[auntielizzie]

I seem to have a little night-time visitor and I am wondering what it might be.  Surely if it was a mouse or rat, it would come during the day as well? Whatever it is is quite small and makes little burrows in to the run.  The run is on crazy paving but the bits between the paving are very old and mostly soil.  No sign of anything trying to get into the house.

I am waiting for a larger house with walk in run which will be going further down the garden and will sit on slabs round the edge, so hopefully whatever it is that is visiting now won't be able to do it there.

I am removing food from the run at night and sweeping the floor as best I can before bedtime but probably there are a few bits left behind.

The same creature is also burrowing into my new compost bin.

Any ideas?

[8doubles]

If the holes are egg size it will be a rat, smaller could be a bee but most likely to be a mouse which have i just found out have minced the old net curtains i use for frost protection on plants.
They may be cute looking but are destructive little so and so`s.

[arugula]

It sounds like mice to me.

[evie2]

Mice, they're brazen little devils, we had one make a nest under the slabs our rabbits run was on, up they would come through the tiniest gap we moved the rabbits and I left OH to deal with them, he's a chemist, it wasn't nice but it was very effective

[hillfooter]

My bet would be rats.  If they have runs (worn paths) and unoccupied tunnels under the house and slabs 7 - 10 cms diameter I would expect them to be rats especially if you live in the country near ditches.  Compost heaps are often used for nests.
HF

[Pertelotte]

Do what needs to be done and do it now!

Mice or rats: they need to be unearthed and got rid of. They both breed like greased lightening and harbour pests and diseases.  Be assured it won't be just one! Your local authority should be able to help.

Move your girls asap, even if its just a temporary move, without waiting for the new accommodation. Better a disorientated chicken , than a bitten one. They would especially be at risk if its rats; those b****rs eat anything they can wrap their teeth round and can be very aggressive.

Good Luck an get back to us

Pertelotte

[hillfooter]

Do what needs to be done and do it now!

Mice or rats: they need to be unearthed and got rid of. They both breed like greased lightening and harbour pests and diseases.  Be assured it won't be just one! Your local authority should be able to help.

Move your girls asap, even if its just a temporary move, without waiting for the new accommodation. Better a disorientated chicken , than a bitten one. They would especially be at risk if its rats; those b****rs eat anything they can wrap their teeth round and can be very aggressive.

Good Luck an get back to us

Pertelotte

I think this might be a bit of an over reactiion.  In the country rats and mice are a fact of life it's almost impossible not to have rats if you keep chickens.  Even if you don't see them they aren't far away.  I've never had an issue with them attacking chickens or chicks.  If they start to build their runs under the house I just poison them outside the runs using chicken proof traps of course.  A few weeks of treatment and that's one breeding group gone.

There was a post recently on the best poisons to use.  I'd try and look that up and get some.

No need to panic.

HF