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

[rachel2390]

Hello everyone, our Aylesbury ducks Martha and Davina are doing really well and seem very content at the bottom of our garden....however I am having a real problem with rats coming into the garden to eat their food. We are very close to a river so I know that rats are around but up until getting the ducks we never really saw them. They are very brazen and the ducks do not seem fazed by them but they are starting to make tunnels in our terraced garden and I am not sure of how to solve the problem. I have tried putting poison down at the rear of the fence where they seem to be getting in which has had no affect. I have also tried putting the ducks food on an upturned plant pot to try and deter the rats but as they eat the food a lot of it still spills onto the ground.... and it is amazing how high the rats can jump!! I often see them sat in the middle of the plate munching away...

Also our ducks (both female I was told) are about 26 weeks old now and there have been no eggs. I was told they start laying between 18-24 weeks Are there any signs to look out for to indicate they are going to lay eggs?

Any advice on this and the rat problem greatly appreciated!!

Hope everyone is well and thank you in advance,

 

Rachel

[Lesley]

Rats are always a problem but living near to a river adds to the problem - don't really know what to suggest.......it may be that it's best to not leave feed out all the time ......may be a question for the Practical Poultry forum where they have more duck keepers?

 

It sounds like your ducks should start laying soon - our White Campbell was about 26 weeks when she started laying.

[rachel2390]

Thanks for your reply Lesley. I have tried the practical poultry forum but there isn't much about rats unfortunately. I will try bringing their plate in and see if that helps.

Regards,

 

Rachel

[Guest]

Hi

 

we have water in our garden and the rats are always up there. We have poison down most of the time in a proper rentokil bait box(it stops wildlife getting the bait ie hedgehogs)

I saw bait boxes for sale in Argos catalogue but I fill mine with Nesorexa(Imay have spelt it wrong) its about £18 a good sized tub that will last for ages. The one thing is once they take the bait they usually head for water to drink..I have only ever found one dead rat on our lawn and my spaniel wont touch or eat it but thats what I have in my garden.

I have put some bait down a rat hole under our concrete last week and put the bait box next to it..the bait has been taken a couple of times..but you will need to be persistant and refill the bait boxes. My husband spotted big rat run across our lawn recently

 

Rats like going along walls etc and have regular runs...Any good agricultural merchant/equestrian shop will sell the loose poison you can buy it on the internet.

Safely air rifle them etc?? option??

indie

[rachel2390]

Thanks for your reply indie. I am trying to take the uneaten food away asap as recommended by lesley, however they are still coming for the food that gets knocked out of the plate....I am just about to do some research on the internet to see what is available but I will have a look at Argos online and see what is available. Are these bait boxes suitable to put in the garden, i.e are they duck proof? The garden is 75m long and they are coming up under the fencing from both neighbouring properties and at the bottom of my garden. I have heard about the electric rat deterrents that send out a signal but I am not sure if they would affect the ducks too...have you heard anything about these?

Many thanks,

 

Rachel

[Guest]

Hi

 

The bait boxes are supposed to stop ie hedgehogs etc getting in. However you put the poison inside and yes your ducks cant technically get this as when the Rats have taken the poison very small particles do get spilled into the entrance hole of the bait box. I have a dog and he tends to ignore it. Spillage is very minimal but I do keep a close eye on it ie check it a couple of times a day(conceal it a bit)

 

What I would do is put the box down & put a barrier to stop the ducks getting near the bait box(pubs etc use these type boxes a lot outside)

 

Personally I dont think any of the sonic detterents work 100%(foxwatch etc and any other device)

Can you not put a little bit of wire fencing up to 100% ensure the ducks cant reach the bait box. I think this is your only option, the rats wont go away even if you remove the food, you may lessen the visits but now you have them they dont usually move on. I would imagine someone else ie may be putting food out for the wild birds etc.

 

 

Not trying to scare monger you but you need to nip this problem in the bud as you will be overun. If you do have a big rat infestation if you can speak to your neigbours as you may all well need to be in on this..ie not putting wild bird bits out etc

Good luck There is a topic on rats on one of the message boards (lesley may know which section?? as its a common problem that happens to us all I am sure)!

Or a brave mad springer or jack russell good ratting dog ?? they do exist!

indie

[rachel2390]

Hi indie, thanks again for your reply. I have been doing some internet research tonight and I think you are right the electronic/sonar devices apparently do not work as the rats just get used to the sound over a period of time so I will not be bothering with them. I can buy some organic rat poison which I can apply pretty much anywhere according to the blurb which may be an option. Moving the food appears to be having an impact....however for the first time tonight they have been up on the decking immediately at the back of the house obviously widening their search area!! You are right about having to nip it in the bud....

I know the neighbours don't put any food out for birds etc and although I had a very minor problem prior to getting the ducks with my compost bin I have resolved that by keeping it very moist.

I plan to keep bringing in their food plate asap after feeding even if they haven't finished and ensure any spillages are immediately brushed up to try and deter them and am going to order some of the organic rat poison and see how that works.

I will post an update in a couple of weeks.

Regards,

 

Rachel

[Guest]

to order some of the organic rat poison and see how that works.

I will post an update in a couple of weeks.

