Norway rats!

[Vamvakas]

I had a rat problem for almost 1 year now... When the rats first came it was really bad they loved eating meat, they killed some few month old chicks and really killed almost all my dads doves that he has cages on the ceiling of the coops (rats would rip there heads off). I put some rat poison pellets in the boxes and it worked great until they came back again...

The new rats aren't as meat eating as the rats in the past but they did kill like 2 of my dads doves. They don't bother chickens 4+ months old but my biggest fear is I am getting chicks in about 3 weeks from now and they are very expansive cause they are coming from a good breeder.. Of course I am going have them in a brooder in the house at first but once they grow there feathers they need to go outside...

I have used the poison boxes but they are not eating it! I even tried to put some peanut butter and rolled it up with poison pellets for a more stronger smell but still nothing... I put the boxes in the coop run at night and take the boxes away in the morning when I let the chickens free (I don't want the chickens sticking there heads in thinking it's layer pellets, lol). I tired putting the boxes behind the coops but either raccoons or opossums are eating it cause I find the box flipped over about 5 feet away where I put it and I am wasting poison.

 

[Chicken Master1]

thats weird. i dont know the answer but

 

[layalittleeggfo]

I have rats atm we have the snap traps however they have been able to get the food and trip the traps without getting cought!!!!!!!!! but we havent seen as many since we plugged in a sound wave device near the coop. It dosent kill them just irritates them enouhh to move away from your chooks. Will take afew days fot it to get in their head but they do move on, not solving the prob but at leadt your not losing you chooks. Now due to the fact ours are out smarting the traps we are going to make a water trap. Not sure of the lunks on youtube but if you look down the page my thread "is this okay for our chickens" someone kindly put links to youtube there for me to view. Also the sound thing that i was talking about eatlier is on there too

 

[appps]

We just got rid of a nest of 6 with sticky traps. We used cardboard to make a tunnel along where we knew they came in and out. We then put the trap in the tunnel. As they emerged they got stuck by their feet to the trap. Hubby then had to dispatch each one as the trap only catches not kills. Took 3 nights to empty the nest.

Horrible things but really effective when nothing else works.

 

[layalittleeggfo]

What did you do with them once they were couught, because we thought about doing this too

 

[appps]

Well hubby just had to be away the first night I caught one so I put the bin over it, dragged it onto a piece of newspaper and into the garage and tried to not think about the poor thing till he got home.

He killed them with a hammer. Makes me sick thinking about it but I am a bit of a sook. Was quick I guess.
We had house guests coming and they had to go in a hurry. But yeah gross things but really effective. At one point we had two young ones caught at the same time.

 

[aprophet]

lye is a anti couagulant for them just put it in their trails it gets on their feet they lick it off and they die , their favorite bait /attractant is either their own feces or a soy based bait infamil ,soy milk ,chicken feed etc