welshnik Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Hi everyone Well we've always had rats in the garden, but we normally trap them and it's not been an issue. Today the chooks are very upset and there's a tunnel into the run (looks about rat sized!!!). Any suggestions of really nice poison that the lovely rats like to eat?? Don't like to see my upset and they didn't lay yesterday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackieb Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 We called in the local council when we had sight of a rat in the garden. They came, absolutely free of charge, layed poison in a safe place so my dogs couldn't get to it and have made return visits to check on the progress. No rats seen for about a month. Excellent service from them and they know exactly what they're doing as they do it all the time. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_H Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I second that. We had one rat. Council man was excellent and FREE. H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Gosh.... Just phoned Bexley council as seem to have lots of rat activity, husband has been killing them with an air rifle and have caught a few in a trap but last night at the local pub a neighbour mentiond that she knows we have chickens and felt she should mention that she has seen a rat in her garden, I explained that we have always had rats as we back on to the railway track, but in all honisty we do seem to have lots at the moment. Any way ...sorry Bexley council charge £102.00 to come out !!! Will keep the Rats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_H Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Guess we were lucky. These are charges of my council http://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/Home/Environmental%20Health/Pest%20Control%20Charges.aspx H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_blackwell1 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 That's disgusting - rat control should be a free service provided by all councils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Wow, that's outragious, we've had the council down too and it was free. However as we back onto a river we do suffer from rats, strangly not since having the chickens, and just got fed up of waiting for the council to come and so now we get it from these people off the Internet www.hygienesuppliesdirect.com , they have exactly the same stuff the council use. Hope it's helpful for you. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 If you or anyone else puts down rat poison, make sure it contains difenacoum. Other rat poisons often have a common antidote - vitamin c. As chicken pellets and meal contains vitamin c, a rat that ingests the poison then eats chook food will be impervious to the poison! There is nothing in chook food that would be an antidote to difenacoum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Just reading about the rats and another thread about wild birds and the food spillage causing the rats, well, I top up food and water when I get home from work in the evening whilst the girls play/trash the garden. I can't take food in at night as I leave for work really early in the morning and dont have time apart from opening the Eglu at 5.45 to start puting food out, also not in high heels suit and posh hair!! Help, Hubby shooting them and traps but didnt realise rats would be so bad, am at wits end as worried about Hens health also holes in garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm pretty certain that Vit K1 is the antidote to anticoagulant rat poisons, including difenacoum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm pretty certain that Vit K1 is the antidote to anticoagulant rat poisons, including difenacoum. I got that info from an article in Practical Poultry Egluntine, so maybe they're wrong! Edited to say, yes, sorry Egluntine, you're spot on. I got my information from issue 63 page 15, Andy Marshall's Poultryman's Diary which clearly states that Vitamin C is an antidote to rat poison, but nowhere on the net can I find anything to back up that statement, nor his assertion that difenacoum works differently. Not very impressed to realise I'm spreading false information - sorry folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Vitamin K is the antidote to many rat poisons. I was told that it was in the one that I used which is why apparantly the rat in our garden got obese on the poison that I was putting out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I've sent an e-mail to Practical Poultry and they've passed it on to Andy Marshall who writes the column and they will print a correction if he's wrong!! What have I started?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 HI I use Neosorexa in pellets and put it in an proper bait box(ie so wildlife pets etc shouldnt be able to get into it(I have a mad dog spaniel that hasnt touched it so far) Its what our farmers use around here, have used it for years and it seems to work..you can buy it on line but just make sure it goes into a bait box. I usually buy a big tub of it and it has lasted me about 2.5 years! The pub usually have their own pest control services so dont let them blame your chicks, but I would be proactive and do something about it. We had rats before chickens I am sure they have made good use of the warm weather for breeding.. good luck indie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Hokay, I've now received a response from Chris Graham, Editor of . The Andy referred to is Andy Marshall, author of Poultryman's Diary I've just spoken to Andy, and it appears that everyone was wrong on this issue! Vitamins have no bearing on the effectiveness of rat poison whatsoever, but this was only confirmed about 3 years ago. Up until then, the link was widely held and believed. In fact, the only determining factor with regard to a poison's effectiveness on the rat is the amount it eats...it's as simple as that! Andy will be explaining this more fully in a letter to the Editor which I'll be publishing ASAP. He goes on to say that as October's issue is already complete, it'll be in the November issue. Feel I opened a can of worms there, but it would be great for us to get some up to date info. Thanks to Chris and Andy for coming back to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Surely ridding area of current rat population, but continuing to leave food/shelter/etc for them will only mean that new rats will move in after a fairly short time? IMO the only solution is to get rid of current rats and then do everything you can to avoid attracting more - so removing food overnight, and making sure they can't make cosy homes under decking/shed/or wherever. I know that there will always be something to tempt them, but minimising it has got to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 We used a Wheat based poison from local DIY shop (Homebase I think). We put it in secure places so other animals could not eat it (inside the compost heap was one place) and kept topping it up as it was eaten. Took a couple of weeks, but eventually all evidence disapeared, and the poison stopped disapearing. It worked really well, and nearly a year later, we have not seen any further evidence (and there were quite a few of them judging from the amount of poison that disapeared). We now leave the food in the run etc, with no problems. Although we always keep an eye out!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teri Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 i had a single rat make camp in my rockery! he was actually really sweet. he would come out each evening at about 11, collect as many snails, slugs and birdseeds he could find and sit on a rock merrily eating away. every morning we would find a load of empty snail shells by his front door i did not have chickens at the time and he was very sweet so my hubby and i spent a week or so watching his activities.. i know odd!... it was only when it dawned on us that it was only a matter of time before he moved his family in that we contacted environmental health. a very nice man came out the next day and lay some traps. he returned a few days later to clear up. no sign of a dead rat, just signs that the poison had been eaten. I hope ratty took the hint and moved out, rather than the alternative! i have had no sign since, even though i have open fields and forest at the back of my house...mice on the other hand are living at the back of my shed...environmental health will only deal with them if they are in your house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