Regards,

 

Rachel

 

 

Rachel

Why organic Rat poison ???you do need to kill them with proper effective poison

Seriously just get some proper poison. Also make sure your duck housing is off the ground slightly so the Rats dont burrow underneath ie on a couple of bricks etc. thereafter keep the boxes topped up. I find the loose poison is better than sachets or blocks

 

Anyhow I really hope you manage to get rid of them as they are not nice. Just as something different I have in the past left a bucket of water quarter full of water ie near a compost heap and found rats drowned in them when I havent even put poison down. They seem to be the baby rats..very bizarre..?? I have had that in a couple of seperate fields where buckets have been left outside and rainwater fills them and then I find the bodies!

 

Perhaps worth a try?? indie

[Lesley]

Try to go and (perhaps) purchase your rat poison in a store......

 

I presume you mean Eradibait? - we bought a tub after reading the blurb on the outside of the package but when we read the full instructions it wasn't as animal friendly as it first appeared. We weren't happy to use it with having a dog around.

 

We use the bait boxes - inside they have a series of chambers and we use solid block bait - we've not noticed any crumbs of bait around the entrance to the box.

 

I think the chat about rats would be in the Chickens section.

[Egluntyne]

I have used Eadirat in the past and it is less than useless IMHO.

 

I have a problem with rats at the mo, even though I keep my bait boxes topped up , have a rat proof treadle feeder and bring any other food in at night.

 

The rats can even daintily remove bait from the traps I have set....which go off if you so much as glance at them, so sensitive are they.

 

I have arranged for a chap with 2 working terriers to come and clear the rats away. Quick and effective.

 

It might be worth asking at an agricultural merchants type shop if they have the details of someone who can do this.

[rachel2390]

Hi Lesley, indie and Egluntine,

 

Thank you all so much for your replies.

Indie the organic repellent seemed like a good idea I don't think it kills them, it just deters them and acts as a repellent...I am 300m from the river Ribble and I don't think I can kill every rat in the vicinity...I just don't want them coming in my garden!! The stuff I have ordered is called "Ratty" an organic repellent rather than a poison. There was a very recent review with top marks which said it did the job so I will give it a try and I am mindful that I don't want to harm any other wildlife or the neighbours' cats!! I will also raise their house off the ground as advised.

Lesley, removing their food plate does seem to be having an affect and brushing up any spillages and although they are still coming for a sniff around they aren't hanging about too long and I certainly haven't got 4 or 5 of them sat round the plate happily munching away!! So thank you for that tip. I feel a bit guilty about taking the food away as soon as the ducks move away from it when there is food left but there is grass for them to graze on and they really like the leaves off the bushes so I don't think they will go hungry!!

Egluntine, thank you for your advice which I may consider if all else fails!!

Thank you all and I will let you know how it goes once I have got the stuff delivered and applied it liberally over the garden!!

Regards,

 

Rachel

[Guest]

http://www.ni-environment.gov.uk/rat_poison_and_the_threat_to_wildlife.pdf_final.pdf

 

Hi This link may help ..I have only ever found one rat body and thats because someone else poisoned it. They usually look for water once poisoned , but worth letting locals know if they have pets etc. Fortunately we all have this problem as we are quite rural ie if the farmers start cutting the fields this can drive pests this way so my neighbours are really good . If you are finding it a problem it will bother them and anyhow it could be them contributing to encouraging ie feeding wildlife etc

 

Good luck or contact the council if it persists as at least its done officially via them if you cant resolve it.

 

indie

[rachel2390]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just an update on my rat problem....the 'Ratty' repellent appears to have been a waste of money and has been of absolutely no deterrent whatsoever!! I have put more poison down in the areas that I safely can but don't really know what and if any impact this has had.

The advice from Lesley about removing their food asap seems to have had the greatest affect and although there is still evidence of them coming into the garden they are not making an immediate appearance as soon as I take the food out.

I think unless I buy a terrier or become a licensed shotgun holder I will just have to try and put up with the situation....

Was reading about a trap called a Nooski the other evening...has anyone ever tried these?

 

Regards,

 

Rachel

[miller30]

Hi rachel i had a bit of a bad rat problem tried everything nothing worked so now i use my neighbours air rifle and shoot them when they come out between us we shot 9 rats in a couple of weeks havent seen any more for a while but when they come back they will get the same treatment you dont need a license to own a air rifle and i live in a normal house and i had never shot a gun before but i was sick of seeing rats walking around my garden leaving their diseases behind them as my kids and their friends are often in and out of the garden.

[Lesley]

Not an option for everyone but it works - often used in rural areas, be careful if you have close neighbours of course!!

 

You don't need a licence for an air rifle as long as the velocity is less than 12 ft/lbs and 6ft/lbs if it's a pistol.

[rachel2390]

Miller30 & Lesley,

 

thanks for your responses....something to consider in the future. I do have neighbours around me but the rats are also going through their gardens to access mine so may not have a problem if I start trying to shoot them!! Would it terrify the ducks though as they are very skittish anyway?

Maybe time to have a look on ebay and see if I can pick one up cheaply...have already spent a fortune on poison etc.

 

Regards,

 

Rachel

[miller30]

Hi rachel your ducks should be fine as air rifle are not that loud sort of a click i will only shoot the rats when i know my ducks are right out the way because if i shot one by mistake i would be gutted and my neighbours just laugh at me poking the rifle out of my conservatory window the rats were going into their gardens so they are glad i am now shooting them leanne.