Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Rat Control - Any bright ideas  (Read 15717 times)

cuckoo

  • Joined Jan 2011
Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« on: October 29, 2014, 10:50:05 am »
I wasn't sure which would be the best post for this so will try here.

We keep our holding as well as we can - feed in bins in vermin proof shed. No food left down overnight. Buckets picked up etc etc. We have a rat population explosion. We have bait down. Have some back break traps down - but only 2 hits in a week from 4 traps (baited with chocolate spread).  Any more ideas please?

Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2014, 11:25:56 am »
Depends on the situation, we have recently used the terriers and smoker and a  friend with night vision and an air rifle to good use!

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2014, 04:37:55 pm »

Many years ago we had a rat problem, caused when a neighbour had been storing grain in a loose heap in an open-fronted shed.  The rats multiplied really quickly, but then once the grain was used, they spread out to all the surrounding farms, so all got his problem.
We used bait boxes carefully positioned, airgun, and the terriers, plus of course the measures you already use to give them nothing to eat.  I think of those things, the terriers were the biggest deterrent - even when they didn't kill them, the dogs made life very unpleasant for rats.  Now, we occasionally find the dogs have killed a young rat, so presumably one scouting for fresh territory.
Other neighbours used Rentokil for advice and to place bait boxes.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

cuckoo

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2014, 04:51:22 pm »
Thanks - have bait boxes with bait and are checking and replenishing regularly. My 2 terriers and spaniel like to look but haven't caught anything yet. Will look into air gun and night sight - are they expensive?

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2014, 06:47:51 pm »
Good night sites are hundreds. I've never had much shooting them. Ferrets can be good for ratting too, also good as a deterrent. I had one Jill that I put down a rabbit burrow, she killed at least two rats and flushed another one. I used to let her into the drain pipes under the farm and didn't see a rat for years, she always came back, was very friendly.

bazzais

  • Joined Jan 2010
    • Allt Y Coed Farm and Campsite
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2014, 08:01:28 pm »
We are getting overun too - its a nightmare - they are eating the wiring on vehicles, getting in everywhere and eating my tools, lights, vehicles.

The cat is leaving about 5 a night on my workbench, the dogs just make lots of noise but occationally make it a quicker job that the cat does.

I cant afford the time to shoot them (although it does make a good evening)

I did buy some eradibate or something about two days ago as I cant/wont put down poison. But they dont seem to be eating it - they sem to know whats going on?!

I also have one of those electronic things in the shed that is supposed to be frightening on the hearing range of rats - my rats seem to come in and have a rave to it :(


Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2014, 11:38:41 am »
Put more traps down, and maybe vary your trap bait.  Find their "run routes" and place traps along them.   And don't bother with poison - get a bunch of cats from Cats Protection.

Tamsaddle

  • Joined May 2011
  • Hampshire, near Portsmouth
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2014, 12:03:42 pm »
The last time we had rats we tried using the poison blocks, rather than baited seed.   It worked much better and more quickly, even though it was expensive buying the blocks.   Almost as soon as I put down a new block a rat would coming along, pick it up then run back home with it, where presumably other members of the group, and the very young, all got to eat some too.   It's much easier monitoring how much is being taken/consumed, and we positioned them under paving stones where a rat could squeeze in but not a dog or cat.    Once the uptake of blocks slowed right down the infestation was basically over, and during the final few days we always removed the blocks overnight to prevent any of our abundant hedgehogs having a nibble.   Definitely worth a go if you haven't tried it before.

Bramblecot

  • Joined Jul 2008
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2014, 05:54:17 pm »
We don't like to use poison as we have barn owls nesting, but I have had quite good results using the live cage traps.  Just be careful handling them when there is a live trapped rat ::)
And the  :cat: :cat: deal with the littlies for fun ;D .

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2014, 08:12:09 am »
I would kill rats any way I could, ferrets, dogs, shooting even poison if all else fails. They spread the most awful diseases, to animals as well as humans. Isn't there a mix of wheat and dry plaster of paris some use?  The plaster of paris apparently solidifies in their gut and kills them. Not a nice way to die but, then neither are the diseases they spread.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2014, 02:51:02 pm »
I would kill rats any way I could, ferrets, dogs, shooting even poison if all else fails. They spread the most awful diseases, to animals as well as humans. Isn't there a mix of wheat and dry plaster of paris some use?  The plaster of paris apparently solidifies in their gut and kills them. Not a nice way to die but, then neither are the diseases they spread.

Oh please - not that disgusting idea of plaster again  :furious: :furious:  Surely there are enough ways of killing rats without resorting to something so inhumane.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2014, 03:42:18 pm »
Put more traps down, and maybe vary your trap bait.  Find their "run routes" and place traps along them.   And don't bother with poison - get a bunch of cats from Cats Protection.

Not if you want to avoid the cats passing on toxoplasmosis from your rats to your livestock and possibly you.

Choose a quiet place downwind of the farm buildings and sit quietly just before dusk.  Bait where you see the rats run from and if you find a hole just pour the bait down - they don't go any further than they need to.  Under piles of stuff, behind logs or sheets of tin, under hay bales, the list is endless.  They may not touch new bait sites for 10 days but once the alpha male and female in a group start to eat it the others will too.  They need to ingest about 15g before they die.  The range of a group is about 50m from their nest but others will always move in once one group have died.

Two mild winters have led to an explosion in numbers.  We saw so many dead on the lanes where they'd run from the combines and been killed by cars it made us wonder about just how many were still left in the fields.  We bait all year round and know we'll never be rid of them but have so far kept the numbers down.

spandit

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • East Sussex
    • Sussex Forest Garden
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #12 on: November 10, 2014, 01:07:00 pm »
There are plenty of keen shooters out there that would jump at the opportunity to shoot some rats for you. Whereabouts is your farm?
sussexforestgarden.blogspot.co.uk

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2014, 09:14:58 pm »
I would kill rats any way I could, ferrets, dogs, shooting even poison if all else fails. They spread the most awful diseases, to animals as well as humans. Isn't there a mix of wheat and dry plaster of paris some use?  The plaster of paris apparently solidifies in their gut and kills them. Not a nice way to die but, then neither are the diseases they spread.

Oh please - not that disgusting idea of plaster again  :furious: :furious:  Surely there are enough ways of killing rats without resorting to something so inhumane.

Have never, would never unless desperate.

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Re: Rat Control - Any bright ideas
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2014, 01:27:46 am »
When you wake up in the night with a rat or two  running across your face , you don't care how you get rid of them .

 The financial cost of rats on your feed stuff bill is horrific , they can often eat  more of the feed than your sock if left to their own devices .

 The point made about disease  being spread or brought in to your stock cannot be under estimated either . One of my small mammal breeder friends had big losses & had several autopsies done to see if it was a common disease/complaint . The vet said after doing the expensive autopsies that it seems to have been caused by disease carrying rats infecting his stock .
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

 

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