How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[Bantambabe]

Came home early yesterday to check eggs before going back into work before a meeting - just wanted to do it in the daylight, otherwise the ladies get disturbed as they have already roosted for the night - but there weren't any eggs ! Strange I thought, I didn't expect them all to stop laying on the same day even if it is -1 outside - we've been having 3 eggs a day from 3 bantams (pretty good going I know ). Anyway, then I noticed a little tunnel under the run skirt, and then the broken egg shell in the middle of the veg patch. Evil vermin have obviously gotten into the eglu during the day and stolen away the eggs.

My return to the office was via Countryside to pick up some rat poison which is now under the shed and behind the compost bin!

 

Has anyone else dealt successfully with this? I thinking of moving the run onto the patio, or of getting some mesh or slabs to go under the run. But maybe a proper walk in run is the answer? If I put the run on slabs, will the rats still be able to get in through the run mesh? Reading the section on fancy runs suggests that 0.5" x 1" mesh is the necessary to keep out rats so p'raps the run won't keep them out anyway?

 

Feeling a bit miffed.....

Debs

[Egluntyne]

I would put the run on paving slabs if you can. There may be tunneling from the occasional visitor, but they won't be able to get in to the run.

 

Article **here**

 

I have a persistent rat at the mo who can remove food from a trap so vicious that it snaps shut if I so much as glance at it.

 

I have bait boxes everywhere and a Nooski that it can remove cashew nuts from without firing it.

 

Bloomin' thing.

[Bantambabe]

Thanks Egluntine, your article is really helpful and I've told my OH that he mustn't drown any more rats (he works on narrowboats and this is the method often used in boatyards).

 

Our shed is raised on 1" batons, so I have slipped poison blocks under it all the way along, and I noticed last night that there was a tail sticking out from under the shed as something was having a good munch.

We've had rats in the past as there is a large allotment behind our garden, but I don't want the bantams picking up disease or the eggs disappearing.

 

It's reassuring that they shouldn't be able to get through the mesh of the eglu run, I might see if I can fit them on the patio tomorrow afternoon.

 

I've brought the grub and glug in to the house over night to discourage them. The head at my kids school, who had a massive rat problem with his chickens a few years back tells me that the layers pellets contain a vitamin which acts as an antidote to the rat poison - so if you don't remove the pellets you're fighting a losing battle. Mash presumably has it as well, but the rats don't tend to eat that.

[Puffin]

argghh!

 

we have some rats in the compost heap and we bought a humane trap to catch it so we could release it in the fields and now I've caught one and I don't know what to do!

 

I almost want to just let it out again and then get the council to come and sort them out...

I was hoping that if we did catch one OH would be here to sort it out but he's not back until tomorrow and I can't leave it until then...

 

Also it squeaks really loudly....

 

Help!

[C&T]

I hate them...

 

I put down 3 spring traps for the little vermin over night, as we are getting visitors at the moment. I am not sure what happened last night - but one of the traps is missing this morning

 

I have no idea what happened. Whether a rodent got caught and killed, and then a cat or something took the whole thing away??

 

I just hope that nothing else got it's feet trapped in it... It shoudn't have done, I am careful where I put them, and I only put them down over night...

[stoice]

Having Rat trouble too. Have put poison in the tunnels that appeared under the compost bin and that has all gone. I've got one baited box in a rat run and two home made rat poison stations (A fruit juice carton with one end cut off weighted down with a tile) All of those seem untouched though. I've also got an 'easyset' rat trap (like this) that so far has just provided a free meal of bread and peanut butter for every night for over a week. Only tripped once but got no critter caught yet. Maybe I have very lightweight rats.

 

Haven't seen a tunnel into the run for a few days though so hopefully some of the poison has taken effect, even while I was away for two nights and had to keep the food and water out the whole time. In the spring when it's a bit drier my girls will be going on slabs and i will also bury some wire mesh about a foot deep around the pen too.

 

Egluntine - any feedback on the Ratty Repellent company?

[Puffin]

argrghh again!

 

finally got the courage to go and get the trap and as I was carrying it it started to escape out of the trap, I screamed and dropped the cage, the rat got out and has run off under the fence!

 

Am now going to phone the council to get them to come and lay poison traps!

 

 

[Egluntyne]

Egluntine - any feedback on the Ratty Repellent company?

 

This was their reply. Sorry...meant to post it.

 

Ratty is availabe in Tesco extra stores, Stax trade centres, Home hardware stores and Robert Dyas stores. It is also available from the following link: http://www.thereallyusefullstore.co.uk

 

The product is perfectly safe to use around your hen enclosure and all the active ingredients in the product are non harmfull and non toxic to animals and humans.

 

Kind regards and happy repelling.

[stoice]

Good to know. Think I may buy some and see how it works. Thanks Egluntine. xxx

[Bantambabe]

Sorry to hear all your rat troubles but it is a bit reassuring to know that I'm not alone. All the poison blocks I put out on Tuesday evening have been eaten, so I need to put some more out this afternoon. No new tunnels or evidence of them trying to dig up the old one back into the run though and the eggs were still in the eglu when I got home at lunchtime today Hopefully I've squashed this quickly - but need to stay vigilant

 

You are very brave Puffin to go anywhere near a live rat. I don't know if you've contacted the council yet, but a friend of mine told me to hide the chickens if I did that as their service is usually free but they charge if you have chickens - I guess they think we're asking for trouble

 

Debs

[Puffin]

hmm I didn't know that - although it turns out the council don't offer a pest control service here anyway - but have arranged a discounted rate with a company - £35 for three visits hopefully they are coming tomorrow. I think I might get some of that ratty stuff for afterwards as well as we are in the country so there will always be rats around...

 

Anyway I am not going to set any more humane traps it was far too scarey carrying a rat around - although my 3yr old was fascinated...

[Egluntyne]

Don't forget to wear gloves when handling anything remotely ratty.

[bronze]

Dh shot one yesterday. He was very chuffed with himself until I spotted too more later that day.