debbie Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Hello all OK....... I now have a rat in my girls run. Its coming into the run during broad day light hours, I know its after the food, but now the weather has changed I bring in food and water glugs in at night, and shut the girls away at bedtime. I need to get rid of RAT. Can anyone offer advice..........should I go and get a trap, if so which one should I get. Or should I use another method.? One of my girls tries to chase it away, but the RAT is too quick for her to catch.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Hello...rotten luck. You have to be very careful with traps around the chickens. I've been in this boat myself and would advocate the use of locked bait boxes with poison. But it is not instant......that is the only snag. It as recently been discussed on the forum ...here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 Thanks for the advice Egluntine........I'll get a couple of traps in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 I've been worrying about rats, and actually had a dream last night that our garden was crawling with them and although the chickens were pecking and killing some of them there were just too many!! It was awful I've woken up with a headache but I think I'm going to get a box of poison and leave it out just in case so that hopefully if one does wander round it wont set up home in our garden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMinx Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 We actually had a rat in the garden a few months ago (ironically before we the chickens had arrived but after we had ordered them) Anyway we rang the local council and they came out the next day and put some poison down for us, the chap was ever so nice and he said it was actually a legal requirement that you report any rat sightings in your garden to the council so that they can deal with them straight the way. Best part is this service was free of charge !!! Fortunately the poison seems to have done the trick and we've not had any problems since (touch wood) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 that's interesting - do you think they'd blame chickens though if they were called out to a problem in a garden with chickens?? I thought we may of had a rat/rats in our garden before we got chickens - never saw one but had small holes in the flower bed at the back of the garden and couldn't think what else they could have been... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMinx Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 They possibly would blame the chickens, I did tell the guy from the council that we were getting them and he did say that it was common for chicken owners to have problems with rats but he was nice about it and just said to make sure we rang him as soon we see a rat that we report it rather than let the situation get out of hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 I thought we may of had a rat/rats in our garden before we got chickens - never saw one but had small holes in the flower bed at the back of the garden and couldn't think what else they could have been... Probably field mice Arowland17! i have just taken down my beans/sweet peas etc and found several small holes. I was cutting the lawn yesterday and heard shreaking coming from the chicken area. Shirley had a field mouse in her beak! Luckily the poor thing was dead. It saves me getting a cat I will be putting down traps next year, as the mice have eaten so much of my veg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
