The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Kitchen Cottage on February 24, 2015, 09:47:52 pm
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Late last year we had an awful infestation... there was a horrible sunday when the front paddock was just a sea of horrible long tails. The culprit was, in the main, the chicken coop and the grain in there.
Anyway 3 tubs of slaymor (blue stuff) and there are STILL rats in the garage. I am putting the poison down and some is being taken. originally about 4 kilo's a day was taken and now not much.... but i can still see 2 or 3 rats around the garage in the evening...
I didn't think they would get immune to Slaymore and if they are.... what should I try next....?
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I had a similar problem last year. I got it under control by a combination of poison, Fen traps set every night, my dog finding them and loan of an air rifle. Good luck
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originally about 4 kilo's a day was taken
:o :o :o
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Aren't you supposed to alternate poisons to prevent immunity?
You could get an airgunner in - try asking on Pigeonwatch
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Traps.
Either snap traps or cage traps.
At least this way you KNOW that you are getting them.
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Air rifle works a treat
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Change the poison but keep the baiting regime and check it evey week . even if it's not been taken there will still be rats around . Again every few months change even that . As stime goes by expand th bait protected perimeter.
Feeding the grain & how it is stored .
An old fridge laid on it's back that has a fitting door is reasonably rat proof & is useful especially if raised up to crotch height for easy access to the grain . Always clean up any spills , the less easy food also means the less rats.
When you feed the chickens do you have the feed in a feeder that is undercover & suspended by about 14 inches off the floor so that the chickens can only get it by standing and stretching a little?
Feeding them like this is about the best way you can for it helps them to eat any spills off the floor first .
If you have mechanical traps always set them ( with thick bacon rind??? ) no matter how clean you think your place is. place the traps and poison bait along the sides of wall or by the wall at a door way , for rats & mice don't like open spaces. They would rather run along a hedge line , wall or a ditch bank as these afford a degree of safety from predators such as birds of prey .
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Count ten for every one you see. Know anyone with trained dogs? Bait around your grain store and go out and stand somewhere downwind of it at dusk to see where they're running from.
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There is an interesting article in The Countrymans Weekly about ridding rats from chicken sheds.
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They are coming from under the garage and are mainly inside it. This weekend I am going out with the air rifle to try and pot some off....
The feed containers are secure but tenants are annoying in that they insist on putting grain down or leaving bags of grain for their chooks outside.... I feel like I am talking to 4 year olds at times!
Slaymor says they can't pick up resistance. I am keeping baiting.... Chooks are going into a run (for Mr Fox reasons!) and so it will be easier to put bait down in the cartlodge which is where I have the hay.
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:( my biggest nightmare. I hate the bu***ers
I hope you get it sorted asap. Its the only thing I hate about smallholding-life