Chicken bald back

[ZoeBunny]

It was a mink, not rats.

 

Spotted it trying (and failing) to get into my other classic which has my growers in. I've set a trap out to catch the little So-and-so!

[Olly]

Sorry to hear that, but glad that you have identified it - I thought that the amount of damage done sounded unlike a rat. I hope you can get rid of it but be vigilant, sorry to say it but it's unlikely to be living a solitary lifestyle and there may be others.

[wez]

What a nightmare, and so sorry you've been through such a traumatic time ... not good

 

Seems theres a lot of vermin activity going on around the place as on Wednesday, I found a nice neat circular hole under our gravel boards of the back fence (the garden backs onto a huge open field). Wondered if it was rats and sure enough after filling in the hole it had been reopened by Friday. Hubs bought a couple of rat traps on Saturday as he didn't want to poison them incase the buzzards or kites scoff the carcasses if they turned up their toes in the field after eating the poison and sure enough last night we caught one by 8pm!

 

To my horror, there were two fresh holes along the rest of the fence so we put down two more traps last night before bed am now dreading looking at them this morning! I also shut the Cube door for the first time in a very long time incase anything got in last night as was so upset to think that the girls could be in danger

 

So, will keep up the clearance operation but I've warned hubs we may have to resort to poison if filling the holes and maybe even digging down and strengthening the fence area with submerged chicken wire to create an additional barrier doesn't work. It's the first time we've seen this, albeit only having our chooks since this time last year, but the last thing I want to do it pee off the neighbours by creating our own little 'colony' of the ratty beasties! They've been tolerant so far of the Pekin bandits arrivals, despite Tilly the cuckoo deciding that everyone should be awake at 4.30am in the mornings just because she was up and at it in the summer ... !!! Fingers crossed, wish us luck!

 

[The Dogmother]

It's that time of year, and a sign that the really cold weather is starting; all the critters, mostly vermin, will come in closer to us humans and our easy food sources.

 

Chicken wire won't stop them Wez; you will need weldmesh at the very least.

[Hayleybug]

I've got a rat issue too- spotted dashing to the base of the bird feeders and back into the wood pile this morning. I've discovered a tunnel into the compost bin and the damn thing has chewed through my omlet netting which is annoying (obviously wasn't expecting it to stop the things but im sure they could've got through the holes in the net without destroying it!!).

worried as the compost bin is behind the chook run and last week I found a tunnel into the run (its on bricks in the middle and slabs around the edge but I think the slabs had sunk a little so the run edge had a gap which it took advantage of). was hoping that it was a mouse rather than rat but now I'm horrified that a rat had been in the run with my little girls! blocked the tunnel and it doesn't appear to have been back in the run. I have a few Qs and was sure someone on here would know the answers:

1) can I feed the birds in the garden in any way still and not get rats? or have I just got to give up on the lovely robins, wrens and blue tits?

2) if I only put chicken poop etc in the compost bin and stop putting food waste in it, will the rat give up or should I just get rid of the compost bin altogether? was thinking of putting weldmesh under the bin.

3) is there a type of poison that I can kill the rats with but not then go on to poison anything that eats the rat??

 

thanks for any help!

[The Dogmother]

I never encourage wild birds into my garden - I love watching them, but they transfer diseases and parasites to chickens. My folks have multiple bird feeders and a large population of wild birds in their trees... they have rat problems though

 

I would never add food to a compost - try getting a wormery for that; I have never had rat problems with mine

[LunaKiw1]

In our last house we did spot rats around the WIR and did all the usual things to get rid of them, with reasonable success. But we also noticed rats coming to the base of a bird feeder we'd hung up at the opposite end of the garden and somehow that seemed even worse. It was an 'ordinary' bird seed feeder that someone had given us and the loose seeds were spilling on to the ground and so providing a rat buffet. In our new house we do have a bird feeder but we got one that holds 4 fat balls, rather than bird seed, which also has a plastic 'base' so that nothing spills onto the ground so there's nothing for rats to be attracted to. We get loads of blue and great tits etc. Getting one in that sort of style that might help?

[Mars]

Last week I saw a hole, I put water hose in it and a rat came flying our of another hole. this week there is another hole in the area. I Put traps. but he didn't fall into them, this weekend I will but a water hose in one hole and birds net around the other holes and try to get him.

[The Dogmother]

Bear in mind that rats are neophobes; they hate anything new, so a trap will need to sit along a rat run for a while before they will venture into it.

[Mars]

Thank you Dogmother

That is what I am doing at the moment. I don't have another choice really, I just left the traps and keep fingers crossed

[The Dogmother]

I would put bait blocks down any holes too, provided that none of your pets can reach it.

[Chickabee]

Oh the joys. Rats have moved in here too. They seem to have come from next door. Bait box is straight down, poison mixed with peanut butter. Any chicken food source will be blocked/removed this evening

[The Dogmother]

Just a reminder that any feed stock needs to be kept either indoors or in metal bins; rats and mice will chew through plastic.

[Chickabee]

Thanks. I've been on the wrong end of that in the summer , and slugs.

 

Everything safely stored now

[Mars]

I would put bait blocks down any holes too, provided that none of your pets can reach it.

Done.

Thank you Dogmother

[The Dogmother]

Don't forget to use weldmesh where possible too - rats (and foxes ) can easily chew through chicken wire.

[Mars]

That is what I am using thank you

[Mars]

I would put bait blocks down any holes too, provided that none of your pets can reach it.

This weekend no signs of rats, the holes I closed remained as I left them, it seems the bait blocks worked.

[The Dogmother]

Whatever you do, don't give up though, or they will be back

[Mars]

Whatever you do, don't give up though, or they will be back

What happened, I bought a composter, they sell it as rodent proof, I used to put food in it. rats chewed their way up from the bottom. the plastic wasn't tough enough, they made a hole in it.

For the chickens food I am using treadle feeders and Wright feeder. so far all are rat proof.

[gavclojak]

all this talk of rats, I decided to investigate and sure enough found a small tunnel under a plastic shed we have to store strimmer etc, it was about 6 inches long and stopped so I covered it up and thought no more of it. This morning there was another hole in a different place in front of the container! it was just a few inches deep then stopped, now there is no food in the shed so what are they digging and nothing living in there. Both my neighbours to the back and side have large compost bins/heaps so I suspect that's where they come from?

I am fairly confident they cant get in to the run and have seen no evidence of wholes or burrowing as the run has buried wire and slabs, the food container, although plastic is on slabs but I will be keeping an eye out for the little rascals

[The Dogmother]

Best bring their feed in at night to be safe.

[gavclojak]

Yes I always remove the food containers but not the water TBH and try to rake over any spillages and cover with ground sanitizer. I bet those pesky rats are laughing at me!!

[Mars]

all this talk of rats, I decided to investigate and sure enough found a small tunnel under a plastic shed

I better stop reading about rats then.

[gavclojak]

all this talk of rats, I decided to investigate and sure enough found a small tunnel under a plastic shed

I better stop reading about rats then.

 

I can't help myself...it's like roadkill, you don't want to look but are strangely drawn to it...or is that just me