[Porffor]

ok.. i've been naughty and forgotten to take the chook feeder 'in' at night for a bit.. noticed a 'hole' today near it.. am thinking this is a way in (from next doors garden under the fence and into the chicken run) near the feeder. I've moved it into a shed (that's locked) but wondered how i should deal with the hole. For now i've put a slab over it..

Any advice gratefully received. The run isn't rat proof so they can get in if they want to, but the hole i guess is for it's ease.. and maybe hiding purpose?

I don't leave a lot of veg or anything on the ground, they do have corn scattered, but generally they work on that till it's gone.

[muntjac]

pour turps or white spirit down it and shut it with the slab

[Porffor]

Cheers munt! nearly fetched the bleach i must confess. will it still work if it soaks into the soil? won't hurt the chooks will it?

[muntjac]

thats what the slab is fer matey .never sen a chuck can move a slab  

[Porffor]

well my girl she flexes her wings well
No prob.. will sort it tomorrow. thanks again.

[Porffor]

did this.. and have been gardening this morning.. sat reading John's book in the sun and noticed something out of the corner of my eye..

yep... grey beady eyes.. larger than I thought - so possibly a rat? with two babies!

now there is part of me that wants to leave well alone.. but i know i mustn't. or... am i fighting a losing battle and should leave well alone?   :?:

Not sure how large a mouse can get to.. have only ever seen tiny little mice.. this is not tiny but not as big as my hooded rats (pets) got to. Don't look long faced like rats though.. (i'm such a townie i know).  :oops:

so... tips sought.. thinking poison.. as don't want to have to do the killing (I know it's me that's the chicken)... I'd live catch and release a mouse, but i know it's not allowed with rats.


Also now thinking maybe i'd be better with a 'tractor' type chicken coop in the future.. you know, house on top of run and dot it around the garden...

[Kate and her Ducks]

I had a rat infestation a couple of months ago. They set up home under the duck house. They would come out bold as brass in the middle of the day to steal the food. They were still pretty small but they can get massive (some of the ones round my friends house lived from the bins and grew to be a good 8 inches not including the tail!). My cat Oliver valiently slayed a couple but  they cottoned on very quickly. I ended up poisoning mine. I'm also a coward and was not keen on having to deal with the bodies and as you say shouldn't release them. Used eradibate which was great and worked really quickly and haven't seen a peep from them since. Eradibait is apparently a "non-poisonous" poison and works by clogging up their digesive system but is non-toxic to birds, cats etc. Still kept it in bait traps to be on the safe side. Bought far more than I needed as I thought it would take longer to work and would have more problems with them coming back. Bit of a grim topic and really don't like killing anything - felt quite guilty about poisoning them but not prepared to risk my girls and they really can't coexist.

[mercury]

Hi kate, theres a recipe for rat killer somewhere on the forums if my memory serves me well

[Porffor]

Thanks.. i'm going to have to 'do the deed' i know it.. there is actually 4 now.. mum dad and 2 babies... as you say.. bold as brass they are now taking it in turns to nip out and have a nibble. not from the feeder, but from the gravel, thye must be finding corn etc.  :roll:

Will have a look at bait, nice to know it doesn't take long. I'm used to dead rats and mice on our old horse yard, it's just the 'killing' i don't want to do. They always put down poison and we'd find them in corners, buckets, hay bails etc...  :? I was a regular at being fetched to pick one up (with a shovel i might add).

I'll have a look for that receipe.

[Foxy]

I used eradibait mainly paranoid about poisoning other species -have struggled to get a clear answer if a cat ate a poisoned rodent!
However, was convinced we had rats because of the holes and my OH saw two whole staking it out with his air-rifle, it turned out they were just large mice! They have all gone now from the chicken area now though, hated poisoning them.

[Kate and her Ducks]

The EradiBait stuff that I used worked well and I never saw any bodies which was a bonus. Apparently that common as they hide undergrond to die.

[Porffor]

Thanks both, will shop for it soon

[Daisycow]

You need to get rid of them asap, they will breed like you wouldn't believe!!  :x  A friend of mine who is a pest controller came round and baited the garden when we first got the chooks, OH checks the boxes occasionally, only ever find slugs! Have asked the question about secondary poisoning, and he has previously asked the manufacturers about it. (sorry can't remember name of the poison!!) The stuff he put down shouldnt poison the eater of the poison eater (does that make sense?? :? ) Anyway, moved the boxes a couple of months ago and underneath was a blue slug,(poison is blue blocks) before I could get there the chooks ate it!!  :shock: And they are all fine still!  
PS I only recently found out you shouldnt re-release mice either not just rats  

[ck2day]

I used to use rat poison but read on here that if you mix equal quantities of bicarbonate of soda, flour (i used SR flour) and sugar. Leave it where the rats can get it, they eat it and cos they can't burp or f**t they literally fill up with gas and explode!  It does work as well as I found a mum (i think) rat with a big hole in her side.  The baby was near and didn't look too good so I took a spade to it !!

You would obviously need to ensure it was somewhere your hens couldnt get to it, but it works and negates the need for poison to be left around.  Plus if anything else want to feed on the "corpse", it's not full of poison.

I'm not really into killing things but when it comes to rats it doesn't bother me in the slightest i'm afraid


Claire

[Porffor]

Thanks both.. didn't know that about mice. We had some bird seed in our kitchen years ago.. ended up with mice (got in through a tiny hole in the wall) - live baited and trapped them.. released them in woods about 3 miles away. didn't have a prob after a good clear up and re-homing hte mice.

I'll have a nose at our feed store, but handy to know about the bicarb soda/flour and sugar Thanks.