RAT WAR!!

[Wickedchicken6]

We had a nasty rat problem since the flood. It seemed to displace them into our yard. The rats were getting into our equipment. They were in the shed making holes and in the chicken coop. I've seen them running across the road in broad daylight.

I trapped live and hubby trapped with his snap rat traps. We've got a little bet going. So far I'm winning...lol.

The rats had tunnels underneath the dirt floor of the coop. We managed to crush most of the tunnels.

We can't use poison, we have too many tiny chickens. I don't know what has happened this year. We now see no evidence of rats at all where we were seeing them. It makes me wonder if we have a fisher or some predator that's killing rats. So far the chickens have been untouched. The only other change we have are the bunnies who work hard at cleaning spilled grains.

 

[Stan-Lee]

Y

Rain and Rats go Hand & Hand!
They move indoors to seek shelter. Or Barn full of feed provides safe harbor and unlimited sources of nutrition for their colony and off spring.
I refuse to provide a disease carrying rodent share my farm destroying everything from boxes to electrical wires and contamination of feed for our many animals we care for.
View media item 7893523These little Satan offsprings are my main focus at the moment.
This big female was live trapped last night in my barn right next to the chicken feed cans.
View media item 7893525We are switching to metal cans because they are slowly knarling Thru the Rubbermaid cans.
View media item 7893524This one is a female. I call them the "Rat Factory Queen's".
One female can make so many Satan babies.
Usually just catch big males. Females usually stay in the nests and wait for delivery of dinner.
View media item 7893527This is a photo of a homemade Rat Bait House.
We have several around the farm. This one had all the bait ate and gone. Took the photo to share an inexpensive solution to pest control.
View media item 7893532Drilled a hole in the side of the bucket bottom.
Wedged a strip of wood inside of the housing. I screw down lightly a couple of TOM CAT BRAND RAT BAIT BLOCKS sold at TSC in a economy size pail. The bait has a hole already in it. 2 screws, 2 washers and seal the top of the bucket with the lid. Keep them away from areas with small chickens.
This bucket had the bait placed in it only 3 days ago. They ate it already.
The rats dehydrate from the bait forcing then to leave to find water somewhere else.
View media item 7893528I will win the battle as long as I don't give up.
Rats beware! Farmer Connie don' t play that!​

You do realize that they could squeeze through the

Rain and Rats go Hand & Hand!
They move indoors to seek shelter. Or Barn full of feed provides safe harbor and unlimited sources of nutrition for their colony and off spring.
I refuse to provide a disease carrying rodent share my farm destroying everything from boxes to electrical wires and contamination of feed for our many animals we care for.
View media item 7893523These little Satan offsprings are my main focus at the moment.
This big female was live trapped last night in my barn right next to the chicken feed cans.
View media item 7893525We are switching to metal cans because they are slowly knarling Thru the Rubbermaid cans.
View media item 7893524This one is a female. I call them the "Rat Factory Queen's".
One female can make so many Satan babies.
Usually just catch big males. Females usually stay in the nests and wait for delivery of dinner.
View media item 7893527This is a photo of a homemade Rat Bait House.
We have several around the farm. This one had all the bait ate and gone. Took the photo to share an inexpensive solution to pest control.
View media item 7893532Drilled a hole in the side of the bucket bottom.
Wedged a strip of wood inside of the housing. I screw down lightly a couple of TOM CAT BRAND RAT BAIT BLOCKS sold at TSC in a economy size pail. The bait has a hole already in it. 2 screws, 2 washers and seal the top of the bucket with the lid. Keep them away from areas with small chickens.
This bucket had the bait placed in it only 3 days ago. They ate it already.
The rats dehydrate from the bait forcing then to leave to find water somewhere else.
View media item 7893528I will win the battle as long as I don't give up.
Rats beware! Farmer Connie don' t play that!​

 

[chickens again]

So glad someone has addressed the issue of secondary poisoning, especially in raptors. I use the big black traps,inside a milk crate so if the rat unfortunately gets a leg caught (which only happened once) it will not drag the trap away and maybe die a nasty death. My husband can then dispatch it with his BB gun. I also use the electronic traps tho they are expensive and use a lot of battery life.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

What kind of bait is being used? I see the little blocks at lowes, and they have a indent but no hole for the screws.

Tom cat brand from TSC. I buy the economy pale. Man those suckers are eating that stuff up! I have to restock the stations every other day.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tomcat-with-bromethalin-bait-chunx-4-lb-pail?cm_vc=-10005

 

[Lazy Farmer]

AGREED!!!!

