Rodents in the duckpen!

[Miss Lydia]

So the ratters ignore the ducks? I may have missed something, I apologize if I did.

here ya go @Amiga

One of my dogs is OK with the ducks. The other one has a super high prey drive.quoted from post 28

 

[Amiga]

Thank you

I have been dreaming about ratters for a while.

 

[AimToMisbehave]

I patrol my duck pen and the duck area with my ratters. If they find any vermin they take care of it with a shake of the head.  It's the most humane way I've found to deal with critters.   I do this when the ducks are secure in a foraging pen.  One of my dogs is OK with the ducks. The other one has a super high prey drive.



I didn't adopt them from the shelter to work as ratters.  They were described as chihuahua beagle  (Cheagle) crosses.  What I actually got was two mixed terrier breed feists. That expect and LOVE to work. 

They are very busy keeping the orchards free from voles and field mice. I added the area to their patrol so I could incorporate my two animal loves together.

Outside of using my terriers, the most efficient traps I've found are the electrocuting traps. Death is instant  and does not  harm  the local wildlife, pets etc. We live in an old New England farm house and when it turns cold everything small and verminy outside wants to move inside.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE stories about dogs with jobs! I'm so happy they ended up with someone who supports and appreciates their skills!

 

[cayugaducklady]

So the ratters ignore the ducks?  I may have missed something, I apologize if I did.

I remove the ducks from the pen/ duck area completely. One dog ignores the ducks until flirty Bertie waddles up to them to give them some loves. The other dog gets too excited by their normal ducky behavior.

 

[cayugaducklady]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE stories about dogs with jobs! I'm so happy they ended up with someone who supports and appreciates their skills!

I'm happy to give them a job. I just wish they had an off switch sometimes

. They don't stop working until the goal is accomplished or they completely lose the scent (vermin decided to skedaddle)

 

[cayugaducklady]

Yikes! I don't even know what these ard, they're like... halfway between a rat and a mole

If they have stumpy tails they might be voles. They are destructive

 

[AimToMisbehave]

If they have stumpy tails they might be voles. They are destructive

That's what I'm thinking. I looked up the rodent species native to my area and there are a couple voles that look like what I'd been seeing.

 

[cayugaducklady]

Thank you 

I have been dreaming about ratters for a while.

We adopted these when we lived in the city several years ago. If we'd introduced them to the ducks when they were pups i may have been able to teach them to ignore the ducks. I'm doubtful because ratting is very strong in them.

 

[cayugaducklady]

Voles

That's what I'm thinking. I looked up the rodent species native to my area and there are a couple voles that look like what I'd been seeing.

Voles are active year round night & day. They produce offspring year round too

Last year I got to watch my girls dig through two feet of snow to get them. The holes actually tunneled through the snow to travel between my bird feeders .

 

[cayugaducklady]

Never heard of electrocuting traps before.

These work the best and they're cheap. http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Electr...450721981&sr=8-1&keywords=electrocuting+traps

We used these at our previous place in our fieldstone cellar a few winters ago when we had -50 windchills in February.

I didn't feel comfortable letting my girls work in there due to the cold.

Don't be fooled by the more expensive ones. They break after a few uses.