Maine

[CoopChick719]

I've decided to line the floor of the run with hardware cloth next spring, a few inches down. The coop is on cinder blocks and the space underneath is inaccessible for humans, but great for rodents. I can't monitor what is going on under there, or put traps or poison. Even if I was able to kill off this batch of rats, I think others will always move in to this large, dry, protected area under the coop.

Inside the run, where the rats keep tunneling up, I tried putting some scraps of hardware cloth with bricks on it, and it definitely deters them. They eventually make new tunnels, but if I could line the whole "floor", I think it would put an end to them coming in.

Meanwhile, I'm coming up with other silly schemes to entertain myself. I'd like to put a cage with poison in it directly over the large rat tunnel. When they come up their hole, they'll be in the dead-end cage and I can watch the poison to see if they take the bait. I've thrown poison down other holes, but it disappears out of sight and they don't appear to be eating it.

I may be following your lead this spring, bucka. I've got them tunneling under the coop into the pen. I've thought about the trap directly over the rat hole myself. With my luck, they'll just dig another hole. I also saw this spring-loaded spike trap thing for moles. Place the trap over the hole, pull up the spike to set it then when animal comes up through hole, spike releases. Not so sure I'd want to empty that trap!

Still have not seen one in person--just poop & holes.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Still have not seen one in person--just poop & holes.

Don't underestimate the power of the Have A Heart(less) Trap. This one is a coon sized HAH trap. That is a GIANT rat I caught.

I also had success with drowning buckets. I never once had success with the snap traps or zap traps.

If you can keep the water/poison unfrozen all night I think you'll be good with it. Make sure it's protected so only the rodents can get to it.

 

[buckabucka]

The poison water sounds like a good plan. The flock has two heated water dishes, -one in the coop and one in the run. I can close the pop doors and the chickens won't have access to the run (where the rats now tunnel in). I could clean the dish and the water before letting the chickens out, since I access the run from outdoors.

It never occurred to me that the rats drink from the water dish. It's up on cinder blocks, but I imagine they must have discovered it by now. Can you get the water poison at TSC (or somewhere local), or did you order it on-line?

I bought a flock block for one flock today, but I don't want to put it out where the rats live, so it will go in the hoop coop. Last year I bought a flock block late in the day and left it in the car. In the morning when I went to put it in the coop, I found it I gnawed open and mouse **** on the dashboard. I got it out of there in a hurry, before the rodents took up residence in my car!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

The poison water sounds like a good plan. The flock has two heated water dishes, -one in the coop and one in the run. I can close the pop doors and the chickens won't have access to the run (where the rats now tunnel in). I could clean the dish and the water before letting the chickens out, since I access the run from outdoors.

It never occurred to me that the rats drink from the water dish. It's up on cinder blocks, but I imagine they must have discovered it by now. Can you get the water poison at TSC (or somewhere local), or did you order it on-line?

I bought a flock block for one flock today, but I don't want to put it out where the rats live, so it will go in the hoop coop. Last year I bought a flock block late in the day and left it in the car. In the morning when I went to put it in the coop, I found it I gnawed open and mouse **** on the dashboard. I got it out of there in a hurry, before the rodents took up residence in my car!

Yes, they drink out of it.

I believe I bought it on Amazon... but I buy almost everything on there... I want to say it was this http://www.amazon.com/MOTOMCO-Tomca...=1419295167&sr=8-1&keywords=rat+poison+liquid


When I was in college I had to leave my car at home for 2 years because there was no where to park it that I could afford in Baltimore. When I got back I found that a colony of mice used my car as a home. They were in the trunk (spare tire), engine compartment and glove box. I had to take my (shredded and made into a nest) registration to DMV and get a new one. I brought it in with feathers, leaves and nuts. I was (surprisingly) not asked many questions.

 

[Marcy54]

We had coyotes run through the yard last night. We moved here in late July, first time they have come so close. The dogs were going wild. I was out of bed in a flash, I yelled out the window, there was a lot of noise, but they passed through. I ordered some of the predator light things for near the coop.

 

[buckabucka]

Originally posted by SCG:
When I was in college I had to leave my car at home for 2 years because there was no where to park it that I could afford in Baltimore. When I got back I found that a colony of mice used my car as a home. They were in the trunk (spare tire), engine compartment and glove box. I had to take my (shredded and made into a nest) registration to DMV and get a new one. I brought it in with feathers, leaves and nuts. I was (surprisingly) not asked many questions.

 

[buckabucka]

We had coyotes run through the yard last night. We moved here in late July, first time they have come so close. The dogs were going wild. I was out of bed in a flash, I yelled out the window, there was a lot of noise, but they passed through. I ordered some of the predator light things for near the coop. 

That must have been creepy. And while I am not calling you old or a flipper flopper, the image you created brought this song to mind....

Then old mother Flipper Flopper jumped out of bed
Out of the window she popped her head
Cryin', "John, John, the gray goose is gone
And the fox is on the town-o, I said town-o, I said town-o
John, John, the gray goose is gone and the fox is on the town-o

Read more: Peter, Paul & Mary - The Fox Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 

[Marcy54]

That must have been creepy. And while I am not calling you old or a flipper flopper, the image you created brought this song to mind....

Then old mother Flipper Flopper jumped out of bed
Out of the window she popped her head
Cryin', "John, John, the gray goose is gone
And the fox is on the town-o, I said town-o, I said town-o
John, John, the gray goose is gone and the fox is on the town-o

Read more: Peter, Paul & Mary - The Fox Lyrics | MetroLyrics

LOL, You made me laugh, I am a bit older at 60, not a flipper flopper though. I remember the song from way back then. The creepy part was, I don't remember getting up. It was instinct. We free range the chickens, so I am sure the scent is all over, but, so are the dogs, I had figured that the coyotes probably stayed away because of the dogs. We have a game camera and so far haven't picked up anything close to the coop. We have seen cat tracks of some sort. Probably the guys cat who lived here before, he lives several acres behind us now, and has an outdoor cat. The tracks usually go towards the back of the property. We have 2 1/2 acres, mostly cleared, with woods around us.

 

[Marcy54]

Originally posted by SCG:
When I was in college I had to leave my car at home for 2 years because there was no where to park it that I could afford in Baltimore. When I got back I found that a colony of mice used my car as a home. They were in the trunk (spare tire), engine compartment and glove box. I had to take my (shredded and made into a nest) registration to DMV and get a new one. I brought it in with feathers, leaves and nuts. I was (surprisingly) not asked many questions.

I left my car up at our house in Amity for awhile and had the same thing happen. I went back for it in the spring and drove it down south I turned on the heater and seeds and bits of fuzz blew out of the heaters.

 

[CoopChick719]

SCG, you give me inspiration!! I have 2 HAHs. Did you just put them in the run? Or did you allow them to get used to seeing the traps first?

On the registration, been there! DMV probably isn't surprised by what comes in anymore.