Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Mother of Chaos]

Probably not because they die underground. I don’t know how many rats I got underground but I had only a very faint smell.

I was just thinking of our periodic gopher, who hides under our back deck. The back deck where we sit 5-6 hours a day and connects to our bedroom through glass doors.

We haven’t seen him in a while, but it keeps us on our toes.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

I eliminated food using a rat proof feeder made by a guy here on BYC and once the food was gone I used bait that would not have a secondary effect on wildlife (or chickens) if they ate the corpse.
I also managed to kill a few with dry ice down in their burrows.
I only ever had one dead rat to dispose of. The rest abandoned ship. I have been rat free for almost 2 months now.
I was skeptical about eliminating food having such an effect but it really did.
I was thinking of writing an article about it to help others handle the issue.

There's an article writing contest going on right now. You should write it and enter!

 

[Shadrach]

Ok, here's up-to-date photos of the youngsters, who are 18-21 weeks now. Glais
View attachment 4209407
Merioneth
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Nybro
View attachment 4209409
Wig
View attachment 4209410
I'm keeping (at least for now) Visby
View attachment 4209419
Talgarth
View attachment 4209411
Lulea
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and Edfu
View attachment 4209414
I'm sure I've already posted loads of photos of the old guard: Killay, Fforest, Gwynedd, Tintern, Nefyn and Hensol.

I wish I could show those frightened of roos and cockerels how calm it is here despite the presence of *14* roos; maybe it comes over in the photos. A few of the youngsters have started crowing, but no-one's acting like a jerk, yet. The observant will have noticed one missing: Erddig. His toe never properly recovered from the fracture or dislocation he suffered around 12 weeks, and when, at the end of July, it became swollen and started bleeding and he was clearly suffering with it, I euthanized him. He had a good year and a month. And he may have sired Glais, Hay, Merioneth, Talgarth or Wig. RIP Erddig View attachment 4209425

I sent you a PM a few days ago. Have you changed your mind?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I sent you a PM a few days ago. Have you changed your mind?

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours today. Late afternoon the rain backed off and we got out for the entire time.
This is another apple tree. It's next to the run. I mentioned it in an earlier post due to it starting to provide a decent level of cover. It's near my chair in the extended run so I took the opportunity to watch them forage. It's not the apples. Whatever it is they are eating, it's just below the surface and they have to lightly scratch to expose it.

The black tub has stones, along with some earth in it and after this mornings rain the water level is just high enough for Mow and Sylph to reach. There's clean tap water available about three metres away.
(Can someone explain to google and others that a meter is a means of measuring something and a metre is a unit of length!)
There is also an overturned bin lid further down the field and they like drinking from that as well. An interesting theory put forward by someone I know is chickens will drink anywhere they find water fit to drink, to their knowledge and taste.

Progress, they've breached the old fence line and as I thought, there is lots to eat.
I've got better at removing the old fence without damaging too badly the grass and weeds that have grown through it. I'm hoping that with a couple of planted native hedge sections this strip will become a preferred shelter spot.

This is Sylph waiting for Mow to let her eat. There is another dish of the same behind Sylph but she want's to eat with and where Mow does.

 

[BDutch]

Big cities have put dry ice in rat holes to suffocate them.

Working with dry ice is probably for professionals. Not consumers/normal BYC keepers.

When our neighbours had rats, there were many rat holes in and around their chicken/rabbit run. Some holes had long tunnels going to the ditch alongside their garden. I strongly doubt if it would have worked.

The rats vanished shortly after the chickens and rabbits (and feed) were gone. I suppose the fox who killed the chickens and rabbits, killed the rats too.

 

[BDutch]

I was just thinking of our periodic gopher, who hides under our back deck. The back deck where we sit 5-6 hours a day and connects to our bedroom through glass doors.

We haven’t seen him in a while, but it keeps us on our toes.

Gophers are an unknown species for me. It seems they only live in America (in the wild). Maybe I have seen some in a zoo once or twice.

Gopher tax:
Broody Kraai who was not amused when I took her off the nest to free range.

We have an early spring under the pear, bc it was very dry this summer.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Gopher assassination plot tax:
My EE with swoopy feathers that I think is lovely

 

[RoyalChick]

Working with dry ice is probably for professionals. Not consumers/normal BYC keepers.

When our neighbours had rats, there were many rat holes in and around their chicken/rabbit run. Some holes had long tunnels going to the ditch alongside their garden. I strongly doubt if it would have worked.

The rats vanished shortly after the chickens and rabbits (and feed) were gone. I suppose the fox who killed the chickens and rabbits, killed the rats too.

Why do you say that?
Dry ice on its own likely won’t solve the problem but it can certainly help, and is really not hard to work with. Just wear gloves as it is very cold.

 

[RoyalChick]

There's an article writing contest going on right now. You should write it and enter!

I am always kinda hesitant because I never know if my knowledge is interesting enough.
But the questions here suggest I might be able to help. I will try and draft something about my experience and the various products (including the very popular rat contraceptive!).