Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Chantelle]

Weve been dealing with rats since summer we have a large decked area and know they live under there!! We have repeatedly tried poison and traps both humane and snap traditional traps, but their breeding and i havent caught uor killed one!!! So im thinking of a cat!! DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE CATS WITH CHOOKS? I have pekins 4 of, so should i get a kitten so it can be brought up with them or get a cats protection rehome a cat? I live in between field so the rats will keep coming im sure so thinking long term! Please advise xx

[Olly]

Cats and hens will get along fine, but a cat will not solve your rat problem. Cats can and do catch rats, but they can also get bitten very badly - not all cats are keen hunters and even those that are will not necessarily take on an adult rat. Poison is the best solution.

[sjp]

cats don't make very good ratters. poison is the best way to control them the trick is to find the best spot for the bait box it can fake up to a month for the rats to accept the bait box as a 'safe' source of food if after a month they haven't started to take the bait then the box needs to be moved to another location also once they start to take the bait you have to keep it topped up if it's left empty for to long between refills then that's when the rats start to build up an immunity to the bait also it's best to use a lose bait as apposed to a block bait as they have to sit and eat the lose stuff were as with the block bait the is a chance that they can take it to the nest and store it for when times are hard

if they are taking the bait you've used in the past and there's been no apparent effect on the rats then you need to get a different bait most rat populations are immune to the bait you get from the big 'sheds' and garden centres so it's best to get it from a farm or feed supplier as their suppliers change the recipe once or twice a year

just because you have a field next to you doesn't mean you can't control the rats I got them under control in about 6 months on the allotment and kept them under control for 3 years for a lot of the time We were more or less rat free until I stepped down from the committee this year. the allotment is right next to a field then a main road and a very large area of open space , fields, woods park land the M5/M6 corridor, a rail line, canal and the river Tame

[daisyisarobot]

We have a rat problem at the mo. I think we have now blocked all the holes but I'd like to be sure.

 

If another animal (e.g owl) eats a rat killed by a bait box will it die?

[JellyBean2605]

I agree with Olly, I've had cats over the years that have been excellent ratters but I have two now and neither could catch a cold let alone a rat! It's also a long term commitment for a rat problem, cats live for years and are expensive. I would consult an expert - cheaper in the long run.

[merlina]

We have a rat problem at the mo. I think we have now blocked all the holes but I'd like to be sure.

 

If another animal (e.g owl) eats a rat killed by a bait box will it die?

 

Yes it will

 

That's why I don't use poison - I have a lot of snap traps in boxes.

 

I also have a cat which is very partial to decimating local wildlife, but doesn't seem to have any impact on the rat problem.

 

My snap traps worked before, but the rats are back at the moment and I fear I'm fighting a losing battle.

 

I think if you have an established problem the best bet seems to be to call in the experts - most councils seem to be good at this from the reports we've had here in many threads on the subject. I fear that's what I may have to do.

[superkitty]

My cat cleared quite a few gardens of their rat problems after we moved house, but he is the exception to the rule I think (he also killed a stoat in an epic battle in our hall once ) - none of my other cats have ever gone anywhere near a rat. Mice and voles, yes! Rats....they're all 'nooooooooo' Pest control is probably your best option?

[Chickabee]

Mix peanut butter with the poison. They love it. I had the same problem last year. They only seemed to come out at dusk, then go straight back to their nest. I doubt an owl would go under your decking. As for cats we have a cat at the stables, we got a rescue cat and asked for a feral one. He watches the rats as they skuttle past, but has caught some baby bunnies , and mice. Good luck

[Grandmashazzie]

Personally I stick to the traps.I don't like idea of another critter eating poison.We were lucky enough to catch rat in our trap in shed-yuck.We just leave them on high ledge baited with peanut butter.As said some cats are hunters ,some aren't .Good luck.

[sjp]

we found very few dead rats on the site over the last 3 year I think 4 at most and that was in the first 6 - 12 months 1 was basically skin and boned and was obviously eaten by insects the others were untouched by predators even by the time I got told about them which could be anything up to a week later (I checked the site every weekend) it was beneath most of the plot holders to dig a hole and bury dead wild life and the foxes are to well fed to bother with them dead or alive

[Chantelle]

Thanks to you all for your very fast replys and advice. I will give it all a go ill move the bait box and mix some new poison with peanut butter, and repbait my traps ill get a cat anyway if you think itll be ok with the girls, an i tried blocking. Up the holes and they dug round them they have now completly destroyed my new lawn which was only frsh laid this year!! Theyve dug tunnels right theough the lawn and burrowed 13 holes under the decking their very cute and i hate killing anything but im worrid theyl bite my girls as ive seen them actually coming out of the eglu theyve dug tunnels under the eglu so even the run isnt safe ive brought the food in the kitchen and call my girls in to eat 2 times a day but im worried this could invite the rats into the house!!!! Thanks guys ill give it all a try and get back to you all xx

