Higgledy Piggledy Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 We have had our Eglu 2 years this May, over winter our egg laying depleted to nothing, we thought it was just lack of light. Anyway about 6 weeks ago we found a rats nest nearby and dealt with it!!!!! Hubby was cleaning out the eglu today and decided to move it as he wanted to rake the bark chippings the bloomin' rats have built a nest under the eglu!!! The egg laying has dropped again this week but the food has gone down alot! Help what on earth do we do??? The set up is:- a section of small garden fenced off with chicken fencing, eglu in middle on bark chippings (changed reguarly), chicken food kept in shed (a distance away). We don't really have the space to put them anywhere else. I had arranged to move them to the bottom of a neighbours garden this summer to rest the patch, but wouldn't do it now due to breeding foxes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Yuk . Not a nice thing to find . Could you put slabs down in the area you have your eglu? I have a path down one side, and odds and sods of broken bits of slab down the other which the run skirt rests on. I'm sure someone else will have a better suggestion . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Definitely slabs.....and bait boxes around the garden. You can set traps if you like, but run the danger of catching other creatures or amputating your fingers as they are vicious things. Remember to remove them before you let the hens out if they are in the area where they roam, or you could have a disaster on your hands. Remove any clutter (no offence intended ) that they can hide or nest in. Put your compost heap on slabs or strong weldmesh so that they can't lgain access, and for the short term, don't put food in it....or at least if you do, wrap it in newspaper and cover with a shovel of earth, to stop them being attracted by the smell. Bring the chicken food in after dark too, at least for a while. I find I have to be vigilant all year round. If you have a friend with a couple of Jack Russells...invite them round. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgledy Piggledy Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 Right well we have done a rough job and laid slabs, but it actually means that to clean them out we will have to lift the eglu and run off everytime which I can't do on my own! Sadly knowing the problems we have had with rats in the past when I used to breed guinea pigs it may mean we have to get rid of the eglu and hens!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I have had the odd rat through my garden in the past as we back onto farm land but i have a secret weapon, SCAMP THE DOG, he is Jack Russell. They dont last long with him chasing them, he always catches them but has great difficulty catching the grey moggy that has killed 2 of my quail. Good Luck with that problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 it may mean we have to get rid of the eglu and hens!! Surely it won't come to that . Do you have room either side? I pick up my run by the door end and swing it round (the eglu stays more or less in the same position) so the run is free to clean out. I can do that by myself as I'm not having to lift the eglu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgledy Piggledy Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 No sadly not, my garden is only 13ft wide! They have a run down one side just abit wider than the eglu run and abit longer. My neighbours gardens are 24 - 30ft plus wide and about 300 - 400 ft long We are in a terrace of four and we are one of the middle ones we are the only garden that is short and sadly I am a gardener all the rest work and never spend any time out there!! Before you ask I have tried to buy some land but no one wants to part with any Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Sadly knowing the problems we have had with rats in the past when I used to breed guinea pigs it may mean we have to get rid of the eglu and hens!! No you won't! Mount a sustained campaign against the blighters and you will win!! They will probably come back from time to time probably, but you can show them who is boss! Forgot to mention earlier....keep your chicken food in a metal bin with a tight lid, or one that is well secured. A determined rat will gnaw through plastic. Another tip is to keep disturbing places where you think they may be nesting.....they hate that and will pack their bags. Don't despair!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhapsody Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I can only add blocking their exits is the most effective way I've found, I live on a farm so we get quite a few our tomcat always gets them in the end! If it makes you feel any better my next door neighbour moved his eglu this week and discovered a rats nest with young in underneath.Before he could react his hens jumped down the hole and ran off with the babies in their beaks and devoured them he said he felt quite ill and had to go sit indoors with a cup of tea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 yes they are right you can do it. please dont let it spoil the obvious joy the hens are giving you. give it a go, i take it something bad happened with the guinea pigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 If it makes you feel any better my next door neighbour moved his eglu this week and discovered a rats nest with young in underneath.Before he could react his hens jumped down the hole and ran off with the babies in their beaks and devoured them he said he felt quite ill and had to go sit indoors with a cup of tea! I am feeling a bit faint myself just reading that! Poor chap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iChicken Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Hubby was cleaning out the eglu today and decided to move it as he wanted to rake the bark chippings the bloomin' rats have built a nest under the eglu!!! ! At first our Eglu was on bark chips and this proved very easy for rats to burrrow under. We pegged our run to the soil with tent pegs then placed the bark chips inside the run. The Eglu with its curved bottom is ideally suited fot rats to get under. We filled in the gaps under the Eglu with small stones then used larger stones around the edge which we covered with compacted soil. The rats tried to dig under a few times but gave up when they realised there was no way past the stones. The only way to get rid of the rats is poison (worked for us though they never went in the bait boxes), or traps (didn't work for us). Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgledy Piggledy Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 The food is kept in the shed and is quite secure. The compost bins are no where close! They are kept well clean, no rubbish or s"Ooops, word censored!"s thrown in, only put in containers!!! I am a bit down as I just had my 6th op (Jan 31st), since October 2006! and it still hasn't solved the problem, I am not supposed to have done any hard work but have had to so am really pooped! I need to get up to speed and I hope I can beat the little sods! Thank you for all your help and support it is greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Our latest lot seemt o be ignoring the bait box so DH has just bee to inlaws to pick up his old airrifle and is currently sorting it out in his workshop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Our chickens have not arrived yet, but we have rats in the garden and see them out and about in the day time - Yuk! We have a farm two doors down the road from us who have various animals, the rats seem to come from there! After reading this post I am so worried that we will now have even more rats!!!! The idea of stones under the run sounds really good. Would raising the eglu of the ground make a difference? Also could you bury some metal sheets under the run to stop them coming up from underneath? Our neighbours put poison down the rat holes, it seems to disappear so I guess they eat it. Also my hubby goes out with his gun and has a pop at them! Good luck and let us know how you get on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iChicken Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 The idea of stones under the run sounds really good. Would raising the eglu of the ground make a difference? Also could you bury some metal sheets under the run to stop them coming up from underneath? A lot of people put the Eglu on paving slabs to stop anything digging in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 My thought was, that if you had a really bad rat problem they may be able to get through inbetween paving slabs, where as a metal sheet there would be no gaps! Paving slabs would clearly look much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I doubt very much that they would get between the slabs, unless they have been set badly. They would have to be very accurate in their burrowing to be able to pin point a gap to tunnel up to, so I wouldn't worry about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Mmmmm I strongly suspect I have had a little visitor to my garden as my Jack Russell is now digging near the fence and making his best snorting noise to frighten what ever is/has been there out. I love to feed the birds in the garden and I have been throwing food on the lawn, that will stop and bird table feeding only from now on, and leaftovers brought in at night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 I kept chickens rat free (well no evidence) for 18 months. Horses moved into the fields next door and suddenly I had rat holes under the eglu and into the run. I laid enough slabs, fitted closely together, to house the eglus and runs. Not had a problem since. Slabbing really does work as they can't tunnel under and into the run. I take the end panel off the run and raked out the contents when it needs cleaning. Hope you get it sorted and are feeling better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 do you put the wood chips ect on top of the slabs then, thick question i know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 yep. (thats yep to putting the wood chips on the slabs, not yep to a thick question) I use aubiose/hemcore in the run/nest box/droppings tray. Takes 30 mins to clean out the run and refill. About 2-3 inches deep. -top tip, drop the aubiose through the top of the run and let the hens scatter it about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirkwood Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 well i will be doing that then, but as my husband has just finished the coop i had better wait a couple of weeks before i tell him what i want doing. weve been on holliday from work this week and he hasn't stopped working for me!!!!!!!! i think if i tell him tonight i might not be in good books so leave for a while i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 I have Mr Rat and his family living nearby. I put bait in my shed (it has a mud floor) and they ignore it! I also block any holes I find once I have had a good poke around the area with my fork. I also have an old but inquisitive dog and on the odd occasion I have seen one in the garden I have hurled things at them. I don't keep any food outside and touchwood they haven't been around recently!! I think that 'foxwatch' type things have an acoustic setting for rats so that could be worth a try - I don't have one myself so can't comment if they work or not. I kind of think that rats are inevitable - I just do the best I can to make sure my garden is not a haven for them (it too is tiny). The overgrown gardens of some of my neighbours provide that instead!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...