The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Stereo on November 06, 2014, 05:49:30 pm
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I've got rats big time (as well as the cocci). It's getting worse. I've got a treadle feeder for the main hens and that is working well but have growers as well and they can't use it so have to have an open feeder.
I bought some Eradibait as it's supposed to be non toxic harmless to everything else but kills rodents because of the way their digestion works??. I still didn't want the hens near it so put it in an old DE tub with a hole in the side, some mixed corn and then put this under an old upside down plastic storage box in the run with a rock on top. Now, if this was something I didn't want them at, they would have tunneled under the box on night 1 and be in there. But no luck after 7 days. Annoying. There's corn in there so I would have thought they would want to be in there.
Anyway, I'm not keen on the nasty stuff as we have masses of owls around here and also quite a few feral cats who keep the rabbits (and hopefully some rats) under control.
Any experiences? I don't want cause any secondary poisoning but also need shot of these buggers.
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How about something a bit smellier to tempt them in there? I've heard that a cooked chicken leg is supposedly good for rats?
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Ferrets? Possibly even just ferret bedding tossed about the place. I've posted before - my landlady where I used to stay had had rat problems for previous 30 odd years. I got three ferrets, used to exercise them in the yard, stables and sheds and they would sometimes go into the drains underground, under pallets, etc.
To my knowledge, my ferrets never made a kill there but the rats moved out. Her rat man stopped filling up bait stations, cat stopped bringing them in. No more chewed sacks. She swears it was the ferrets, having tried everything for decades.
BUT they will massacre hens if go awol and get into shed one night.
Agree that I would have thought something more protein based would be more attractive, raw fish, chicken bones? Maybe?
I have a few rats in the garden, but they've dug underneath the trap I put out - this is ok, because they're visiting it every night and I will shortly change it so they can't get bait without going inside.
I also have fenn trapsm not got those out yet - don't seem to have time with baby.
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You have RATS because they have easy access to FOOD or DRY HOUSING or both.
Make it easy for them to only eat the poisoned food. Stop the easy "just help your self feeding". I have seen rat's that are the same weight as hen's.
If you can, move the hen house. If the rats are underground put a hose pipe down the hole and slush them out.
Keep rat poison (responsible) down all the time and check it every week.
Good luck
David
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The biggest mistake we made was choosing a shed we couldn't move. In the future we are going for smaller flocks so I can move them completely if I need to. I think I will try removing the growers feed as the nights are now drawing in and getting it back up to them in the morning. Then it's only the treadle feeder or the bait and I don't think they can operate the treadle unless 3 or 4 got on there. I have noticed a serious drop in feed consumption since we installed it so it must be doing something.
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I have seen rat's that are the same weight as hen's.
What sort of hens do you keep Carey Boy? Is it some sort of a miniature bantam? ;D
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Do you have a cat Stereo?
One of ours won't touch rats but the other loves catching them if they appear
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I do have cats but the hens are a way up the valley. There are feral type cats around the pens who don't harm the chickens and I assume they must have a few rats so I don't want to end up secondarily poisoning them. I think I'm going to work on moving the growers as their feeder is probably the main food source at the mo and my attempts to keep them out of the growers run have failed. I'm worried if I leave them without food the rats will go after any birds who are on the ground.
Need a re-think for next year and lots more treadle feeders. Very impressed with the Mole Valley one I got.
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Let us know how you get on with the Eradibait. Other reviews I've read are not so good.
The cat is useless but I'm glad she wouldn't touch a poisoned mouse as they are too slow - and the cat can't be bothered to work in the house.
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Difenacoum bait such as Roban or Neosorexa is the best for situations where you have birds of prey in residence or a risk from secondary poisoning
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Fenn traps No 4s I think, you have to set then in a tunnel or cage, no bait needed I use them all year round and check them when I am passing. I made small indicators so I know when they have been triggered. Good thing is you know what you've caught and the numbers. I get 4 or 5 a year oh and 1 mole!! Trapping much more efficient IMO
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I used to use Fen4's but am less inclined to do so now since catching a hedgehog which then had to be killed. A humane trap gives you the opportunity to release the wrong species but then necessitates shooting the rats.
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Eradirat didn't work at all for me. Back to difenacoum or bromodialone. I always take in feeders at night and bait all year.
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Clansman.
Should the question be "what sort of rats do you have".
A wild rat in condition could be 1.25 lb.
A rat that can just eat all the food it likes could be 1.65 to 1.85 lb.
Now test, at what weight a walk on feeder opens.
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Well what do know another in the trap when I got in from work. My tunnels have small entrance holes so only the smallest of hedgehogs could access the trap. But if a hedgehog can get in the trap surely it may eat bait!! Another dead rat is a result IMO.
