[pepsi100]

 

[Sassy]

Who told you I am blonde?

[pepsi100]

Its just something I say to my missus when she forgets something

She accuses me of having alz..something,  I forget what its called

[astokesy]

rats are always a problem with livestock, with hens it is the grain ,just try to put the grain in a container and a feeder ,you must use rat poison outside the areas to control them ,it can get manic without any control , it is not cruel to the rats just think of the diseases you can catch from just picking up something with their waste on it

[300AJC]

Interesting! I closed the hens in the hen house last night, removed the food from the aviary and put some bait down. I just popped to Wilkinson and bought a box of "sachets". I put four in the little tray provided and left it near where they have been burrowing. All four sachets have gone this morning.

I guess that's a positive sign. I suppose I keep repeating the process every night until some bait is left? Would that indicate they have got the message?

Removing the food every night might be a good practise anyway.

[joyfull]

Please also do a thorough check in the morning to make sure there are no remnants of the bait lying around and also for any dead rats or mice - you don't want your hens pecking at the bodies.

[300AJC]

Please also do a thorough check in the morning to make sure there are no remnants of the bait lying around and also for any dead rats or mice - you don't want your hens pecking at the bodies.

I've just had a good look in the aviary, now that it's lighter. I can't see anything so I suppose they must have taken the bait and scuttled back underground. I'll just keep repeating the process I suppose.

[Sassy]

Yes, just keep putting it down. The bait we can buy over the counter without a licence is not so strong. However, even if it starts to be left as long as it is placed where only rats can get to it it does not hurt to leave some down! Joyfull iright to advise you to check for remnants of the sachets and bodies

[barley]

it can take up to a week or more to be effective

regular use of bait will stop a infestation

[kopperdrake]

I keep a bait station under a shed and check it every month or so to make sure it's either still there or gone. We had a massive problem a few years ago - used humane traps, then dispatched them quickly with an air rifle (the most humane method I can think of). Not realising how many we had - after we caught 30(!) of them I was sick to the stomach of the whole macabre thing - I really don't hate them - so we resorted to poison. Within a week they were gone. Our major problem was flooding of the local ditches, coupled with the harvest time prior to that, meant they came looking for food. A neighbour's garden was a half-acre wilderness, with ponds and dropped apples - perfect for breeding. Once they outgrew that they ended up at ours - decimated our allotment (25 sweetcorn plants - over 100 cobs - gone overnight!). We were desperate, hence the desperate measures.

The best thing we invested in though was a treadle feeder - a metal box that shuts completely when a chicken is not standing on the treadle. It is *the* best thing we have ever bought for our chooks.

[300AJC]

Wow, they've gobbled up four more sachets last night. I'll keep going!

[Sassy]

They will usually take the sachets back to the nest so this is a good way to get all/most of them

[300AJC]

I'm hoping that a combination of sustained bait every night and no food will do the job.

[300AJC]

I'm probably being impatient but those rats have gobbled up an entire box of 25 sachets of bait. No evidence of dead rats or bait left anywhere. I cleaned the hens out yesterday and noticed where they had been burrowing up under the coop (my aviary is set on slabs but there are a few gaps under the aviary). I tossed a few sachets under as well near where they are burrowing.

I assume the "over the counter" stuff from Wilkinsons, it's it's own brand, is not the strongest.

The sachets appeal to me though. They are easy to lay out in the evening and there is no spilt bait that could harm the hens.

1. Do I repeat with the same method? It could take a couple of weeks.

2. Is there a stronger bait but same method? These are credit card sized sachets of bait in a sort of muslin type bag.

3. Should I try some snooker chalk sized blocks of bait under the coop? Are these a stronger, more deadly bait?

I'm sorry if I am banging on a bit but I want to eradicate this problem as soon as possible.

[300AJC]

I saw a very large rat this morning in the middle of the aviary at about 11:00. I think he was sun bathing. As the man said in Jaws, "we're going to need a bigger boat". I whizzed down to our local Dodson & Horrell store and bought a tub of JADE Block Rat "killer".

I've put some blocks down under the aviary and I'll see how that gets on. Has anyone had any success with this product?

I was thinking about getting a galvanised treadle feeder as well. They claim to be vermin proof and I wouldn't need to keep isolating the food at night.

Are these worth the money?

Thanks for any responses...