R-A-T-S!!

[Alley]

I have large tunnels in my yard near my coop so I thought it was RATS but I was wrong! While I was out feeding the girls last night, I saw a tiny field mouse run out of the coop and down the hole. So... is it possible to have mice and rats? What do you think? Do mice dig giants tunnels? I thought only rats did that?

 

[nzpouter]

there's a neat way to make a trap with a 44 galon drum and a plastic bottle.......

You put a wire straight through the middleof the bottle and tie each end on opposite sides on the top of the drum (giving it a seesaw effect) with the fat end of the bottle resting on the drum's edge.

fill the drum half way full with water and bait the narrow end of the bottle.

The idea is for the rat to try and reach the bait and by the time it reach pass half way, the bottle will tip over and be too slippery to climb back....


You can burry the drum underground or lean it on your fence line.

 

[Mr. Frizzles Hen House]

We have locked bait stations around our house (provided by our exterminator) and I recently added another one under our chicken coop which I purchased at the feed store. I had a very long conversation with the exterminator requarding the saftey of the bait boxes. They are locked so kids/ dogs can't break into them. I was also concerned about my dogs getting ahold of a dead poisened rodent. He assured me that because the bait is metabolized, the dog or cat would have to consume far too many to cause any harm. He couldn't tell me for sure about the chickens, but like the other poster said, they try to go home to die. I rarely find a dead one. I feel comfortable using them. And remember, for every rodent you actually see, there are many more you don't

They reproduce like crazy, carry disease, and can cause a great deal of damage from nesting. Good luck!

 

[Patch's Chickens]

I do not have a great update - we are still having the same problem. We had one bait house, just added another today. I am going to have to completely clear all brush, everything from the side of the house, drop pellets in any hole I find, then cover the holes. I keep patching where they are getting in the coop/run and they keep creating new entries. As soon as it is dry enough (it rained this morning and supposed to almost every day this week) we will dig a trench and then pour cement all around the coop/run. We have always had a sand run, to control odor and easily rake out, but now it is just a sea of mud in there - maybe pine shavings, but we aren't certain if this will be better or worse as far as the rats go. So frustrating. Also, they do not seem to have any interest in the plasteraparis (sp?) we put out. Why would they... my coop is their buffet!! I'll keep updating and checking other threads. Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.

 

[kristenm1975]

I read another thread on BYC about a person who used mashed potato flakes to kill the rats. The flakes expand inside their stomachs and kill them. It may sound inhumane, but I can't imagine any of the typical poisons used give the rats a nice peaceful death either.

The best thing about this method is that rather than the dead rats becoming a poisoned treat for your pets, or wildlife you'd rather not kill, instead they become vitamin fortified treats.

I have just put out a box partially filled with the flakes near the girl's coop and will report back on what happens.

 

[kristenm1975]

Okay, just wanted to update. I put out a nice big box of powdered mashed potatoes and nothing happened. Except that the box got eaten. I went out very carefully the next day, thinking the yard was going to be littered with exploded rats, but there was nothing.

The man of the house decided that he isn't cool with having animals killed anywhere near him,, even if it's a rat, so no more attempts like this will be made. Instead, I'm using a strongly concentrated spray with peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils sprayed around points of entry on the coop. Those are known to annoy rats and perhaps they'll leave it alone.

 

[cmom]

I had some rats and saw some in one of my coops. Also I saw one in one of my wood piles. My wood is on pallets so I put decon under the pallets and I found one dead rat in the coop poop pit and another in my wood pile. Bye, bye rats. I did put the baits where other critters couldn't get to it.

 

[rlhbond]

Google the word "rat zapper". My sister-in-law says hers does great with their rats. It runs on batteries. I used to use poison baits but the mice poop out little poison pellets all over the place before they die. I'm afraid my ducks will eat them.

 

[Patch's Chickens]

I am CRACKING UP at KristenM expecting to find the exploded rats after the mashed potatoes - I did the same thing! Also just waiting for our yard to be littered with dead rats from the bait boxes too but that has not happened yet either. I have seen evidence though that the rats are finally going in and out of the bait boxes - if nothing else to keep dry. It has rained so much I would not be surprised to see rats in a row boat - my poor ladies run is a sea of mud, I sunk up to my ankles tonight and we will be getting rain 4-5 days, with over 4" in the next 2 days alone. I was going to hold off on gravel and sand but I just can't - it just does not seem safe for the ladies right now. Need to just get through the next week.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

Only two things worked for me permanently. One is to stop leaving feed out overnight. Two is a blessing to me with a friendly cat that just showed up last year and sleeps in an unused nest box. He is friendly to the chickens as well and even eats some laying pellets but will kill any rodents that ventures by. Note he is with large chickens.


I just wish he would lay eggs.