4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Margaret]

Some advice please, for the last 2 days have found evidence of digging around run, and last night saw 2 large brown rats....

Hubby is planning to shoot them (air rifle) at the weekend, but will they hurt the chickens if they get into the run before Hubby can play Rambo? They are home alone at the moment as we are all working.

Any advice welcome. Thankyou.

[Egluntyne]

That should sort them out.

 

I'd bring the hens food in at night and fill any holes as they appear.

 

For every rat that you see there are dozens of others that you don't.

 

**Click**

[Guest]

Good idea to shoot them but you can buy a little bait box and put some poison in. The proper safer bait boxes dont allow ie hedghogs etc in

 

You can apparently buy these types of box bait traps at ie any good agricultural horse merchants etc

 

I have read on here that ie wickes sell them too

I have rentokil boxes and use the loose poison

 

Good luck indie

 

ps yes a rat would attack a chicken etc so hope you have successful cull

[Nats]

We had rats too - nasty business! We actually found the nest in our compost and dealt with that (well, my husband did with me shouting on each sighting, "get it")

 

We now take the food in overnight so there's not an attraction for more rats. We don't get up for 5am when it's light so the girls do have to wait until about 6am for the food but we figured they'd survive the delay. Rather that than more rats.

 

Good luck.

[Guest]

I know we all have rats (not always visible) but since having chickens I have kept a bait box in situ outside the wir just in case!

 

Thought I would get them before they got us

 

Always a solution just be persistant.

 

indie

[hilda-and-evadne]

2 large brown rats....

Hubby is planning to shoot them (air rifle) at the weekend

 

He may find it difficult to hit any of them - the rats I had to deal with moved around incredibly fast. I hope he doesn't hit a hen instead.

 

Rat bait box is the better long-term solution, I suggest.

[Budgies]

Hi Margaret, sorry to hear you have a problem with rats.

 

Unfortunately rats will attack your hens given the chance - I've heard of nibbled feet amongst other things.

 

If they prove too fast to shoot and you resort to poison, make sure it's one containing difenacoum.

 

Vitamin C is a powerful antidote to most other rat poisons, and as the chicken food contains quantities of Vitamin C, some people have found the bait poisoning method ineffective as a result. Rats are eating the poison, then eating the chooks' food, and it's protecting them from the effect of the poison!!

 

Needless to say, Vit C is not an antidote to difenacoum.

 

Good luck

[Margaret]

Thank you all so much for the advise.

We have brought a trap from the garden centre, so hopefully can get rid of the horrid pests.