Rat Traps or Cat?

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Since I have not seen it mentioned.......

There is rat poison available that has an extremely reduced risk of secondary poisoning. It uses warfarin as the killing agent. That chemical begins to dissipate in the deceased very very quickly. It does not make them head for water either.

https://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/...MI2-CZxaOr1wIViFp-Ch0PzAiPEAQYBiABEgLhTfD_BwE

It is worth looking into. I used it when my neighbor released feeder rats. They chose under my chicken house to live.
 
Jcat6419 said:
Agree with Hen Pen and Hensndoes. Most "typical" cats can't deal with rats and the rats quickly learn to avoid traps. I was seeing rats in my backyard in the middle of the afternoon! Chicken feed is now kept inside, all water/feed is removed every night, and the compost pile is discontinued. They never made it into the secure coop/run but I watched a rat try one night for at least 15 minutes before giving up. I tried traps (caught one), there are cats all over my neighborhood doing nothing but killing chipmunks, and poison wasn't an option, so as a last resort I bought a 0.177 air rifle with pointed tip pellets and although I hated doing it, I shot and killed 3 rats. Haven't seen any since...but I'm not out there in the middle of the night. I've seen the possum cruising through so I hope he's helping keep rats away. :rolleyes:
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Just be aware that possums eat chickens also. So as long as the possum can't get into your chicken coop, it may help with the rats, however if the rat population decreases, be prepared to deal with possums looking for a chicken dinner. I have caught a possum in the roost area in the middle of the night with a hen in his mouth!
 
BabyBoss said:
A cat will NOT take care of rats. Babies maybe...but an adult rat is a nasty foe.

You'd need a ratting terrier to do that job.
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We started training my "Raddy" when she was just 9 months old, by giving her a dead rat to smell, then a baby rat to play with. At 12 months, she faced her first adult rat in my chicken pen at night. That rat stood on it's hind legs and jumped at my Rat Terrier with teeth biting! It nipped Raddy just once, that was enough to ignite Raddy's rat killing instinct. She finished off the rat by crushing it's neck with a quick bite and shake.

Another thing I've noticed, or not noticed I should say, is that I haven't seen any snakes this Summer. That's unusual, we usually have at least 3-4 sightings during the Summer alone. People that kill snakes, don't realize how valuable they are in keeping the vermin population in check. I won't kill even a rattle snake; they are so helpful. I don't bother them and they don't bother me. When they are around, my rooster will let everyone know.
 
Ursuline Chick said:
Just be aware that possums eat chickens also. So as long as the possum can't get into your chicken coop, it may help with the rats, however if the rat population decreases, be prepared to deal with possums looking for a chicken dinner. I have caught a possum in the roost area in the middle of the night with a hen in his mouth!
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Oh that would be a horrible thing to find! The girls are locked down tight at night plus the run is secure with hardware cloth walls and on the ground. Those possums look pretty fierce so I wasn't taking any chances but thanks for the tip! :thumbsup
 
Ursuline Chick said:
Just be aware that possums eat chickens also. So as long as the possum can't get into your chicken coop, it may help with the rats, however if the rat population decreases, be prepared to deal with possums looking for a chicken dinner. I have caught a possum in the roost area in the middle of the night with a hen in his mouth!
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All to true possum in the chicken coop is the same dead as a big rat. Shame but has to be done . Speaking of Snakes .I have golf balls in the nesting boxes and the only snake that ever got in ate an egg and swallowed the golf ball too . Well the egg crushed but the golf ball was bigger than the hole the snake came in .That was as far as he made it . Just as far as the golf ball would go in him .:lau regurgitated the golf ball and tried again but he was already got . I rehomed it to the game preserve a few miles away haven't seen it since . We got plenty of snakes round here. Rat Terriers are awesome for rat control just be sure if you have watering tubs for livestock teach them not to go near them or always have a board or something in the trough so if they fall or jump in they can get out .
 
Some bait boxes that keep the bait from your pets and livestock from testing to it hold traps as well so your domestic critters don't get injured, and you don't have to use poison. Live off the grid been dealing with rodents for a while. Best mouse trap ever is one called Jawz for mice. Have not used their rat version yet. Still the old go to Victor rat traps. Only put the rat traps out when I see rat sign and get them over night.even the Victor traps fit in the bait boxes, just barely. The Jawz traps are very easy to bait. We use the sticky softer granola bars for bait. They can't get to the bait without hitting the trip. I can get 4 -5 mice on the same bait sometimes. You can get rid of the rats just have to be vigilant and check traps every day. Then constantly check for sign. To keep them at bay.
 

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