Poison Control

[Wolfie2]

In reply to the threads about rat poison in the chickens area, I use an almost foolproof method to secure rat poison from the birds. I have never poisoned a chicken using this method. Wish I could supply illustration but it is pretty simple to explain and construction is simple.
Supplies are about 3 feet of PVC pipe, a T and a cap, All of the same diameter. I use 1 1/2 inch PVC. Big enough for even the largest rats to get inside but too small for any of your birds except maybe chicks.. Cut the PVC pipe into 3 equal pieces, in my case they are all 1 foot long. I will cut 1 piece square ended for the vertical piece. The remaining 2 foot piece I cut @ the 1 foot mark but will cut it on a 45 degree angle. These are the horizontal pieces. The long part of the 45 will be to the top which helps keep rain out of the feeding chamber.. Assemble without glue which allows you to disassemble for storage if you don't need it for a while. Using a product which comes in block form, I use Tomcat, fill the vertical section with poison and put the cap on this piece lightly (easier to get it off for re-fills) to keep rain out. As the rats eat the poison, the ones above in the vertical chamber will slide down keeping the feeding chamber filled.
I have 3 of these scattered around my property which have helped tremendously controlling these vermin. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[Weeg]

Glad you found a good way to hide the poison, but even though you aren't poisoning your chickens, you are still doign LOTS of harm to the eco system. Wild animals will eat the poisoned rat and die. The animals are everywhere it can be a cat, and dog or even a chicken may eat a dead rat. Also, foxes and predators that would usually hunt and kill rats to help prevent them, will eat the dead poisoned rats, then you are killing them off as well, and you no longer have any rat preventing predators in your area. Thanks for your experience! Though I thought I would just bring that to your awareness. @StinkyAcres

 

[cmom]

In reply to the threads about rat poison in the chickens area, I use an almost foolproof method to secure rat poison from the birds. I have never poisoned a chicken using this method. Wish I could supply illustration but it is pretty simple to explain and construction is simple.
Supplies are about 3 feet of PVC pipe, a T and a cap, All of the same diameter. I use 1 1/2 inch PVC. Big enough for even the largest rats to get inside but too small for any of your birds except maybe chicks.. Cut the PVC pipe into 3 equal pieces, in my case they are all 1 foot long. I will cut 1 piece square ended for the vertical piece. The remaining 2 foot piece I cut @ the 1 foot mark but will cut it on a 45 degree angle. These are the horizontal pieces. The long part of the 45 will be to the top which helps keep rain out of the feeding chamber.. Assemble without glue which allows you to disassemble for storage if you don't need it for a while. Using a product which comes in block form, I use Tomcat, fill the vertical section with poison and put the cap on this piece lightly (easier to get it off for re-fills) to keep rain out. As the rats eat the poison, the ones above in the vertical chamber will slide down keeping the feeding chamber filled.
I have 3 of these scattered around my property which have helped tremendously controlling these vermin. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[cmom]

Glad you found a good way to hide the poison, but even though you aren't poisoning your chickens, you are still doign LOTS of harm to the eco system. Wild animals will eat the poisoned rat and die. The animals are everywhere it can be a cat, and dog or even a chicken may eat a dead rat. Also, foxes and predators that would usually hunt and kill rats to help prevent them, will eat the dead poisoned rats, then you are killing them off as well, and you no longer have any rat preventing predators in your area. Thanks for your experience! Though I thought I would just bring that to your awareness. @StinkyAcres

How many dead critters have you seen laying around from eating rats that have died from poison?

 

[cmom]

I believe a predator that eats the poison can die from it but a predator from eating a dead rat may get sick but usually recovers and I agree the are many variables. I know of dogs that have eaten a dead rat/mouse but recovered. If a person is sloppy about where and how they place the bait, that to me is pure ignorance. Everyone is different as well as their situations. I really get tired of people saying if you use rat/mice poison you are going to kill someones pet from secondary poisoning. If you are responsible it doesn't have to be that way. I don't tell anyone to use poison and I don't like people telling me not to use it. I am careful.

 

[Weeg]

How many dead critters have you seen laying around from eating rats that have died from poison?

None since I don't use poison, ever, on my property. There are better ways.

 

[cmom]

Sorry to the OP. I think your post was great.

 

[JaeG]

When pests are at plague proportions then poison is the only way to get things under control. We moved onto a new rural property and couldn't believe the number of mice around in the autumn. They even got into the walls of my aviary. We went through a lot of poison, but finally things started to ease and I have not seen a mouse or any evidence of mice since then. Rats especially can carry diseases that are a risk to human health, so it's very important to control these pests. They also wise up to traps very quickly and learn to avoid them.

 

[aart]

None since I don't use poison, ever, on my property. There are better ways.

Then you don't really know.
Just because you don't agree with using poison, doesn't mean it isn't a viable technique.
Best just not to reply to subjects you don't agree with.

 

[StinkyAcres]

If there is a way to trap the rats first so they absolutely cannot escape THEN poison them, I think I'd be okay with it for extreme infestations. The problem is these companies don't make the bait containers that way and most people don't use them safely. Rat poison is considered hazardous waste, so unused bait and the poisoned rats must be disposed of properly.