RATS!

[Island Roo]

I cleared out a colony of rats with snap traps and live traps. You just have to get into their head and think like a rat. Bait the trap for a couple of days without setting the trap. They'll get into the habit of going there for their daily snack. Then start setting the traps. You have to be patient. It's like a game

One day my live trap disappeared. I found it later that day 50 yards away under a tree. A raccoon took it and skinned the rat by reaching in between the bars of the trap. It had me scratching my head for a while before I put the pieces of the puzzle together and figured out what happened.

Also caught a possum in the live trap.

I will not use poison since it can harm all kinds of other creatures including pets.

 

[Ullie]

Ewwwwe, I just got a picture of the Coon eating the rat,

 

[ChickenMad11]

Nice......

 

[MTorganichens]

Haha wow have they been snatching eggs?

 

[ChickenMad11]

The weird thing is, our chickens don't even lay, so why do the rats come!

(the chicken has past it's laying age and the others are too young!)

 

[MimiChick]

I had a problem with rats a few years ago. They were getting into the pen (coope is raised, so no problem there) and eating the food that spilled out during the day. I did use poison for a while, but it really didn't seem to be working. I live in the country and there's a lot of critters out here. I read somewhere that rats don't like peppermint, so I planted peppermint all around my coop and pen. I also use other strong herbs around garden areas that I don't want the deer to get into. Well the peppermint seems to have worked. I haven't seen hide nor hair of a rat in over two years now. Actually, I haven't noticed any mice or voles either. And since the peppermint spreads (voraciously, so be careful) I didn't even need to use a lot in the first place. This seems to be a great all natural way to deal with that kind of problem.
Good luck.

 

[OneLostHen]

I lost my two darling chicks to rats....

I cried waaay more than I thought I would. Which only fueled my boyfriend's fire to "get back at them". And boy did we!!
They were attracted to the food left out. Anything, crumbs, dropped feed.. You name it.. They ate the feed, and most of my two chicks... Left the rest for me to find

BUT, we placed the poisonous pellets.. And visually found 5 dead.

Ive been locking up the food now. And am ecstatic to report, no rats sense!!!

 

[ChickenMad11]

ewww, gross 5

 

[sjshaw1980]

Ugh! I had a dream that the rats were back last night and I had to flood out this giant burrow, and my poor babies were s tuck on top of the coop! Quick check this morning reveals we are still rat-free! Whew!!!

 

[earlybird10842]

Poison is the easiest way. Don't use those old fashion traps the snap on their head they don't always work, normally you just end up feeding the rats. The newer traps that are enclosed so you don't have to see the rat apparently work real well but they are kind of expensive.

You could get guineas if you live out in the country they can help keep the pests away, or at least that's what I hear. We are going to get some next year or sooner if I can find some hatching eggs.

Live traps work, but then you have to kill them (it's illegal to move them and release them elsewhere). Someone told me you can get a bucket of water and float sunflower seed on the top, put a ramp up to the top of the bucket so the rats can get up there, but then they fall in the water and can't get out (we've had a few young ones drown in our pigs water dish so I imagine this would work). Just make sure the water isn't close to the top of the bucket where they could pull themselves out.

Yesterday morning we finally captured a packrat.

We used a live trap, as the rat was so big, it could get out of the other traps.