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I saw a mouse/rat In my hut one night only small but I put peanut butter on the trap and caught a mouse/rat every night for a week after that haven't had them since or so I think
I put food down on a morning and make sure it's gone before it's dark or I lift it
I've never seen any in the day
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We purchased ten packets of Neosorexin CD and a rat/mouse feeder box a week ago 7 emptied one packet of poison down the witness tube hole .
Slipped on on witness /filler tube and anchored the feeder down with half a dozen stacked bricks so it is tight along side the garage wall with easy rat/mouse access to the entry holes.
Now the colder weather is arriving so will the little visitors till they all eat themselves to death in about two months after teh second frost .
Frequent checking & topping up with new dry bait is essential . Sprinkle some cocoa powder over the bait helps make it just that more rodent attractive.
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I tuned the balance on our treadle feeder so that it would only open with the weight of the chickens and not the weight of a rat. Mind you, several rats on the treadle would open it and I have heard of someone opening one up to find a fat rat inside.
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We had a rat outside that was the size of a rabbit last year. It took months for the poison to catch on!
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Clansman.
Should the question be "what sort of rats do you have".
A wild rat in condition could be 1.25 lb.
A rat that can just eat all the food it likes could be 1.65 to 1.85 lb.
The smallest bantams in the world weigh in at 1lb
I've been shooting rats for over 30 years and yes there are some large ones but I have yet to come across the fabled cat/chicken/rabbit sized monsters which are regularly mentioned but apparently never seem to get caught
p.s. I breed turkeys which are taller than a man! :innocent:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_Bahadur_Dangi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_Bahadur_Dangi)
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I stuck a hose down one of the holes yesterday and they all came running. Not very big at all really but too quick to shoot with anything other than a shotgun which is not practical next to the hen house. Half the size of the ones we used to get in the milking parlour. They seem to be digging vertical tunnels all around the chicken pen. Is it worth pouring bait down the holes and covering with a large stone? We've got plenty of flat shellet / slate I could use.
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You can use a cut-off plastic bottle, tie the bait up, screw the lid on fixing the bait strings and shove it down either or (1 bo ttle each) inall of the exit holes half- way. This is to make sure no bird can get to it. The closed bait box hidden somewhere near works better though, they are not stupid....
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One thing I've done recently to get the rats & mice that get into the plastic bag rubbish bin locker ( ******* fortnightly collections ) is to get an empty two litre pop bottle retain the cap and cut an inch and a half round hole in it about 3 inches up from the bottom.
( I happened to have a power drill hole cutter that did the job very well once I'd taped the bottle on to some timber , so I could cut the hole in safety with my hands & feet out he way .)
After cutting the hole , washing and drying the bottle to remove all traces of sugar and scents i left it in the airing cupboard for a week to get it bone dry , then put the cap back on
About ten days ago I poured two sachets of the Neosorexin CD in via the 1& 1/2 " hole and carefully laid the bottle on its side so that the hole is facing the right angle of the bin locker floor and back wall then popped a few bricks around it to keep it in place.
As the bottle is transparent it's easy to see that something has a had a feed or two but does not appear to be coming back . come the middle of dec i will empty the bottle into one of this years " Dalek" composter bin to feed any over wintering rodents in there & put new killer in the bottle before putting it back in the bin locker.
The most important thing to remember is that just because you can't see rats & mice it does not mean that there are none. When you actually see them in daylight or early dusk it a sign of a major infestation . So as a consequence you must always use bait stations all year round and expand your cleared perimeter , as well as having the odd inner area bait box in critical places to pick up any that manage to enter the " cordon sanitair " .
Don't neglect the maintenance of all the bait boxes either for that's how the vermin eventually find a way back into the premises once the contents of a box are eaten and the older vermin are dead.
New ones eventually come along from outside of the once cleared area.
Having a small accurate map indicating all the positions of bait stations show a number that is marked on the station in permanent marker is also handy for it's just so easy to forget where all the station feeders are if you have 20 or so around the place. I can also be helpful if you make a number related note of which stations you need to refill for over time you may see a pattern emerging on the map and realise where most of the rats are coming from and put a few more bait stations in that area.
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Agree that I would have thought something more protein based would be more attractive, raw fish, chicken bones? Maybe?
I have a few rats in the garden, but they've dug underneath the trap I put out - this is ok, because they're visiting it every night and I will shortly change it so they can't get bait without going inside.
I also have fenn trapsm not got those out yet.
Got a big one in cage trap, used a cull chick as bait.
Stereo, maybe try rat purse nets? You can bolt them with your hose into the nets?
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Got another adult one in fenn trap. Not baited, just on a run.
