[chickenlady]

This morning whilst eating breakfast my little girl spotted a big mouse as she called it ! turns out a big rat was sitting in front of the hen house (outside the run) im now worried its gonna get in the run, can rats climb a 5 foot chicken wire fence to get over the top???i only have netting over the top at the mo and because of the trees in there it would be hard to put a proper roof on!!!!!

[Vember]

Hi chicken lady

Sorry to hear you've got visitors, I hate them  :evil:
Unfortunately yes they can climb
The other bad news is they say where there's one there's alot more  :twisted:

I have just recently found a hole in the floor of my feed shed that is on concrete & has galvanised mesh up the sides inside & out, obviously it can't actually get in (because of the mesh)but have had a job to get the hole sorted  :twisted:

Sarah

[Roughlee Handled]

They are more likely to have burrowed underneath!!!  You need rat poison or a fen trap.

[richyrich7]

Pack any rat/mouse holes with wire wool they hate the stuff sticks in their mouth as they chew  :evil:

[Vember]

Pack any rat/mouse holes with wire wool they hate the stuff sticks in their mouth as they chew  :evil:

OOh ta for that Richy

Sarah

[mumsy]

Pack any rat/mouse holes with wire wool they hate the stuff sticks in their mouth as they chew  :evil:

Would a brillo pad do it      

[Roughlee Handled]

Not unless you want to cause a rabid rat scare.

[Bodger]

Pack any rat/mouse holes with wire wool they hate the stuff sticks in their mouth as they chew  :evil:

I'm afraid that it would probably encourage them to dig or gnaw another hole.
Rat poison used correctly is the answer.

[woodburner]

Not unless you want to cause a rabid rat scare.

     

[chickenlady]

thanks all. the rat was outside the run in the garden! have checked the run and there are no holes in the soil and the hen house which attaches to the run in on a foot thick slab of concrete! dont think it has actually been in the run yet unless it has climbed in ? we live near fields and some dykes could it of been one opportunist rat? never seen one in the garden before today!

[Bodger]

Get yourself an air rifle. Great fun and very practical to have readily at hand. It would have been a dead opportunist rat then. Remember the old cowboy films when they try to shoot the last red indian so that he can't go for reinforcements  ?

[chickenlady]

Oh! :shock:  my dads got an old webley air rifle! we used to use it in the garden shooting targets on an old tree trunk!! think i was only about 10 at the time  could ask for a borrow

[Bodger]

Remember to wait until you see the whites of their eyes.

[chickenlady]

   

[upert]

you need to use poison and traps and air rifles and and and....

i have a rat problem and though they take the bait more holes appear. they say wherever you have chickens rats will follow, so you'll always need to control the numbers.