chooklady Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) I haven't posted here for a long time but I am in need of help! I noticed about a week ago a hole appear inside out WIR. The base is not completely concreted, it has a skirt which is about 15 inches wide and a foot or so deep. We have had chickens for 5 years and have not had any problems, the odd mouse but nothing more than that. Hubby rigged up a camera yesterday and at 9 o'clock last night we got our evidence, 6 - 7 rats, I am mortified. We have been shutting the chickens in the cube at night and removing their food into a secure dustbin type container, unfortunately there will be a bit of food on the floor I'm sure but this is damage limitation until we work out what to do next. I am rather unwell at the moment (cancer and chemo) and it's another stress we could do without. What would you recommend as the best way to deal with them and keep our chooks safe. We appreciate that we need to concrete in the central part of the base but that is not going to be possible for a little while. suggestions on traps etc and your experiences would be greatly appreciated. Hubby have booked the Rentokil assessor to visit Wednesday but they want £250, also the they said the rats are not contained after they are poisoned and they just go off and die which to me seems rather dangerous especially to something like a raptor that would eat carrion and we have quite a lot here and I don't want to be responsible for the death of anything else like a Buzzard. Many thanks Nicola Edited January 2, 2013 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I use rat bait in a bait boxes but that's on the Allotment We find the odd dead rat about once a year. unless rats are already unwell they don't die by the rat bait as they normally go back to the nest to digest their food.I don't think poisoned dead rats are a real threat to raptors other wise one of my plot holders would have said so by now as he's a real bird watcher and nature lover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 I wasn't aware they would go back to the nest to die. I had visions of them just dying out in the open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 When we had rats a couple of years ago we contacted our local council who were great ..They have a rat catcher in enviremental health dept., and I am sure your council is no different .They don't charge.It would be worth giving them a ring Ps Another thought, Don't assume that it is you that has the rats! it was not us that had the rats they were under a neighbours decking and the rat man traced them back to there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 We had rats a couple of months ago. I put bait blocks in the holes that they were digging. As they were only visiting at night I took them up again in the morning, I always covered them with a piece of wood or a plantpot. I still have bait stations where they were digging. I swept the spilt food up with a dustpan and brush as well as taking the food and water in every night. Touchwood there haven't been any signs of them for about a month now so fingers crossed they have gone elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Thanks for replies so far. Thought we could try these and then incinerate bodies, don't like the idea of poisoned bodies around! What do you think? http://www.pestcontrolsupplies.co.uk/difenacoum-mouse-and-rat-poison-bait-blocks-pack-of-36-x-20g-blocks http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Big-Cheese-Poison-Catch/dp/B000QVSCH6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1355760557&sr=8-4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 the secound link is a live trap which means you still have to kill the rat as you can't release it onto anybody else's land without permission first link dosn't show anything up for me but if it's for bait blocks then that's one option personally I don't like them as rats can take them away and store them I use loose grain in a bait box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I would definately get in touch with your local council - as someone else said - they will come out free of charge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 the secound link is a live trap which means you still have to kill the rat as you can't release it onto anybody else's land without permission first link dosn't show anything up for me but if it's for bait blocks then that's one option personally I don't like them as rats can take them away and store them I use loose grain in a bait box Thanks for that advice, I don't think I am thinking straight at the moment !! Council sounds like a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Look up Eradibait - we used it to get rid of the things a couple of years ago when it was really stormy and snowy and they dug under the hen run - It is owl and pet friendly and we put some into cling film (lots of little lots and put it in the tunnels) and smeared peanut butter or nutella on the outside - they took it away and ate it and then they disappeared - there is supposed to be no smell as they dehydrate from the inside out. We never saw any bodies or never smelt a thing and believe me they were big and hungry and we found loads of tunnels leading to the hen run. They were also living in the compost bin - its now on slabs! We then bought a hopper for the hen food which sits in the eglu run and we dont have any problems nowadays. http://www.eradibait.