Rats and more rats! What's the best way to kill them?

[azelgin]

I know this works!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=164771

 

[Freyja]

We use a Rat Zapper and highly recommend it. My husband baits with a peanut butter pretzel and it's worked time and time again. He's gotten mostly rats but a few mice and one ground squirrel. What we like is that it's humane -- kills with an electric shock -- and disposal is easy, just dump it out and you're ready to roll again. No worries with secondary poisoning either. I believe they're available in Australia.

 

[Crack N' Egg]

Know this might sound weird, but it works all the time with our "large" mice.

Take the cotton out of a tampon. Smear peanut butter on it and secure it well onto the traditional snapping trap.

It has to be a cotton from a tampon because it is tough and when the rat goes to lick/eat it, it's teeth will get entangled and will certainly get caught in it. A regular cotton ball will easily tear apart if the rat pulls away.

 

[Chickn chick 46]

I've used the Rat Zapper for mice. Works well

 

[FarmerRob]

The Rat Terrier did not get it's name by accident. Rat Terriers and Jack Russell Terriers both love the work of killing rodents.

However, if you are not looking to add a new fiesty pet to your homestead then the ideas the others have posted sound great. The one about peanut butter mixed with plaster of paris sounds interesting. Be sure nothing else can eat that as I assume that the plaster is going to harden on the inside and constipate them to death. (I heard of a similar use for the plaster--mixing it with confectioners sugar and sprinkling around ant hills until the same thing happened to them.) I have always had great success with peanut butter, but I have to specify the chunky. I actually had them lick the creamy peanut butter off of a large spring trap (old fashioned neck breaker type) without setting it off. Next night I put the chunky on and got every time I set a trap til they were gone.

You mentioned that you caught one but then the others would not go near the trap. Was wondering if you are re-using the trap. I have always found a fresh one works better. Maybe it is the smell of dead mouse/rat that puts them off. When one gets their neck snapped I just chunk the whole thing in the garbage. And no I do'nt compost them--concerned about the diseases they carry.

That Rat Zapper looks pretty cool also.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
The only problem with a Rat Terrier is they also like to kill chickens! Mine like nothing better than to kill chickens. I finally broke her of killing kittens, but haven't gotten her to leave the chickens alone.....and I've been trying 9+ years with her.

 

[highcountrychickens]

Quote:
The only problem with a Rat Terrier is they also like to kill chickens! Mine like nothing better than to kill chickens. I finally broke her of killing kittens, but haven't gotten her to leave the chickens alone.....and I've been trying 9+ years with her.

Actually, I have two Jack Russels that keep the mice mostly at bay and never touch a feather on my hens... Pieta, my broken coated Jack, actually checks on them with a friendly chickenbutt check, and Minnow doesn't really even acknowledge that they exist.

 

[Poliwag]

Quote:
We are not allowed dogs where we live and I lost my whole flock to a couple of dogs, so, not fond of dogs much anymore

I did use the same trap again but later on got a new one and tried that one with peanut butter but the trap was still set for days after and the bait was still there

It's just my mum and I living here. We don't like to kill the animals but with rats we don't have much of a choice. I hate setting spring traps as I am scared stiff I am going to set it off! Dx

The Rat Zapper looks just like what we need... we'll have to look into it.


Thanks all for the replies.
Sorry for the late post but I have been really busy lately and I have been sick >.<

 

[gottalovemychickens]

This is the way i get rid of them and yes its not a NORMAL way of doing it but hey it work and they stay away for awhile.

Step 1 / Buy Road Flares

Step 2 / Close up everything leading to where they are

Step 3 / Activate Road Flares (2) or (3)

Step 4 / Leave house for about 5 hours

Step 5 / Come back and open windows and doors to air out

ALL GONE

Btw dont forget when you use the road flares make sure they are in no place to start a fire or damage any property

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
Thats what I did when we got infested with mice. We had a rat that lived around but I never saw it in the coop or saw evidence of it. It did make it in the house. I never saw it but I knew it was a rat. Mice just aren't that noisy when you walk into a room.

I would use a BB or Pellet gun or poison. I don't have any other critters around here that would eat the dead rats or mice.