Quail Murder: Episode 2

[Skankiewicz]

Thank you all for your valuable advice in figuring out what was killing our quail. You were spot on: Roof rats.

Since then we fortified the coop with more hardware wire, with no more in coop casualties. We also keep no food on the ground after "bedtime". Bob & Griffin will go on the 2nd floor of the coop, so we put the food up there.

We are also getting a "smart coop" which is completely enclosed with a run, cameras equipped with critter alert and ultrasonic alarms, and by summer will put an AC window unit in there too.

We decided to recoup our flock and packed two incubators with a variety of quail eggs and currently have 33 babies . (90% hatch rate!)

Bob our OG passed yesterday from a heart attack. He was likely over 2 years old and lived a relatively peaceful life. Rest well buddy. You were the sweetest roo and I hope you taught Griffin your ways.

Now the kicker! Griffin got attacked tonight, and was found hiding in a weird place in our backyard, started squealing when I picked him up, and was bleeding when I got him locked safely in the coop. Definitely has a big wound and almost all his wing feathers are gone! While I was observing him, I hear scratches (I was watering the mulberry tree next to the coop). I turn the flashlight quickly and see the little F--er's beady eyes on his tiny head then dash back under the light post. So I tear the place apart, pull over the light post and the little terrorists go everywhere! At least 4 were hanging out under there!!!

So advice on killing these murderers? I sprayed the whole area with peppermint oil and sprinkled cinnamon where the food dish sits. I ordered traditional rat traps and bait. Do I set the bait up? Can I use it in the run? Next to the coop? Will the quail try to get in there? If so I'll kennel Griffin up with the babies in my daughter's room while we are out if town this weekend.

Thanks in advance,

Here's some bb pics to make you happy after this sad story.

 

[Meg22]

We were told that rats are very wary of new things. Setting up a trap baited with quail food where their food normally sitts while the birds are inside at night might get them. I would try that but also set some outside the coop on an out of the way place where you can leave in undisturbed. They won't go for anything new if the have access to a pre-existing food source so try to deny access to anything they have been seen to eat.
Good luck.

 

[Nabiki]

Is the run covered with 1/2" hardware cloth? My old place had a rat problem, but they couldn't get into the quail pens.

As for rat extermination, I called and spoke with an exterminator, and it turned out that what they were going to do was nothing that I couldn't do myself. Basically, it was set snap traps. The trick was to set a circle of snap traps with quail food (since that's what they were eating) in the middle of the circle rather than baiting the individual traps.

I set them up right under the crawlspace door at my old place. I caught six rats in the first week. One big guy actually got caught in three traps. He set one off, then his struggles set off two more.

If you have a compost pile, check there too. I had about a dozen living in my compost pile. I ended up dispatching a few of the slower ones with a shovel.

 

[Skankiewicz]

Is the run covered with 1/2" hardware cloth? My old place had a rat problem, but they couldn't get into the quail pens.

As for rat extermination, I called and spoke with an exterminator, and it turned out that what they were going to do was nothing that I couldn't do myself. Basically, it was set snap traps. The trick was to set a circle of snap traps with quail food (since that's what they were eating) in the middle of the circle rather than baiting the individual traps.

I set them up right under the crawlspace door at my old place. I caught six rats in the first week. One big guy actually got caught in three traps. He set one off, then his struggles set off two more.

If you have a compost pile, check there too. I had about a dozen living in my compost pile. I ended up dispatching a few of the slower ones with a shovel.

I'm a DIY er by nature . So we got the little walk in and die traps. I'm going to use the poison and quail food in there. They literally just got here-- yay Amazon overnight!

We do have a compost but it's in a raised spinning bin for this reason. They also like to ear my baby corn tops in the garden but leave the zucchini and squash alone .

My concern is the quail getting in the traps . Or the dog thinking it's yummy. (We have a lab he eats everything).

 

[Skankiewicz]

Think the quail will mess with this stuff if I put it in the run?

The cat is bummed he doesn't get to be part of the process

 

[Nabiki]

I'm a DIY er by nature . So we got the little walk in and die traps. I'm going to use the poison and quail food in there. They literally just got here-- yay Amazon overnight!

We do have a compost but it's in a raised spinning bin for this reason. They also like to ear my baby corn tops in the garden but leave the zucchini and squash alone .

My concern is the quail getting in the traps . Or the dog thinking it's yummy. (We have a lab he eats everything).

That's why I don't use poison. I did have a quail youngster get caught in a snap trap. It got loose and I found it the next day.

 

[Skankiewicz]

That's why I don't use poison. I did have a quail youngster get caught in a snap trap. It got loose and I found it the next day.

The snap traps kill them though right? I don't want to handle non dead biting rats.

 

[Skankiewicz]

Is the run covered with 1/2" hardware cloth? My old place had a rat problem, but they couldn't get into the quail pens.

As for rat extermination, I called and spoke with an exterminator, and it turned out that what they were going to do was nothing that I couldn't do myself. Basically, it was set snap traps. The trick was to set a circle of snap traps with quail food (since that's what they were eating) in the middle of the circle rather than baiting the individual traps.

I set them up right under the crawlspace door at my old place. I caught six rats in the first week. One big guy actually got caught in three traps. He set one off, then his struggles set off two more.

If you have a compost pile, check there too. I had about a dozen living in my compost pile. I ended up dispatching a few of the slower ones with a shovel.

To be clear (pics in my other post) the coop is hardwire secured, the run is not. They go in the coop at night.

 

[CliftonQuail]

I've used these for smaller mice:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX7YGKQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and these for larger:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086BDFJHL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Both have been quite successful in taking out rodents when baited with just peanut butter. My quail are never loose and I don't have any other pets roaming, so that's not a concern for me. Every mouse caught in the smaller traps has been dead right there. One of the larger traps actually captured 3 smaller mice at one time. Unfortunately, they weren't all killed, so I had to deal with that.

 

[Nabiki]

The snap traps kill them though right? I don't want to handle non dead biting rats.

The rats are dead. I think I've only ever had one that wasn't. I was wondering where the trap went and I found it with a semi-live rat in it several yards from where I put it.