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For those dealing with rats, most are not aware of what they are really up against. This thread was started to help folks understand how big of a problem rats can be, and how big of a problem getting rid of them will be.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rats-when-the-army-went-to-war-on-them.1216226/page-2
Crib notes version is to rid yourself of rats is a multi-step process. Elimination of access to food and water, eliminate shelter (rat proofing any structure housing chickens ain't easy), how totally ineffective it is to try trapping them out, shooting them, sicking dogs on them, etc. The only real method that works is in addition to steps outlined above, that is done in conjunction with a regimen of various forms of poison bait blocks served up from secure bait stations.
To Chad, if I were you, and I had a severe infestation, to start, I'd be getting myself a pail of Contrac bait blocks from Bell Labs. That is what professional exterminators use. If you can't find this locally (probably can't), order it from one of the various online sources, i.e., Amazon, etc.
http://www.belllabs.com/bell-labs/product/mx/pest-control/contrac-blox
I didn't have the best of luck with the bait that came with the Tomcat. I bought the Just One Bite and the rats loved it. No more rats. I do have some of the baits in the barn where I have seen rats. Last time I checked them about a week ago, they hadn't been touched.I am fighting them with no success at all. They're making me crazy!!! And I spend an extra hour or more a day removing all the food and water at night, replacing it all in the morning and securing the girls in at night.
I'm watching the Army films on the other thread. And I'm reading the other thread hoping for some enlightenment but there doesn't seem to be much about trapping or poisoning them effectively outside.
First of all, I thought my run was predator proofed. We dug the hardware cloth well into the ground. But they found their way in. Since then, I've plugged anything I can see any light through with steel wool to no avail. And I've laid down 12" cement pavers on the exterior to make the little ____ers have to dig farther. They don't care.
I also located one tunnel and I've dug it up a few times. That usually means a night passes without a rat but eventually they get back in. And, I can't find the opening to the burrow. It's either so far from the run that I can't locate it or on the other side of the fence between my yard and my neighbor's.
I've set spring traps around the perimeter with the jaws right up against the hardware cloth. I got one. That's not nearly enough!
I've put bait stations out inside the run. It doesn't even look like they've bothered to nibble on the bait (Tom Cat bromethalin).
I am also trying to get them with a pellet gun when I can see them at night. I can only get off a shot or 2 before they're on the run and my opportunity is passed. So far I'm no Annie Oakley but perhaps I'll get better...
Part of my problem is that I can't see any burrows in the dirt floor of the run. Neither can I see any signs of where they do their running except for a horizontal 2x4 just under the roof. Unfortunately, that's too narrow and too close to the roof for me to get any traps up there or for traps to have any clearance to operate. I did put a sticky trap up there secured with some foam tape so it couldn't fall into the run where a bird could get stuck to it. The rats merely jumped over it. Anyway, not seeing their activity on the ground, I can't determine the best spots for the bait stations.
Also, I took note of the advocacy of using the bait blocks from Bell Labs (bromadiolone) but that stuff only comes in huge $100 tubs. 1) $100 is a LOT to spend and 2) I don't want a tub of it around my grandson. Is it so special and so attractive that I should get over those reservations? I mean, if I had to, I could probably lock the tub in the trunk of my husband's car where my grandson wouldn't be at risk.
Thanks, to all you intrepid Rat Warriors! I'm outmatched to be sure and need all the help I can get.
If you have seen one rat, there are more.I didn't realize I have a rat(s) either until I got the 24-hour chickie cam. With the coon attack on my chickies, I figured a rat was the least of my worries. Maybe not.