The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Btrobe on February 07, 2009, 11:47:17 am
-
??? I understand that if you keep chickens you get rats. Looking out of the window yesterday at dusk, I saw a rat running from underneath a large bush to the chicken feeder and helping itself to the remaining feed. I googled 'rats - how to get rid of' but all of the solutions seem to be traps or poison. How can I get rid of them and not harm the hens? Any advice would be most welcome thanks
-
There is another thread running on this but basically the advice is threefold:
1. get a cat - preferably one from cat protection which is known to be a good hunter.
2. Get a rat box which poultry can't get their beaks in and stuff it with rat poison
3. put rat poison in placcy bags and push into crevices out of reach of birds
4. take all feeders inside at night - just before dusk preferably
Hope this helps
Annie.
-
Thanks doganjo
I did look for a thread on rats but couldn't find one. That advice seems really sound and I will try it. We don't have a cat because we work away but I have a 'hen partner' who feeds and looks after the hens - we buy the feed and share the eggs. I'll check to see if he would also feed a cat - it could live in our stable at the bottom of the garden.
-
Look at the thread - Rat Traps Dilemma
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php/topic,1598.0.html
-
A cat will happily live in the barn if it has a nice hay bale to sleep on. You can leave a cat fro a few days as they will only eat their food when they need it, unlike a dog which would gobble everything left for it then be starved for the next few days!
If you get a cat it will need to be kept inside for about 2 to 3 weeks till it becomes accustomed to its new home, otherwise it would wander off to find another cosy billet. They are free spirits, but very useful ones, and sometimes cuddly like my two. ;D
-
Thanks once again. I've been on the thread and as a result have bought a rat box. I'll think about a cat when I know we will be at home for a few weeks to settle it in.
Brenda
-
Try your local Cat Protection League - they are often looking to home feral cats. They will be vaccinated and neutered but will pretty much look after themselves ( with feeding, of course)
-
A cat will impact on birds as well as the odd rat.
The rat is drawn to a feeder it has got used to feeding from..thats good..Because it feels safe..If you add something new it will ignore it, especially if you still have the feeder in use.
If you can lock the birds away from the feeder over night and refill the feeder with rat bait you are sure it will feed from it..
Clean out and re fill with chicken feed and put your birds back in...or have 2 feeders and remove the baited 1 each morning before you let the birds out.
If your scatter feeding stop at once and it will have to feed from the feeder.
If you do not get to grips before it breeds you will have even more problems..
-
A cat will only eat their food when they need it, unlike a dog which would gobble everything left for it then be starved for the next few days!
You haven't met my cat then!! He'd eat 25Kg of food in one sitting if i gave it to him....then vomit all over the beck step..... little swine!! :cat: :D
-
We have three cats and a Jack Russell keeps rats a bay :)
-
I've often thought about having a Jack Russell! I like their style! Not sure what the rest of the gang would think though. ;D
-
we did have a rat problem especially near the poultry arcs and feedshed, 4 cats have now completely solved this and i havent seen one for months. definite down side is wild birds killed by them. we have used poison in the past in bait boxes which was very effective but again if birds of prey or owls pick up dead rats it has a knock on effect as well.
-
Jack Russell. Everytime. Ours is a fantastic ratter. We lived in Kinross, which is horrendous for rats, and I swear she got depressed when we moved here and there were no rats. Of course the rats have started to appear here now, so she is happy again!
Beth
-
Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I have got so much to go on now. As I have bought (from ebay) rat boxes, I will try them but if I still have a problem I will try the feeder suggestion ie putting rat bait in, and changing the feeder for through the day. We lock the hens up at night anyway so this seems a good idea. I'll also get in touch with the local cat protection league. My daughter has a Jack Russell so I may bring it into the garden when the hens are locked up and see what happens. I presume it would attack the hens.
Cheers
Brenda
-
I have four dogs, two being German Shepherds, Jake the Jack Russell and Lizzie Staffie cross. Chasing hens or the cats is not allowed. Train them right and there is no problem. Jake knows if he gets a rat he gets a treat so his nose is always to the ground when I working outside.
-
Hi, rats need a place to hide as well as food, pick up the food at night and if possible put your hen house out in the middle of the area and get it up off the ground if possible and pick up as much as possible that they can hide under except for where you've put the poison. If you find their main rat hole in the ground stick a hosepipe down there especially at this time of the year because they will be breeding.
-
Get an air gun or some ferrets!
-
Last year we had an official from Fife Council Enviromental, appear at our door. The man said that neighbouring houses (a great distance away from us I have to say) had a rat problem and they had pointed the finger at us due to the fact of all our live stock. I was outraged but gave the guy a tour of my animals and the feeding sheds. As we are also a hotel we have a Pest Control company that looks after that side of things indoors. However, to shoe "due dilligence" we also pay this company to look after the pest control outside and so we have rodent boxes planted at various places and they are regualrly checked.
The crazy thing is we are beside the River Eden so ofcourse there are going to be rats. The official was delighted at the cleanliness of all the animals beds and the feeding sheds and went on to tell me that perhaps the neighbours with the problom wouldn't have a problem if they kept their gardens half as clean ad my place!!!
-
Would the Jack Russel not go for chickens as well as rats? Especially if chickens were free range? Or is it a matter of training? I kind of prefer the idea of 'natural' pest control rather than poison.
-
If the JR is a youngster when brought in, it will see the chickens as part of its 'pack' and is unlikely to try to catch them Mine are different - had them before the hens and ducks and they are hunting dogs, so they would retrieve them if they got near them - and they did as per previous posting. As to training and breeding - mine are bred to be soft mouthed, not killers, and they are trained to bring back game - hence my ducks were safe albeit a trifle traumatised. that didn't last long as they still sit at the gate while the dogs point them ::) Stupid birds ;D ;D
-
are any of your jack good with mice ? i think we have them again but got some electromagnetic and sonic emitores that did the trick last time but they stop working (how did i know this creepy crawles decidend to join us in the kitchen for meals, lol) but i do understand that the devices can have effects on other animals in the house and also need to be near a in power supply.
-
My dogs only retrieve - don't kill. Could lend you a cat but would need to be kept in. Best thing you can do is get one from cat protection league or that lady in Sauchie
-
Please be very careful about poison as we have just lost a very special and loved cat who ate a poisoned mouse or rat and it took three dreadful days !!!!!!!!1
-
We have 2 cats but I think the thing that works best for us is to put the ferret on her harness and take her around the area on a regular basis. The chickens are wary of her (and the cats and dog avoid her like the plague!) but don't seen to be put off - but the rats soon disappear.