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So July was coming to a close and I had lost two chickens and was worried I hadn't done anything. I remember I didn't know a hen killed one of the pullets and thought it might be disease. Mind you I had also just gotten back from Mainland China a month earlier where they had a serious poultry outbreak while I was there. So I decided to do something!
I took a long hard look at the rats that were tunneling in here and there. They were eating food but they were also drinking water. We were going thru a lot of water in a day and the chicken count had not increased plus it was not nearly warm enough to explain the 50% greater rate of water loss. So thinking...well rats carry disease and we don't want rats around the chickens they might steal eggs or attack the chickens out right. So I called the "Ratter"
A great young man, who raises Rat Terrier's true to their original purpose answer the rat call.
He came out with pic and shovel and 7 Rat Terriers plus an out of state helper (super sweet woman) who was here to breed her dog to one of his.
The dogs trained in their original mission, to smell out, hunt and kill (very quickly) rats. The humans dig and flood with water, where there is evidence of rats.
I was dressed in close fitting riding boots, snug pants all tucked in and high collared long sleeved shirt. I was taking no chances as we worked the next two hours
Well in two hours we unearthed and rushed out 36 rats. The dogs caught and killed 28 rats. 8 of the biggest ones got away. As to what 28 rats looks like , well it looks like a nearly full five gallon bucket.
Mind you we had removed the chickens earlier. Putting the pullets in a dog crate and letting the hens and rooster free range. We inspected the chicken coop carefully when it was over. Adding under ground wire and removing concrete walls the Ratter told us made it difficult for him to work his dogs but did not keep out a single burrowing rat.
During the blood sport the Speckled Sussex (I have talked about before) came over three times! She was indignant about us being in her house! Mind you she often lays eggs in the bushes vs her box in the coop. She knows who she is and what she is entitled to and we had not asked permission and she was having none of it. Mind you the Rat Terrier dogs all backed away from her when she insisted on coming in. Each and every time I had to take her farther and father away.
We felt pretty good about ourselves. We cleaned it all up re-leveled the ground and let all the chickens come back in
We felt like good honest chicken folk. Like we were helping ourselves our neighbors the chickens and not hurting the foxes or skunks or raccoons or hawks that hunt since we did not use poison.
I took a long hard look at the rats that were tunneling in here and there. They were eating food but they were also drinking water. We were going thru a lot of water in a day and the chicken count had not increased plus it was not nearly warm enough to explain the 50% greater rate of water loss. So thinking...well rats carry disease and we don't want rats around the chickens they might steal eggs or attack the chickens out right. So I called the "Ratter"
A great young man, who raises Rat Terrier's true to their original purpose answer the rat call.
He came out with pic and shovel and 7 Rat Terriers plus an out of state helper (super sweet woman) who was here to breed her dog to one of his.
The dogs trained in their original mission, to smell out, hunt and kill (very quickly) rats. The humans dig and flood with water, where there is evidence of rats.
I was dressed in close fitting riding boots, snug pants all tucked in and high collared long sleeved shirt. I was taking no chances as we worked the next two hours
Well in two hours we unearthed and rushed out 36 rats. The dogs caught and killed 28 rats. 8 of the biggest ones got away. As to what 28 rats looks like , well it looks like a nearly full five gallon bucket.
Mind you we had removed the chickens earlier. Putting the pullets in a dog crate and letting the hens and rooster free range. We inspected the chicken coop carefully when it was over. Adding under ground wire and removing concrete walls the Ratter told us made it difficult for him to work his dogs but did not keep out a single burrowing rat.
During the blood sport the Speckled Sussex (I have talked about before) came over three times! She was indignant about us being in her house! Mind you she often lays eggs in the bushes vs her box in the coop. She knows who she is and what she is entitled to and we had not asked permission and she was having none of it. Mind you the Rat Terrier dogs all backed away from her when she insisted on coming in. Each and every time I had to take her farther and father away.
We felt pretty good about ourselves. We cleaned it all up re-leveled the ground and let all the chickens come back in
We felt like good honest chicken folk. Like we were helping ourselves our neighbors the chickens and not hurting the foxes or skunks or raccoons or hawks that hunt since we did not use poison.
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however it changed the bird population and may have changed what I assumed was migration. Species of birds I saw for short periods now stay far beyond their original season. Also larger animals come drink from the fountain. Wild Turkey but also something predatory. When it first went up I had the feeling of being on the Serengeti. One morning I woke up to blood, and urine. Not a small amount ether but no fur or feathers to tell me what it was that was attacked the night before.
