Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Foxy on December 26, 2007, 11:04
-
Hi found our first rat...horrible as I know we have more. Desperate for some help.What does everyone recommend? I am generally not sqeamish - however it came running towards me and I am ashamed to say I took off!!! (literally vertically) :oops: :oops: I am nervous about poisons and traps because of the wildlife we have. Many thanks
-
Hi, I know how how you feel, Rats are awful they killed some of my chooks earlier on in the year. They will take down a big chook you know. You can try and trap but personally (and I don't normally kill anything) i would put poison down. We bought bars of poison wrapped in plastic and you just put the whole thing down. We put it out of the way of the cats and close to where we new they were nesting. We haven't seen them since. Good luck whatever you do, but do it quick they are destructive and vicious.
-
Rats are bad news!
I control mine with an air rifle. Its quick, effective and a green solution to the problem.
Next best thing is poison. I place it in a peice of drain pipe and again this is very successfull.
Tackle the problem as soon as you can, because if you wait it will grow very quickly. Rats can have a litter a month of upto 12 young.
If you are very squeemish you can get an agency to assist and some local authorities provide a service.
Very Best of luck.
Rugbymad40
-
Thank you so much for your replies - my OH is a crack shot - so he's been outside practising - the drainpipe is a brilliant idea. I am researching poisons at the mo as well- I have 4 cats so need to be careful with poison- one is an excellent mouser - although he is rather adverse to rain/cold weather etc...bit of a whuss actually. Will keep you all posted. :D
-
Good advice from rugbymad40 foxy :D
-
poison......it's the best way......IMHO
you dont know how many there are, but you can bet your last penny there is more than one !!
if you want to stay out there with a gun in all weathers waiting for a rat to appear, carry on.....fofl....but believe me, i know from experience, that they know you have a gun....they will not show.....no matter what tasty morsal you put down for them....they will leave it alone.......they will wait til you have gone indoors, then eat it........they even know when you have a gun out the window........they avoid traps......!!!
old drain pipe, pop bait inside for a day or two, replace if it goes, then dont bait for a week.......place another bait in pipe, if it goes then rebait for another few days......then dont bait for a week....etc etc.....
if you bait every day you are wasting bait, they will eat it, but the bait they have had in the first instance will do the trick, more bait will not kill them any quicker, you are just waisting it......so leave with no bait for a few days......then start again.....until bait has stopped being taken. ( advice given to me by a proffessional rat catcher )
-
There's some very good information on controlling rats on the poultry information section ! ( Mine :lol: :lol: :lol: )
-
Have ordered poison, sorted a soil pipe, OH bored with waiting for clever rats to come out and be shot...put cat in run, not amused. However I was very brave in moving a hen house last night and peering underneath with heart thumping. Just as well cos if I'd have let go henhouse would have landed on OHs foot.(Had to try last night as had a few drinks therefore fueled by dutch courage at 10pm :wink: :D :D ) Cant find the nest though but have found a complex series of tunnels which we are going to put some traps down. Van Connick and Bodger you're info invaluable....
Also wondering bout smoke bombs, thought I could bung up all the tunnels and stick one down. OH says thats dangerous though.