[Mrs.Veg]

I know I've touched on this one a bit already, but just how much of a problem are rats?  Do you see them?  Have you ever been attacked?  How quickly do they get out of hand?  I really need to know the truth before I buy my hens, in case I just can't handle it.  (Rats TERRIFY me!)  

Be 100% honest with me folks, tell me your rat stories! (shudders)

[fluffypebble]

In my experience rats tend to keep out of the way - I used to live in a lock house next to the canal so there were plenty of water rats about, If  I was walking down the cut side on a night I could hear them dropping into the water but they were never really a problem.  My step dad kept chickens and we had a few cats.

I think if you keep the areas clean so as not to attract them you should be ok  and use rat poison to make sure.

[Aunt Sally]

Never seen a rat in my garden.  I think if you pay attention to hygiene i.e. don't leave anyting around for them to eat, like chicken feed. and try not to give them somewhere to make a nest, like pile of rubbish or unattended compost heap, you won't have any problems  

[psipower]

Hi again Mrs Veg.

Ahem. (Dusts off advanced food hygiene certificate and memory of conversations with environmental health officers from when I ran a take-away...)

Urban rats have become a lot more of a problem since the water companies were privatised - obviously they prefer to put our money in their own pockets rather than spend it on vermin control. This doesn't apply so much to rural rats.

You can guess the obvious bits - don't feed them and don't give them somewhere to live. Not feeding them means secure housing and food storage, and no piles of rubbish left around. If hubby is building you a shed, make sure it is secure around the ground level, or have it standing at least a cat access's height off the ground (nowhere for them to nest/hide).

Rats won't come looking for chicken (or you), but if you have built up a colony then a gang of them will quite possibly kill a chicken. More of a risk is the diseases they may carry and distribute through their urine and faeces. Rat poo is large pea-sized, but shaped more like a sultana. Of course, you will be washing your hands properly after handling chickens anyway, so a casual rat passer-by shouldn't present a problem!!!

[purplebat]

i don't know a great deal about this, but i do know that where our allotment is, there are zillions of them, but we are in a very rural area, i have seen runs actually in another run, but they have never attacked a chicken, they just seem to ignore each other. I have buried the chicken wire on our run, along with some corrugated sheeting outside of the mesh so hopefully, fingers crossed, that should be enough, the run that I just mentioned, has none of these measures, which may be why there is a problem there.

[mercury]

Take no notice of em mrs veg, they're evil vicious things, with big yellow teeth, and they attack at the drop of a hat, i once had a alsation killed by them, and they go straight for the throat :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:

[mercury]

only kidding    

[psipower]

Take no notice of em mrs veg, they're evil vicious things, with big yellow teeth, and they attack at the drop of a hat, i once had a alsation killed by them, and they go straight for the throat :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:

Are you sure that wasn't a Siberian hamster?

[Mrs.Veg]

Mercury!  You meanie!

[muntjac]

ok pest controller takes over before we have  poor mrs veg in the phych wing . rats are more fritened of you than u are them . i have rats .i had rats i kill them one way or another trapping or poison . at the first signs sorts them out .. chickens do not attract rats . laziness  and bad hygiene do . if you walk in london a rat is  yard away from you .in the country with proper care they are miles away in some other lasy sods gardens or farms .i have 20  home made baiters out at all times and check them each month to top them up with poison grain .i dont have to top them up at all in the summer  and maybe 2 times in 3 of them ( near to the river bank )in winter i never have found a dead rat in my chicken area . so dont listen to the panic messages .they dont want to bother you if you do the proper job of loking after ya birds  

[Mrs.Veg]

Ta very much.  I've got mucky neighbours on both sides (a mile each way) so maybe the ol' ratties will stay with them!  (here's hopin)

[02rlgudgin]

I was cleanin out the stream at my allotment ready for my ducks coming and i picked up this thing that felt rubbery but it was covered in moss looked like a lil lion with a mane but obviously it wasn't it was a lil rat with no fur so it had been there a while i guess. so i thru it back in the river, i'm still gettin shivers when i think of it now. aaaaaahhhh  

[muntjac]

i really hope you washed your hands in hot water and soap including under ya nails etc . believe me wiels is a nasty  blooming thing i got it summer afore last like being hit by 5 doses flu in one go  :shock:

[02rlgudgin]

I was wearin rubber gloves but they went straight in the fire but i also washed me hands just to be sure

[muntjac]

good idea matey