Rat problem

[Naser]

Posted to another query.
Hope it helps.:

My understanding is that rats/mice are everywhere.
They will congregate and breed where there is available food, water, and shelter.
Look closely around any fast food restaurant and you will see rat bait stations.

They will eventually come, the idea is to prevent them from establishing a colony.
If you see 1, there are probably fifty.
If you see two or more holes, expect dozens.

Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.

Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.

That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.

My run has food scraps 24/7.
My coop has food access 24/7.
Water access 24/7.

5 years, no sign of rats or mice...

Hope this helps.

I have two of those for three months now one at each side of the garden, I haven't seen any signs of rats or mice for more than two months. this is unusual, normally every few weeks I find a mice or two in the mice traps in the shed, nothing now.

 

[RonP]

Congradulations!

Your established colonies are probably gone.

Now don't forget to check the baits every few weeks at least.

 

[Naser]

Now don't forget to check the baits every few weeks at least.

I do every two weeks
Thank you

 

[lynnehd]

Keeping a rat trap/bait station baited 24/7 hopefully keeps the population from establishing near your food source. Once established, they are very difficult to eliminate.

Remember, chickens don't attract rats, food does.

That said, I fabricated black 4 inch circular x 18" long drainage plastic pipe as a bait station.
Placed along the outside of my coop, looks like drainage pipe (not unsightly).
I put a t fitting in the center, capped, for easy viewing once a week.
Inside I maintain commercial rat poison.

So with your PVC tube trap, the rats carry the bait back to their tunnels/burrows? Thanks.

 

[chickbird]

I want to do the same but I am afraid that small garden birds will get in and eat the poison

I BUY THOSE DOLLAR PLASTIC SHOE BOXES AND CUT A SMALL RAT SIZE HOLE IN ONE END AND ON THE OPPOSITE END I PUT RAT POISIONING PELLETS. AND THE PUT THE LID ON , I PLACE THESE ANYWHERE THEY ARE NEEDED AS THE CHICKENS CAN;T GET TO THE PELLETS NOR BIRDS. I PUT THE PELLET TRAY IN AND TAPE IT IN PLACE SO THAT IT DOES NOT SLIDE AROUND. WORKS GREAT FOR ME.

 

[RonP]

So with your PVC tube trap, the rats carry the bait back to their tunnels/burrows? Thanks.

I use solid bait cubes that have predrilled holes in the center.

I use a paper clip attached to a wire, so the baits shouldn't travel out of the station.

I wouldn't want anything carried away, possibly left out of the station, even though the station is away from the birds

 

[lynnehd]

I use solid bait cubes that have predrilled holes in the center.

I use a paper clip attached to a wire, so the baits shouldn't travel out of the station.

I wouldn't want anything carried away, possibly left out of the station, even though the station is away from the birds

I really like this idea overall. And I've used the bait with the predrilled holes well in the past, and it does work.

How do you secure the paper clip to the inside of the 'T' in the PVC pipe? (sorry for all of the questions, lol)

 

[RonP]

Paper clip is attached to a thin wire that is attached to the "T" top cover.

I drilled a small hole in the cover and tied a knot in the wire.

I open and lift out the bait when I check it.

Hope that helps.

 

[csaiz100]

We have 3 barn cats

 

[Naser]

We have 3 barn cats

Good for you