Time to go on the offensive...enough is enough.

[so lucky]

I'm really confused about rat poisons. I've heard that there are certain kinds that will not harm other animals that might eat a poisoned rat, but I don't know if that's true. I'm too afraid to try using rat poison because our dog might possibly eat a dead rat if he were to find one, and obviously I don't want anything to happen to our dog. Does anyone know the whole scoop on this issue?

From what has been told to me, the warfarin works in rats and mice because they can not regurgitate. It stays in their stomach and makes holes in their stomach and then the rat bleeds to death internally. It would stand to reason that any other animal that can regurgitate would not have the same problem. But whether a warfarin-killed rat would make a dog throw up if he ate it, I am not sure.

 

[AsaDotJava]

From what has been told to me, the warfarin works in rats and mice because they can not regurgitate. It stays in their stomach and makes holes in their stomach and then the rat bleeds to death internally. It would stand to reason that any other animal that can regurgitate would not have the same problem. But whether a warfarin-killed rat would make a dog throw up if he ate it, I am not sure.

Warfarin is a blood thinner. It is prescribed to humans who are at risk for heart attack and stroke causing blood clots.

I don't know if you are supposed to induce vomiting if a mammal ate warfarin (some poisons/dangerous substances require the use of activated charcoal to absorb them), but no, the act of eating the rat itself wouldn't make the dog ill.

 

[Howard E]

To the OP, if you are really looking for a solution, it will likely be found here.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

As for secondary poisoning, to those on this thread who caution against using bait blocks, do you have actual proof that such a thing has happened to you or are you stating your fears based on heresay or personal beliefs?

Finding clear evidence of secondary poisoning is hard to do.

BUT, if that is a concern, there are even baits for you......starting with Terad3 from Bell Labs.

And no mention of rats and bait blocks should be made without the obligatory advice that if you do use bait blocks, they will ONLY be served up from within secure bait stations designed specifically for the use of bait blocks. If you just put them out in the open, rats will drag them out and around where there is a danger of primary poisoning to a lot of non-target animals.

 

[Howard E]

The antidote to most all of the warfarin problems is vitamin K.

The rat control link above and below includes a list of most of the active ingredients in all the poison bait blocks, along with mechanisms each work to dispatch the rats. Few if any of them work because the rat can't puke them up. That might have been the case with red squill, but not the modern stuff.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rat-control-101.1283827/

 

[cmom]

I agree with @Folly's place and @Howard E. I use rat bait boxes and they work. There is a little window above the baits which can be checked often to see if any of the bait has been touched. The only critters that can get to the bait in the rat bait boxes are rats and mice. I had put some baits in my barn in certain places and they kept disappearing. I put a game camera up to see what was getting the baits besides the rats and mice. I did have a coop that was infested until I renovated it. When I started taking it apart rats of all sizes poured out. I have not found many dead rats. I think they go down in their tunnels and die or I would have found a lot of dead rats and I only found a couple that I disposed of. I never found any other dead critters either. After doing some research, I discovered that possums are immune to rat bait. I also learned that although second hand poisoning is possible for some it is also very rare. The amount to kill a mouse or rat is much less than for other critters, so the likelihood of a predator eating a dead rat or mouse, it is very unlikely it will die from the poisoning. I haven't had any issues in quite awhile. I put some cameras in a couple of the coops but didn't have any activity on them.

 

[Morrigan]

I haven't personally tried this, but I found the idea a bit disturbing, but I read a lot of testimonials from people who rid themselves of rodents by setting up a large bucket of water and spanning the surface with a spinning dowel. They either put bait in the middle of the dowel, or coated the water surface with sunflower seeds. The rats fall or jump in and drown.

 

[cmom]

I tried that and no takers. The sunflower seed started to sink and stink so I dumped them out.

 

[Folly's place]

During the rat infestation in my barn years ago, a couple or three young rats died in a water bucket, but only poison got them all. By the time you see one rat, it's a colony!
My barn cat, bless him, decided that rats were my problem, not his.
Mary

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

We've always adopted a policy of 'live and let live' and during our first summer here in the UK with chickens we have been aware that we were frequently 'visited' by rats that would pick off the uneaten crumb, pellet and seed that our flock of chickens left in the runs.

We could live with that. And all has been well all summer...we left the runs open and the rats left the coops and sheltered areas alone and were happy just to hoover up the titbits left behind by our chickens....

During the nights our girls have secure cages within a log cabin with wood shavings and meadow hay for bedding so they are well protected from predators and, I guess, live a life of luxury.

The temperature over the last week or two has plummeted and we have seen a sudden change in the behaviour of our 'visitors' ... a hole was gnawed in one of the connecting tubes between the outdoor areas and the sheltered areas have been entered....some eggs have been taken and corn and crumb feeders raided.

To top it all my wife's favourite bantam chicken was attacked this afternoon. We think she took refuge by perching on top of a water feeder whilst a number of young rats jumped up and took lunges at her neck....there was blood all over the feeder and the poor girl had lost a clump of feathers from around her neck but thanks to my wife responding to the commotion she heard in the garden and intervening our precious Mrs.Chicken (as we call her) looks like she will be fine. Her wounds were superficial and after bathing them with cotton balls soaked in antiseptic and a lot of TLC, cuddles and a meal of live mealworms she perked right up, so we reunited her with her lifelong partner...the slightest bantam you ever saw, we call Ms.chicken...who took over and looked after her.....she'll be fine, now.

So, now I'm PISSED....Live and let live? phuck that! I've been to our local outlet and armed myself both with traps and poison bait. I baited the 2 runs with the poison blocks and a third in the gully between the tool shed and the perimeter fence earlier this evening....within a couple of hours all 3 lots of bait had been taken and the trap in the gully had taken out a juvenile rat.

I've re-baited the same areas. i expect the poison will be taken again. It's a warfarin based product which makes the target's blood thin to the point were they start to bleed internally...resulting in an agonising death.

Good enough for em' - they started this!

While I am all for protecting your flock and eliminating the rats/rodents, I implore you NOT TO USE POISON. Your flock could get to it. It will move up the food chain and damage far more wildlife than you intend. Please, use the quick kill traps or shoot them. I have traps set and shoot them when I see them. I put a light out in my coop/pen. That seems to be keeping the rodents away as I've seen neither hide no hair since lighting the place up.

 

[townchicks]

As for secondary poisoning, to those on this thread who caution against using bait blocks, do you have actual proof that such a thing has happened to you or are you stating your fears based on heresay or personal beliefs?

Contact any wildlife rehab center, and they will tell you about the raptors that they treat for secondary poisoning all the time. We also treated a dog, where I used to work, for secondary poisoning, and more than one, for eating the bait itself. (one of those died) It is not worth the risk, IMO, to even have that stuff around. There is a product out there, that I have used, called RatX (also one called MouseX) that is safe for other animals. It consists of corn gluten meal and salt. The rats cannot digest it, so it fills them up and they can't get rid of it. Does not cause secondary poisoning, and is safe for our chickens, pets and kids. The problem I have found is that it is not that attractive to rats, but they will eat it if they don't have access to other food. I sprinkle a minute amount of powder from the chicken crumbles over it to make it more attractive to them also. Frankly, the best rat control I've found, was the skunk that used to live under my house. She did a great job, not a single rat left.