't trust the mostly dead ones and will live in fear for my life. Ugg.
Well, today was the day. Today the poison kicked in. It is rat apocalypse out there. There were two dead in the runs and one dead by the feed bins this morning. When I got back home this afternoon there were a number of dead rats lying about. I figured them dying above ground was payback for the poison and resigned myself to shoveling up dead rats and disposing of them. I grabbed my shovel and began scooping up dead rats. It was going great until I tried to shovel up one in the corner that apparently wasn't dead yet. I stuck that shovel at it and it took off running. At me. Directly at me. RUNNING STRAIGHT AT ME WITH ITS LITTLE BEADY RAT EYES GLARING AT ME!!!!!!
So the rats are getting their revenge for the poison. I'm sure I will be shoveling dead and mostly dead rats all week. Of course, now I don't trust the mostly dead ones and will live in fear for my life. Ugg.