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heth1986 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Have you thought about using some of the old fashioned 'snap traps'? The wooden, spring operated ones... You can now buy rat sized ones with a super strong spring, I used a couple of these a few months back when we had some very determined rats and they pretty much did the trick. I just put them at the entry points, baited with peanut butter, and hey presto... one dead rat for the bin The only trouble I found was that the 2 MASSIVE rats that were around were a bit too clever and OH had to have a stake out with an air rifle to get those two Good luck anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Of course - hubby with an air rifle is also good. We had a rat this last week - it was climbing up the bird feeding station and getting into the squirrel proof nut feeder. Hubby took aim and got the rat. Success.!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Thanks for all your repies, some interesting reading.. OH has ordered some old fashioned snap traps. The bait also looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egghead68 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I've had the same problem with rats from my neighbour's decking tunnelling into the run. I have eventually sorted it by buying loads of cheap black rubber car mats from the pound-type shop and covering the whole floor of the run with these, weighted down by bricks and paving stones at appropriate intervals. No rats for about a month now they can't get at the spilled food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Here's a bit of an update on the rat situation. We bought some old fashioned snap traps and to date we have caught nothing. We have rigged a camera up in the chicken run to see what goes on under the cover of night. Oh yes we have rats alright, maximum seen at one time 8, we have now put the camera outside the run to see whereabouts they are coming from. They are under the shed, I have sat and watched the monitor tonight, they are running backwards and forwards all the time, disgusting things. I stamped down all the tunnels this morning and covered outside holes with big flower pots etc. Hubby has an air rifle now but I'm not sure sitting up all night is really an option. I think I'm going to get some eradibait, although some sites seem to say it's not available at the moment, better order some quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daxigirl Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Best of luck. I have mice troubles but they stem from next doors bird feeding and it's always peanuts (although they were in my poatoes when I dug them up in the summer). Thought I had rats in the garage 2 days ago when I was tidying up the wood pile by the size of the poos but having been brave and cleared the lot out and swept up I realised they were Woodlice/Monkey pea bodies. Still set some peanut butter snapper traps though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 I bought some Eradibait, and found it to be useless although I know others have had success with it. Eventually, I got pest control in to sort out my rat problem 2 years ago, and I haven't seen any since. The pest control chap said that the problem with Eradibait is that the rat needs to consume enormous quantities of it for it to be fatal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charly1979 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 (edited) I sent my mum the link for eradibait as they have a rat problem but when she looked at it, it said it was not effective in wet conditions which at the moment is what we have Edited January 27, 2013 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Sorry to hijack this post, but we're having a similar issue. My oh is concerned if we get the council in they might want us to change our set up. We saw a rat at the weekend eating from a bird feeder, and we have seen the same one getting into the wir by squeezing through the higher up bars. So a couple of questions, what kind of thing will the council rat man do, and secondly if we decide to go our own way what method is the least risky for other wildlife. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Re Eradibait - I was lucky as they were in a compost bin and I just lifted the lid and threw more in in the cling film as it says and also we put it into a run they had and they took it away immediately - they ate it and there was no waste due to rain if I remember at the time - it must have worked as they all disappeared and we had them up the bird feeders too eating both fat and peanuts and had had to remove them from the trees. Guess it just does not work for everyone and i hate the thought of poison to kill owls and other birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 we tried Eradibait on the allotment mainly because of a plot holders concern over the wildlife but it was next to useless even under cover the damp got to it plus the rats did take much of it I use a loose grain bait now which is at the momment working that said I filled up the boxes about 10 days ago and only about 50 grams has gone in that time Sorry to hijack this post, but we're having a similar issue. My oh is concerned if we get the council in they might want us to change our set up. We saw a rat at the weekend eating from a bird feeder, and we have seen the same one getting into the wir by squeezing through the higher up bars. So a couple of questions, what kind of thing will the council rat man do, and secondly if we decide to go our own way what method is the least risky for other wildlife. Thanks. most time they just give you advice on ways to reduce any food sources and any possible nest and hidding places plus they put down bait and pay about 3 visits to the site. it's only if it looks like your encouaging vermin to the go to the next step and then the EHO gets involved. what you need to know is that you never totaly get rid of rats all you do is control them in my case as an Allotment Secretary as long as I can show that we're taking steps to control the rats then I'm OK as far as any complaints we get to the EHO. which is the same for any land owner/manager if you go down the route of controling the rats yourself get the bait from a farm /feed merchant not one of the 'sheds' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
