Single hen

[TheCoop]

Hi - we have discovered in the last week or so that there has been some rat action in our back garden. We've never noticed anything before, but have now seen exit holes for tunnels (our garden backs onto a field, so always thought we may get a problem sooner or later...).

 

I have covered the holes I've found so far, but obviously this is only a temporary measure. I think I need to invest in a bait station of some kind, but am concious that some of the poison may get carried then dropped in easy reach of the birds and don't want them to eat it.

 

Can someone recommend the following:

 

1). A decent bait station (plus how many I might need etc)

2). Poison which isn't poison to the birds

3). Ummm...any other suggestions...

 

I'd like to get a sonic repeller or something, but have no electricity outside.

 

Please help!!

[chick wiggle]

Sorry I cant help you, been very new to all this myself, but am eagerly awaiting replys as we also back onto fields and know its only a matter of time before we have the same problem.

[Guest]

HI

you can buy rat bait stations at agricultural merchants and some larger equine stores may sell them too. I think Wickes may have them? But u need to buy some loose poison to put in it. The proper bait boxes have a recess where u put the poison into chambers, mine has 3 and then the rat has to go into the box to collect the poison. The hole on my rentokil bait box is not big enough for hedgehogs. you need to put it along a ie wall as most rats use regular run areas so i guess if its onto fields u r going to have to put it in the vicinity

As to wild birds unfortunately there is a risk but to be honest most of them wouldnt go near a rat anyway..they would have to be pretty desperate to eat one..but no guarantee here...I have mine set up and a dog around he doesnt go near it

 

If u r worried about poison u can get big rat traps which u can bait but u will have to empty that

 

The sonic repellent things dont work the other option is air rifle (although u will have to make sure its used on your land and you dont go and hit anyone or animal in the neighbouring field etc. )

 

What u have asked is a really common concern and there are many threads on here with more info

 

Good luck

[Looney]

I agree with the previous person. Bait boxes are probably the best way forward. i've used them in my back garden when we've seen signs of rats. I too was worried about the poison being scattered outside the trap so have set up a sort of chicken wire barrier so the chickens (and other birds) can't get near the entrance. It allows the rat in and out easily - sort of like a wide, wire tunnel leading into the trap.

[Egluntyne]

I use bait boxes. I got them reasonably cheaply from Ebay.

[Christian]

I use a bait box with a metal bar inside. You push the bait through bar and hook it into the box. The rat has to eat the bait inside the box, so there is less chance of another animals eating the poison by mistake.

 

I got mine form a local 'pest man' but you can get them on ebay for about £10. Haven't seen a rat in months *touches wood*

 

Good luck with yours.

[TheCoop]

OK - thanks all. I have bought some of these poison blocks to shove down the holes...

 

 

They didn't cost much, so I haven't really lost anything if someone shouts and says that under no circumstances should they be used...!!

[drcara]

Hi There

 

Rats as a matter of course, take their food back to their nests. They tend not to eat it en route or at the site they find it. This is how a few poison blocks should kill a nest of rats.

This should reduce your anxiety about the blocks being available for your chickens.

I only learnt baout this when we had a professional rat catcher came to chase out some rats from our roof space...YUK!!

 

Cara

[ted]

We used the poison blocks in a bait station and after a couple of nights of "light nibbling" they dissappeared in a chunk... as drcara points out they had a little takeaway back at the nest. Soon after this... no moe Mr Rat... I just kept an eye on the run from the bait station to the nest to make sure that there were no bits left behind... Easy as they are blue...

[Henhathnofury]

We had one rat - probably a male scout looking for a nesting site. So we put poison in a pipe well away for the girls. The bait took a while to disappear but the rat certainly disappeared. We found the dead body some time later. We had had no other problems.

 

Good luck. Make any holes they come in full of water and so inhospitable. No food on the floor either - you have to be really meticulous about it.

[TheCoop]

Thanks for your replies. Just to confirm, do you think shoving the blocks down the holes is a good idea or should I get a bait station and place it a small way away from the holes?

 

Also, I like the idea of getting the hose pipe down the holes too. I'll do this as & when the bait gets eaten, yes??

 

Should I be this excited about killing animals????

[Bassett]

We had a rat problem recently and my OH bought home two rat bait stations that a pest controller who comes to his work place gave him. We placed them in a narrow gap behind the shed and to the side of a fence, both routes we had seem the rats using as their regular pathways !! I also bought some rat traps from an equine feed store.

 

The pest controller recommended Peanut Butter as being the most tempting treat to lure rats into the traps. We had a very satisfying morning catching 3 Rats in one trap just in a matter of hours. We didn't even need to worry about emptying the trap, the Foxes saw to that!! We had to nail the traps down to prevent the foxes carrying them off with the dead rats.

 

I found the traps very satisfying as you could see that they were definately working, with the poison stations you can only hope that they are being poisoned, but don't actually get to see the results!!!

[Cyber Chook]

Hi Bassett

Can I ask what make of trap you used, as I can't work out how the fox could get to the rat that's in the trap, but I like the neat environmental idea of it!

 

Caroline