Forge Cottage Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Just about to leave the house this morning for work and I heard a shriek from 'er upstairs: Eeek, a Rat!! There was a cheeky rat sitting on the path next to the electric netting pen. The girls were alert and complaining too. Having seen Chicken Run, I know rats can steal eggs but the electric fence was on and we had to go. Tonight I checked around: the rat had found and eaten some old pellets waste in a bush. Our neighbour has a compost heap behind the fence near there, but a very tidy one. I guess they go out for a takeaway when it is cold, but I have never seen a rat in our garden before (in 4 years). We have always avoided leaving loose food on the ground and removed Grubs into a metal feed bin overnight. But I had crushed a couple of apples for the girls and left a bit of corn about. Something for them to peck on the frozen ground inside the pen, as the grass there is history! So maybe that smelled like breakfast. Obviously rat pellets are a no no. We will keep the ground as clean and food-free as possible, but is there anything else we can do to discourage rats? I have to presume that there are more where that came from! Any advice welcome, thanks. p.s. No offence if you have a brown Guinea Pig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Why are rat pellets a no no? There is a drain pipe method of baiting for rats e.g. you get a rat poison block, attach it/them to a length of wood, slip that length of wood through a length of drain pipe and then lay that along the area where the rats run (near a fence). Traps are another answer (B&Q have them) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Some info here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 You're gonna fix that rat that's what you're gonna do, You're gonna fix that rat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 at ANH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipCaldwell Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I find the safest way to deal with rats is to buy a biat box (£10) and poison them, I tried trapping them but it was just a constant running war. Buy some decent rat bait like Neosorexa, very good poison I keep a bait box secured to the wall in my WIR that is constantly checked and topped up if poison starts to disapear, the chooks cant get to the poison and they also cant knock the bait box over as its screwed into the wall safely also as a habbit now, I take the food in every evening when the chooks are in bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koo2cat Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Sad to tell you this but if you have one, you are likely to have quite a few more! We had rats a couple of years ago and called the council in. They only charged us £15 and put animal safe bait boxes down with very strong poison in and the rats were all dead within the week. They visited us twice to make sure they had all gone. I now keep my own bait boxes fully loaded with poison somewhere where the chickens can't reach them and bring all food in at night. The poison hasn't been touched for ages but if it is I just top it up to get the little pests ! Rats can be very aggressive towards chickens so I hope you get it sorted. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I agree that you need to eradicate them. We get mice regularly, which we collect up in a humane trap set with peanut butter and liberate in the woods. But rats are a different matter. Poison is your best bet, set in chuck proof boxes. I did think about collecting in my feeders, but the girls manage to spill that much I don't think it would put them off I must admit that I had thought of setting bait as a preventative measure, but don't really want to see off the mice as long as they are outside. They also say if you have mice then you shouldn't have rats. They can breed very quickly though so even with mice you need to keep them in check, regardless of how much you enjoy watching them Although not as bad as rats, mice can carry diseases that could affect your girls. As can wild birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Smedley Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hi, You can get hen safe rat boxes: see Ebay item no 150735625337 or the one I have used- ebay item no 120689883339 The one I use has a long horizontal drain pipe that rats can get in but not hens ( or hedgehogs!) then half way along there is a vertical pipe with bait in it that you can top up when it empties. You can also see if the bait is being taken or not. If you have seen one you definately have more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Smedley Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hi, This one is a single tube version & is a bit cheaper Ebay item no : 390260751591. Make sure you put it along the "edge" of something e.g. a fence as rats like to creep along edges. Make sure also that there is no other source of food out or they will eat that instead of the bait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forge Cottage Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice and info (Yes, I'm gonna beat that rat ) No sign of the blighter yesterday and no footprints in the snow this morning... But I was not seeing things, so I will get one of these poisin solutions organised. I was just worried that they may contain something peckable. Here I come, Ratty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzieLloyd Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 We got a visit from Mr Ratty and pals just before Christmas. They managed to dig a tunnel up inside of our WIR. Where the other end of the tunnel is I have no idea but it aint in our garden thets for sure - clever little blighters! We bought a chook safe bait box and placed it in the WIR. It took a couple of weeks but they ratty problem has thankfully gone (for now). We still bring the girls food in every night and I dont feed the garden birds late in the day so there is no food hanging around over night and keep the bait box topped up in the WIR. I think wild bird food is the things that attracts rats to gardens more than anything else as its quite abundant in suburbia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 We get mice regularly, which we collect up in a humane trap set with peanut butter and liberate in the woods. I too have a resident mouse in my chicken house and have had 3 humane traps down for months. Just can't catch the little blighter . Have nearly caught it in my hands a few times too . Sometimes when I catch sight of it I'm sure he/she blows a raspberry at me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 ... We get mice regularly, which we collect up in a humane trap set with peanut butter and liberate in the woods. Well no wonder they are "regular" visitors ... they trek all the way back from their liberated woods for the lure of that luscious peanut butter you so kindly provide them with!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I don't have the heart to see the mice off "permanently" Our neighbour has a nest under his shed with a mouse who comes into our garden and checks out the bird feeders "our" mouse, doesn't like this at all so we get this little dance going on right outside the patio doors. It's better than the television.. But after watching that programme on the plagues on tv with the thousands of mice will continue to collect them up and take them on there hols to the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckmum6 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 We get mice regularly, which we collect up in a humane trap set with peanut butter and liberate in the woods. I too have a resident mouse in my chicken house and have had 3 humane traps down for months. Just can't catch the little blighter . Have nearly caught it in my hands a few times too . Sometimes when I catch sight of it I'm sure he/she blows a raspberry at me . I'm surprised the chickens haven't eaten it, mine would! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Please use animal safe pellets and not the blue or green stuff - we used Eradibait and it worked and we got rid of them - they are also owl safe. The other stuff ( I work in a vets) kills mice and rats and then predators eat them i.e. cats and dogs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Just to make you feel a bit better, we only had one rat. The rat catcher man poisoned it and took it away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henslaved Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 We get mice regularly, which we collect up in a humane trap set with peanut butter and liberate in the woods. I too have a resident mouse in my chicken house and have had 3 humane traps down for months. Just can't catch the little blighter . Have nearly caught it in my hands a few times too . Sometimes when I catch sight of it I'm sure he/she blows a raspberry at me . I'm surprised the chickens haven't eaten it, mine would! They would but speedy gonzales cannot be caught or outwitted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Chucks can't get in the humane trap I'm sure they would eat it if they could Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Well the girls got one I have upped the ante on mice catching as there are a lot of droppings in my vermin proof chook locker, so needed to take some serious action. Yesterday, I was looking out of the window when 2 mice came out to play, one went in the incinerator, (Not lit) and another was obviously following the scent of some corn I had thrown in the FR area. The next minute all hell broke loose all the girls, (even the new girls who normally keep out of the way) were chasing each other around the run and FR area trying to grab the mouse from each other, one of the youngsters actually had it for a while . If you try to ignore the fact that this was a cute little field mouse being ripped to shreds they were so funny, just like a cartoon. They would loose track of who had it, whirl around, chase the wrong chicken, find the right chicken, run like mad after it. I think the mice might be fighting to get into my humane trap now and take their chances in the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I think wild bird food is the things that attracts rats to gardens more than anything else as its quite abundant in suburbia. Poor MIL loves feeding the birds and thought she had seen a squirrel on her bird table....but it didn't have a fluffy tail She was shocked to see it was a rat and now brings in all the bird food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
