Luvachicken Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I've been reading the posts about leaving the door open, and that some of you leave the door open all the time. Does that mean you leave their food in the run all the time too ? I was thinking I might leave the door open in the summer but don't really want to leave the food out overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I used to take the food in every night but stopped a couple of years ago. It doesn't seem to have made any difference - no signs of vermin, no nibbled grubs. Makes life a bit easier and I don't have to worry what time I get up as they'll always have food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I too leave the door open and food out all the time. No evidence of any intruders and the girls ( and boy) can help themselves when they get up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I leave the food out all the time, and I have never had a rat problem - if I knew I had rats around then I might start taking it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I got a galvanised dustbin which is parked beside WIR with great intentions of putting feeder into each night but I just forget/ am too lazy and like others no sign of vermin. I think at first sighting of mouse or worse it will go in.Although there is a fair amount spread on ground so don't know if that would stop pests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 I thought you probably would leave the food out. This could be a problem for me now because the rat that dug the tunnel a few weeks ago has returned, even though hubby dug down deep and blocked the tunnel with a breeze block. For the moment we have separated the run and put in a friendly trap but have caught nothing. I am thinking though that it might be better to get the vicious trap and catch ratty once and for all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I leave food in the run all the time too, I've never had a problem with rats or mice however have had problems with HUGE slugs helping themselves on warm, wet summer nights , then I do bring it in overnight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I have had slugs in the food too but no rats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulad Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 we leave food out too - did bring in all the time but we dont seem to have a problem so dont bother now x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 If it's dry weather I leave the food outside (I now have a grandpa feeder thingy). At the moment I have an open feeder in the greenhouse as the girls prefer to go in there when it's wet - I take that back inside at night. Their run is dry so they do go in there but there's more interesting stuff to nibble and scratch in. Occasionally I will put one of those little hanging cups in their run with food, but always take it in at night. Washing up after slugs is gross! We have had rats from time to time when food is scarce and they venture further afield in our direction. At the moment I have a couple of wood mice snuggled up in the dust bath. But I'd rather have the mice than the rats. We've always had wood mice around even before the chickens. Their store cupboard is actually full of acorns! And the chickens love to eat the meecies (also gross!!) if they catch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I have a hopper which fits into the eglu run and its full - not seen a rat since I got it and the girls can help themselves in the mornings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I hasten to add the rats didn't appear because we had chickens. They also visited before the chickens arrived. In all I think since we've lived here we had the rats 4 times before chooks and after the chooks just twice. Depends on the weather and how scarce easy pickings are for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Is the cube run itself rodent proof ? I'm sure when I first looked into chicken houses that was one of the things that appealed to me, but now I can't find that information anywhere. If it is rodent proof then I could just shut the run door with their food inside the run and that way ratty should be kept out. Pesky things rats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I had rats last year and they were getting into my WIR and helping themselves. I did take the food in, and dealt with the rats, with a pet proof poison box. Mix the poison with peanut better, they will always eat it. Once they were gone I started leaving the food out again every night. No problems at all. . My exbats have got a dine-a-chook, which claims to be rat proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Dine-a-chook sounds interesting. Thanks for that, I will look it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoachedPlease Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I think you are unlucky with the rats as they are not the norm. We definitely have rats in our compost bin but they don't seem to have worked out that there is food left out in the WIR. We have a slug problem too, so have hung the feeder by a chain above the ground so the slugs can't reach. They still manage to squeeze into the plastic food bins though don't know how they do it. Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Feed left out 24/7 here and it has been for 3 and a half years. Rats once, baited and KILLED it/them, I so HATE them!!!!!!!!! Even then I didn't take the food in. Just left lots of yummy bait in the rat box outside the run and that worked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 It's weird because I have brought the food in almost every night, except the odd weekend we have been away - which isn't that often So I don't really understand why he has dug a tunnel into the run. There is more food around the garden for the wild birds to eat that he could choose to have but doesn't seem to. Odd little creature. He has been back though, the tunnel has reappeared, so maybe we might get lucky and catch him tonight. Off to the shops tomorrow to get the vicious traps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I always take the food in at night because there were mice about here. My cheeky neighbour implied that they have appeared since we have been keeping chickens but what she didn't realise was that they had been living under her shed that is covered in ivy the whole time! All the cats in the area (it seemed) used to sit under her tree next to this shed and we've watched the mice running up the tree in the past and stealing the bird food she'd hung out! (and this was before we even had chickens ). That's why I take the food in now as I don't want to encourage them into my garden if they're still about and don't they urinate everywhere they go too? . I haven't seen any recently, hopefully they've moved on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Luvachicken, you need poison to rid yourself of rats. Granular form not blocks, so they eat it there and then and don't leave it around for other things to eat. Stick it in rat box alongside a dark place with a run eg by a wall, fence or similar. I use gloves so no human smell. They can take a few days before taking the bait, its a new scary thing. Good luck, I hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Luvachicken, you need poison to rid yourself of rats. Granular form not blocks, so they eat it there and then and don't leave it around for other things to eat. Stick it in rat box alongside a dark place with a run eg by a wall, fence or similar. I use gloves so no human smell. They can take a few days before taking the bait, its a new scary thing. Good luck, I hope this helps. Ooooh thanks clucker1. Can we put the poison inside the trap so that then it dies inside the trap, and therefore doesn't affect any other creatures that might it the dead ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 You put the poison in the box, rat eats it in the box, rat goes away and then I think??? 2-3 days afterwards dies in a hole quietly. They normally go back to their nest/safe place to die. Long story, at our old house we had a lot of problems with rats so I learnt a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!! about the little varmits. 9 times out of 10 we never saw the dead body. The occasional time OH was sent out to deal with!! Once the rat man was out checking up and I got him to remove it and he was sooooooooooooo excited because it was such a HUGE rat! YUCK!!!!!!! Good luck with your rat killing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 Ok, I just didn't want to poison anything else that might eat the dead rat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
