Rats and Mice!

[Judy]

Quote:
Half powdered sugar and half plaster of paris works, too. But I worry what would happen if chickens ate the bodies when these things are used, just as I don't want to use old fashioned rat poisons because the animal who eats the body can die.

I finally resorted to One Bite. The chemical is bromadiolone. Supposedly, if an animal eats the body, he won't get enough poison to harm the animal. Haven't lost any dogs, cats or chickens yet -- and I have two dogs who actively hunt, kill and eat rats and mice and moles.

 

[Country Living Farm]

For the past several nights I have shot around 7 of the little critters with a BB gun. The only problem, is a BB gun does not kill on contact and they can run away. I find blood so I figured they ran off to DIE!!!!!! Got the Daddy last night, I think. Still looking for Mom.

 

[purpletree23]

Try this recipe. Guaranteed to work.

1 part peanut butter
1 part plaster of paris (very cheap can find at craft stores)
Mix with oil until very thick paste DO NOT USE WATER

Roll into balls and place where rats and mice hide or come to feed
Leave out a bowl of water

Rats eat the mixture, drink the water and the plaster of paris turns into concrete.
I was overrun by the nasty critters. The first night I tried this all of the balls were gone. The next night I put out more but none of the balls were touched. I do this once a month as a preventative measure.

Let me know how it goes.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Quote:
I am going to have to disagree here. The one bite put DOWN A RAT HOLE, not left our or in any way accessible to the anything other than a rat is VERY effective. Like I said you have to be diligent in removing bodies, but the chickies RARELY even give the bodies a second look.

I DO put up the poultry and the layer at night. My food supply is in close containers.

The only real problem I have is the darn pygmy goats from the neighbors house coming into the chicken barn and eating my grain from the hanging feeder. Little turds, but they are cute.

 

[Ehigh57]

This might work for mice and rats. I know it worked for squirrels. We had squirrels in our attic and I did not want to poison them for 2 reasons. First I didn't want to kill them and secondly I didn't want the smell or disposing of their remains. A friend told me to go to a Sporting Goods store and buy fox urine. I sprayed it on a cloth and put it in the attic and so far (2 weeks) now we have not heard the squirrels running about. The bottle cost $3.99
I was amazed at how many types of urine you can buy! Lordy I don't want to know how they acquire the stuff. LOL

 

[jjthink]

rimshoes wrote:

jjthink wrote:
.......
I do not use poison - it is indiscriminate and can harm unintended victims, whether by
them eating the poison directly or by them eating a mouse or rat killed by the poison.

JJ

I am going to have to disagree here. The one bite put DOWN A RAT HOLE, not left our or in any way accessible to the anything other than a rat is VERY effective. Like I said you have to be diligent in removing bodies, but the chickies RARELY even give the bodies a second look.

Unfortunately, rats are known to move their food (or poison) to other locations to stockpile and not eat right away. In so doing, other species gain access to the poison that didn't have access in its original location. It takes some effort to ensure that this doesn't happen which is why poison can (not will, but can) harm unintended victims if not done just so....... A neighbor did not take the necessary precautions and succeeded in killing the cat instead because the rats moved the poison that was put way down into their hole/tunnel - it was grizzly.

I would love to have goats around

but in my little residential neighborhood they are not allowed

. I would like to have anything around that would eat my lawn so I don't have to mow it!
JJ​

 

[M@M@2four]

Quote:
AGREED, AGREED, AGREED!!! We have always had mice and used snap traps hidden, so the chickens don't get caught in them(we all know how nosey they can be)--but then we started with rats! We packed the inside of the walls with, "Just One Bite"--you can buy this at Home Depot, and a few days later had rats coming out and dying..I always check the outside of the barn and coops before opening the doors in the morning...seems to be finally doing the job! They actually killed and ate chicks that were almost due to hatch right out from under some of my broodies! After that, I was livid and bought the poison! Just be careful wherever you place it, your chickens can never get to it!

 

[Joyryder]

Basically it is a 5 gallon bucket half full of water. Place a string across the bucket with a peanut butter covered soda can tied in the middle. When the critters try to get to the peanut butter they either fall of of the string or the can spins and they drop into the bucket and eventually drown.

I tried it and it works great, thanks

 

[EweSheep]

I too have problems with RATS! Nasty critters!

I put the Jaquar rat poison block out (made by the same company as One Bite) and had four dead rats and more smelly ones somewhere in the tunnels and under foundations.

I wish the smell would go away but it really reeks!

 

[kbadkins]

I so know how you feel... I battled rats for over 6 months in my coop... When the coop was first built it was built with basic poultry netting and I found out they can crawl through the holes... I would go through sooooo much feed... and they would get to my eggs too !!!!
I rebuilt my coop and there is not even a hole anywhere that is over the size of a dime...

I was told if they can squeeze their nose through it they can get in...


The rats even chewed through my thick plastic feeders !!! and would stay in the feeders..

thank god I finally am rid of them !!!