The Old Folks Home

[Arielle]

Oh, man. I probably shouldn't mention this, but we had a determined exterminator working on the rat problem at the barn a couple of years ago. He put bait stations in some pretty creative spots and killed a lot of rats. As the rats felt the effects of the poison, they would get really thirsty, and would try to drink from the horses' water buckets and fall in. For a while, I had a sort of morbid game where I would try to guess which horse would have the dead rat in his/her stall water bucket in the morning (good thing I am not squeamish, huh?) The worst was 5 young rats all in the same bucket one morning - probably a litter.

It was pretty nasty, and I told nobody about what I was finding in the buckets (I just cleaned the buckets really well!) I figured I preferred disposing of them that way to having to try to hunt them out when they died elsewhere.

I knew the rat extermination was over at our farm when I stopped finding any rats in the water buckets in the mornng.

No rat problems since.

 

[gryeyes]

Long day away from the property today, assisting someone else with transportation issues. Got lunch out of it... But didn't get home until 5 PM.

When I left at 11:30, I let the gosling girls out into general population. (I call it their Walk About.). My friends carried the three fifty pound bags of feed we stopped to buy on the way home up the driveway for me.

There was a peacock in my yard! *I* think it's a juvenile male, but it has had its wings clipped. Not successfully, because said peacock flew to the top of the neighbor's chicken coop when I stalked it to get pictures. Before that moment, it was walking around in the yard by my house as if it was just another member of the flock. It even pecked at a medium-ranked hen like it had flock status. (She reacted with surprise but got out of its way.)

I'll post photos in a bit; I am resting up after my chauffeur duties. Poured myself a vodka/pomegranate juice cocktail.

 

[Wisher1000]

Linda, keep the peacock! You were pressured into agreeing to only two roosters. You never said anything about peacocks! You could have several of those. They are really loud. See how they like that. You may even be able to negotiate a few more roosters in exchange for getting rid of the peas.

 

[gryeyes]

I want to keep it, if it stays.

Apparently it has been around for at least two days, in the neighbor to the right's driveway and in the neighbor to the left's yard, chasing chickens and roosting on the roof of the Granny house where human Carl Sr., lives. They all thought it was mine.

I read all these posts about folks just finding chickens.... Never happened to me. Now there is this peacock casually wandering in my yard. How cool is that?

I just chased it out of the human Carls' chicken pen, which was open today to let them range freely. They are doing that more often with their small flock of eight production Reds and one Australorp.
Their obnoxious little dogs (Bella and Roscoe) were most upset I was on their property.

That peacock may have had its wings clipped, but it's not cramping its style at all. Or its ability to fly.

I think I'll make an effort to upload some photos.

Do the peahens make the same bone-chilling, human-in-distress sound, or just the cocks?

 

[Cynthia12]

I will say it before OX, Time for bait!

I am so in on the poison idea. Just get out there early in the morning and remove what ever you find..thing is, that crazy rat will go into the woods or something to die, and you won't be able to find it. But then again, if what ever you use makes it thirsty, best check out what ever water buckets, holes, of any kind first. Good luck. I hope you find that stinker, and post it..I won't mind a bit seeing this little rat posted in a belly up direction. Can they really take on a baby duck?

 

[ronott1]

I am so in on the poison idea. Just get out there early in the morning and remove what ever you find..thing is, that crazy rat will go into the woods or something to die, and you won't be able to find it. But then again, if what ever you use makes it thirsty, best check out what ever water buckets, holes, of any kind first. Good luck. I hope you find that stinker, and post it..I won't mind a bit seeing this little rat posted in a belly up direction. Can they really take on a baby duck?

The Motomoto liquid poison makes them walk around slowly and die in the Sun. None of them died in a bucket. One of them died in one of my runs and had it's teeth stuck on the fencing. I had to get some side snips and break a tooth to get it off. The chickens did not try to eat the dead rat.

I did see one Rat last week and put the poison back out. We live in an area with a lot of rats--Warehouses and grain fields.

 

[Arielle]

Ron , with that rat populatio you need a Jack Russell on duty 24/7.

 

[ronott1]

Ron , with that rat populatio you need a Jack Russell on duty 24/7.

Yes!

A co worker said she has one that would get them for me....I am very tempted.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: If you can borrow one all the better!!!


We don't have a rat problem any more, but we do keep count on the chipmunks. A few is ok, I kind of like the spunky little squirrel, but I wont tolerate many more.

 

[Cynthia12]

There is a dog named Rat Terrier...for this very reason. Had a Jack, the folks I got them from used to lend their Russesls out to the college out here that had some farming going on, and had problems with fox and racoons. They were great hunters! I can see a Russell going after rats.
Check out these Jacks!

Warning...very graphic photos! Do not watch if you love rats. :/

Another...