rats and lots of them and I need to kill them!

[newbiechickenowner]

OMGosh that is awful. they stoned your dogs? uggg! I did get a new BB gun for Christmas and have wanted some target practice...unfortunately, I am not very good yet

The problem is still the ones under that duck house. I think that I can use ideas on here for the ones outside. Basically, all of the coops and duck houses each have their own chicken wire yard that they are encircled with and is buried in the ground, then these all connect to basically make a giant square that is chicken wire dug into the ground and going up 5 feet tall. The problem duck house is the one that was there originally so the rats got under it before we put all of the chicken wire up and into the ground. The rest are also taller off of the ground. Where do you get the kind that you can "nail"? I am wondering if that is what I could use for under the duck house? I am so worried that they will drag something out and I won't notice it before letting the ducks out for the day...

 

[newbiechickenowner]

under the duck house?

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
Do whatever you can to remove the food source, or they will just keep coming back. I would doubt that it's primarily the manure, more likely the eggs and the feed.

 

[Katy]

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I tried that....did not work at all.

 

[Attack Chicken]

Quote:
I tried that....did not work at all.

Ah ok..lol I've never had a rodent problem so I haven't done it just see others posting about it. Sorry

AC

 

[newbiechickenowner]

patman

Quote:
Before I posted this thread I used the search engine...I am a big "searcher", but, what I found were a lot of rat stories and if they chickens and some asking about humane killing...none of the things I was coming up with were straight forward and so I posted this question. Thanks for the tip though

 

[GarlicEater]

P-Nut Butter Poison Surprize! Which is just those blue D-Con blue pellets with some peanut butter, kind of mash it together, small amounts of it all over (but not where any of your "good guys" have any chance to try it!) you'll be relatively ratless in no time.

 

[purpletree23]

I like the old fashioned rat traps. We had rats that were so huge they would try to get away if the trap trapped them but didn't kill them. With a staple gun staple a piece of sturdy twine to the back of the trap and tie it to anything outside. This way if they try to run you won't loose a trap.

I leave traps set outside all year long. They reproduce like crazy. Make sure you get rid of them because they can carry disease that humans can catch.

Peanut butter balls:

1 part peanut butter
1 part plaster of paris (cheap at craft stores)

Mix in bowl and add vegetable oil (not water) until it is thick like fudge. It will be hard to stir. Make up some golf ball size balls and roll them under the coop where the rats are living. If you want to see if they are eating them make a ball around a piece of twine that is about 5 ft long. Roll the ball under the coop and tie twine to something sturdy. In 5 days gently pull the twine out and see if the ball is partially eaten or at least has a few bites taken out of it. Leave a bowl of water for the rats to drink. You don't want them drinking out of your livestocks bowl/waterers. The mixture will turn to a rock in their stomach and they will die.

I've had good luck....maybe I have stupid rats.

 

[newbiechickenowner]

my concern with the traps, which, I would totally use, is that I can set them inside the duck pens at night and take them up during the day when they go out, but, I can't put them out where a TON of the rats are because I have bunnys and a neighbors cat that does a great job and several other night animals that I don't want to injure. Also, again, anyone have any ideas about the ones underneath? Can I stuff something under there? is there a way to draw them out? at night? maybe set the traps at night around the outside? anything more tempting than the food they are obviously getting that falls through the duck floor?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I can guarentee you that they don't stay under there 24/7....at night they're out everywhere so I wouldn't worry about trying to put anything under the floor.