The rats chewed my romex electoral wire in my pole barn. The 2x6 rafter has a burn spot where they chewed the wire. If it wasn't for the circuit breaker, my barn would have burned down.
I don't have $10,000 just laying around to build another barn. I do have $24.99 laying around for another pale of bait though. I have 60 young chickens in their as well. The rats chewed up one of the pullets neck a short time ago. We are not talking about a couple city rats. We are talking about Hundreds of decease carrying country rodents.
This is why I choose to use poison as well along with live traps..
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/attack-of-the-rats-graphic-photo-warning.1184036/
DO NOT CLICK ON THE ABOVE LINK IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE OR FAINT HEARTED.
That is a thread of my Rats Attack incident. Where scores of rats attacked my Pullet and needlessly took her life.

Here is a link to the bait I am using...
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tomcat-with-bromethalin-bait-chunx-4-lb-pail?cm_vc=-10005

This is the product description I copied from the web page about the worries other animals might eat the rat and get sick..
Tomcat with Bromethalin Bait Chunx contains a potent acute toxicant. Rodents stop feeding after eating a toxic dose so more rodents are controlled with less bait. There is a reduced risk of secondary poisoning. Effectively controls rats and mice. Proven bait acceptance. Chunx have patented gnawing edges and highly weatherable.

Rats can also carry rabies, lice, mites, fleas, worms etc.
I have to rid of the rodents before they cause any more harm. Living way out in the rural lands make rodents an inheritance from the territory, add livestock feed.. An oasis for rats!

 

[ukrkoz]

I solved mine for now. But I might be a bit different from the rest here. I keep out chickens closed for the night. Also, our runs are fully fenced. So I can do what I did
I tried traps, caught one or two, but they keep coming.
So I finally made them little "brownies" out of cheapest ground meet I could find at Winco, with TomCat green stuff mixed into it. Chickens locked for the night - 2 trays of those set around runs.
After 3-4 nights out there, most of them were gone. Then they stopped eating them, but barrows stopped appearing also. That's been it for about ten days by now. I'll see new barrow - new patties will be left there.
But again, chickens are locked for the night, fence does not allow stray animals in. So it may not be solution for everyone.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

AGREED!!!!

PLEASE DON'T USE POISON BAIT! It may solve the rodent problem but it causes sooo many others,l

I have to use poison. My flock is in Dyer straights. I cannot experiment with alternative solutions until the current population explosion is under control. We had 1.5 inches of rain last night alone. It drove them into my barn again. I caught 7 last night alone.
Here is a link to my recent past thread. The topic was about the rats eating my chickens feet while they slept. That situation caused a few hens turn cannibal. The blood was all over the perches. It was disgusting and repulsive. 4 hens would rather feed out of the wounds of the weak while they ate grain instead of eating the grain themselves.
After witnessing rats all over my perches chewing sleeping hens legs, the RAT WAR began.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rats-fall-asleep-lose-your-feet.1177276/
I am sorry you disapprove of my decision to implement the use of poison. But I am the one that has to look at my chickens chewed off feet everyday.
Thank you nevertheless for sharing your thoughts and opinions.
Sincerely, FC

 

[ukrkoz]

We had rats kill 8 quails and almost kill one.
yes, it's very good intentional to be worried about "secondary poisoning" but rats are so much KNOWN menace that I'd rather take care of them the way it works. Or, soon enough we WILL have them in the house and everywhere else. With all the related danger to actual humane humans. They replenish, and replenish very fast.
I am against spreading poison unattended all over myself. But, in my case, even that is left in fully inaccessible to ground animals areas - fenced and covered runs. If it barrows from underneath - it is welcomed to the treat. If it dug tunnel under the fence - it didn't come there for grains on the ground too. Then it's welcomed also.
Sorry. I get it, I respect life in any form, but there is life and there is life. I bet all of you take medication that kills bacteria when you get sick, without any remorse. Rats are just a large bacteria and millions died because of diseases they spread.

 

[Auntie Moose]

Does it help to pick up the chicken feed at night and put it away? I am at my wit's end with the mice and rats.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Does it help to pick up the chicken feed at night and put it away? I am at my wit's end with the mice and rats.

My chickens lick the bowl clean so to speak. I raise pigs. A lot of adults and offspring. The offspring needs food at free will at every moment. Maximum growth with less time as possible. They are collecting 20% protein pellets from the baby gilts and barrows and stockpiling the feed under a concrete slab of our pole barn. Hubby sticks the right end of a 410 under there every few days and blows them to smithereens. They move to another burrow.