Will this baffle stop rats climbing down to feeder

[Rowsdower]

Is there any danger to chickens/pets from ingesting the rat poison or poisoned rats? This is something I always wondered about. My neighbor puts this stuff out by the boxload and I always worried my birds might find a poisoned mouse.

 

[Limpyduck]

The only thing I know about rats is they hate fresh mint.

 

[Folly's place]

Rat poison and poisoned rats and mice are not good for anyone to eat! Some bait is more dangerous than others, but none of it is safe. mary

 

[glib]

Rat poison and poisoned rats and mice are not good for anyone to eat! Some bait is more dangerous than others, but none of it is safe. mary

I'll say that too. Warfarin eggs do not make my list of preferred foods, and the chickens will suffer too. I think that the long term rat control best solution is barn owl houses around the neighborhood. Snakes have their disadvantages, and so have cats, if you raise chicks. Owls are the perfect creature that considers rats its number one food, and is around only at night and in the air. I am buying a retirement place, 20 acres or so, one of the first things I will do is place six houses around the perimeter.

 

[RonP]

There are safe baits to use around your flock.

Opinions vary, unless your birds have access to a pile of dead mice, then all bets are off...

If I had to eradicate an established colony, I would, and have used in my stations:

Mix 1 part peanut butter to one part plaster of paris. Add olive oil (not water) until it's a thick paste. Roll into balls. Check daily...

 

[glib]

There are safe baits to use around your flock.

Opinions vary, unless your birds have access to a pile of dead mice, then all bets are off...

If I had to eradicate an established colony, I would, and have used in my stations:

Mix 1 part peanut butter to one part plaster of paris. Add olive oil (not water) until it's a thick paste. Roll into balls. Check daily...

Plaster of Paris does not work for everyone, at least with squirrels.

 

[WindyHillFarm]

Try getting a lot of cats. My friend had to do with the mouse problem. The mice would rain down on her from the rafters in the barn. She got a lot of cats and problems solved.

EEEEEK!!!! I would just die. @petalumapaul , we have tried all kinds of crafty tricks to keep mice and rats out of our feed bins in the coop and the barn. Peppermint, planted all around the coop area, works against mice but not so well against rats. Cats are the only thing I've found that keep rats from coming back, short of poison...and we have a lot of predators around that eat mice and rats, so poison is not an option for us. We don't want to kill hawks, eagles, owls, foxes, etc. in the process. If you're in town, one or two dedicated backyard cats would probably do the trick.

 

[RonP]

Plaster of Paris does not work for everyone, at least with squirrels.

Good to know, but we were talking about eliminating rats and mice, which I personally have had success by using this mixture.