Matillda

Pepper

Lola

Florence (fat flo)

My four beautiful pekin girls xx

[Saronne]

I have a cat who is an excellent ratter. He regularly leaves dead mice and rats (great big whoppers!) as pressies by the back door. I don't know whether he gets them from my garden, or hunts them in nearby fields and brings them back. What I do know is I have never seen evidence of live rodents in my back garden since I've had cats. If you like cats, then get one or two. They get on fine with hens and will keep a respectful distance. I would also hesitate putting poison down for fear of an unintended victim; including the neighbour's cats.

[Patricia W]

Your local Council will offer a service to get rid of rats. Or if you do use poison, use the ready prepared bait boxes.

[Princess Leia]

We went down the route of using the council to get rid of ours last winter. I think we paid £30 for a months treatment and visits. We were told - rightly or wrongly - that the commercially available poisons are now pretty ineffective. The stuff available to councils is much more effective. We'd also tried an ultrasonic repeller with no effect whatsoever. This year we have laid down mesh just below the floor of the run, so even if they do come back and dig under, they can't get up into the run. Touch wood - so far, no sign of them coming back.

 

The council "rat lady" also told us that one of the main reasons why rats were becoming more common in gardens was the prevalence of decking. It's easy accommodation. When we built a summerhouse we backfilled the wooden base frame solidly with gravel leaving no voids for exactly that reason.

[Chickabee]

Chantelle, something makes me think you want a cat anyway that will be a lovely Christmas prezzie.

 

As to thinking the rats are cute, yuk! They will breed and breed and breed. Where I used to keep my horse a neighbor kept chickens. However, he didn't look after them very well. We had a crazy amount of rats, the undergrowth would move as you walked past. They chewed up horse rugs and got into one of the lorries. They ruined the upholstery and left poo everywhere

 

Post a picture of your kitty when you get it

 

PS. I've wanted a cat for ages OH won't let me have one

[redcharlie43]

I had the same problem. I actually managed to catch 6 rats alive in the feeders! They could get in but couldn't get out so were dumped into a wheely bin and dispensed by my OH and his pellet gun. Then I put out poison in the metal boxes and just left them alone for a few months. When I went back to check there was no bait left. I have had no problems since but when I do replace the bait in the metal boxes around the garden I leave then for a few months before checking and always use gloves when baiting or checking the boxes. The temptation is to keep checking the bait and this stops the rats from taking it.

[rachelk]

Don't know if it's the correct, but my brother was told by the council rat man that peanuts have a natural antidote to rat poison in them. He said as long as people put peanuts out for the birds, the rats would eat the peanuts and the poison would have no effect. I don't know if this would apply to peanut butter as well, but worth considering.

[PoachedPlease]

My cat catches the baby rats only, and brings them into the house to play with... however she rarely kills them because they are bloody scarey. Seriously, I have to catch them to throw them out and they have a high squeak that terrifies me let alone the cat. They are also very agile in a way mice are not and climb up curtains, run along curtain poles and I have actually seen an adult rat chase my cat. I really wish I had that one on film..youtube yes!

 

Rat poo is also quite nasty, especially when deposited in the kitchen by a cornered rat! All in all Its the cat making our lives worse by bringing in the rats, i can ignore them in the garden, but you sound like you have a serious problem and I would get rid of them ASAP. (Wish I had a pellet gun!).

 

It sounds like the council is the way to go, they will sort it quickly. For us we realised the compost heaps were too much of an attraction and have stopped putting kitchen s"Ooops, word censored!"s and even egg shells in them, which has helped.

 

Good luck, I hate the things

 

Xx

[Blackrocksrock]

We had them some years ago in the bad bad winter we had and they were tunnelling from the compost bins to the hen omlet feeders in the run - they also had a large tunnel under the office window with holes - we used ERADIBAIT it does not kill any predators such as owls and we put some into clingfilm and baited it with either nutella on the outside or peanut butter and dropped these little packages into the holes - we could watch them go as soon as we put them in - and within a few weeks we had no rats - the eradibait kills them from inside so there is no smell - they are effectively mummified so they say - we saw none and we smelt none - we went out one day with both cats and upturned the compost bin - nothing remained but could see where they had nested - the compost bins are now on concrete slabs and the hens have a new footplate activated feeder so no more rats have ever been seen.

Mind you you need to remove all the bird food as first of all when we removed the hen feed they were up the trees at the peanuts!. And they were huge!!