I took down a stone wall last year and wanted to keep the stone so piled it all up by a shed. I stacked it away from the wall 3" and built a cavity into the very back which can be accessed by lifting just a couple of flat stones. Idea was to create a rat run and trapping point.
Has anyone tried making a night vision sight for their gun?
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Got another adult one in fenn trap. Not baited, just on a run.
I took down a stone wall last year and wanted to keep the stone so piled it all up by a shed. I stacked it away from the wall 3" and built a cavity into the very back which can be accessed by lifting just a couple of flat stones. Idea was to create a rat run and trapping point.
Has anyone tried making a night vision sight for their gun?
Night vision would be great. They seem to scatter in torch light, unlike a bunny who will just sit and stare. I've got a pretty good air rifle (Air Arms S200) which will humanely take down any rat but can't seem to get a shot once I turn on the torch.
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Some video cameras have night vision capability. I saw a picture of someone looking through their rifle tele-sight with one so that they could shoot at night. Actual night vision tele-sights are very expensive. I thought it was discussed on this forum about 5 years ago?
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Try a red diffuser in your torch less likely to frighten the rats but unless you have a lot visiting the same food source its difficult. You need to set up and wait for them to come to you then pick them off, great sport if you like it, and you get rid of the rats.
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Some interesting vids on youtube about folk making DIY NV set ups with sony camcorders. The cheapest proper NV scope seems to be the Yukon Photon at £400!
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Anyone use an electronic ultrasound scarer ?
I know they don't kill them but if you only have 1 or 2 might move them on.
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Anyone use an electronic ultrasound scarer ?
I know they don't kill them but if you only have 1 or 2 might move them on.
I've got one in the shed for mice. They poo on it.
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Some interesting vids on youtube about folk making DIY NV set ups with sony camcorders. The cheapest proper NV scope seems to be the Yukon Photon at £400!
This is what I'd like to do but just do not have the confidence with electronics/tech devices.
That's why I Wondered if anyone has made one and next question, if I got all the bits and paid time would they make me one? :)
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Went up tonight with the air gun and a head torch and bagged a couple but it was tricky. The head torch is not great and it's not easy to keep the light lined up with the scope. It sort of worked so might try fixing a mag light to the gun next time. I reckon with a proper night scope I could have a field day but that doesn't come cheap. Would be fun though.
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There is really no need to go to the expense of hight scopes etc.
Find some where that you can lay up and shoot from then about 25 mtrs away simply set up a ring of led lights about five feet from the ground and place some bait oin the frog of a brick under each one. Restock it at the same time in early evening each night. The rats will take about three to five days & nights to take to the feeding station . Learning the stocking up time as well .
One night when the wind is to your face whilst your laid up re-bait a bit earlier and take up the shooting position .
The rats will come along as happy as ... SPLAT ! You should make several kills in the first evening . clean up every now & them during the session . Leave off shooting for a couple of days but keep up the refills using only a bit of food this time and repeat the shooting .
It could take a month or more before the rats become food shy at this location so relocate the lights elsewhere and repeat as before .
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So I've got rats under two of my poultry sheds. The cat brought in one the other day that was 18 inches long (12 inches of body, 6 inches of tail). Anyhow, not sure whether this applies to all councils but our local one sends out the pest controller for free for all rat problems. He came today and reckoned they're getting in and out of the poultry run over the seven foot fence. They're definitely getting in and out because there's not enough water in the run for them to be breeding there. Given the run is currently half mud bath with plenty of water around for the ducks, this was quite surprising. He's set poisoned bait points on the outside of the run because even a grain of the bait is fatal to the chickens and will come back and check it weekly until we're clear. Yay! He did say the freebie service in theory only applies within a certain (short) distance of the house but for the sake of simplicity they don't normally charge at all (given he was about 200m from the house at the time, I was pretty happy!). Worth a try elsewhere?
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We're in the middle of nowhere and on a farm so I doubt we would get any help. I'll try the lights idea. If I pick up some cheap solar ones and wrap in red cotton would that do?
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If you want red LEDs, how about some cheap rear bike lights from fleabay?
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I guess, might be a bit bright though? Also would need to turn them off afterwards. The solar ones would not need any input once set up. Good news is that the blighters have started eating the poison I got finally. Left it in an upturned plastic storage box with a rock on top and some corn and they have been at it (after 2 weeks). I can't remember the name but it's apparently harmless to anything buy rodents. We'll see.
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Only just seen this about red led lights. That's interesting, will try!
I've caught four now in my traps. Got the most recent fen trap, but baby started crying so had to leave it... Next morning, the trap had been dragged back into another hole in the pile and rat gone (eaten)
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We're in the middle of nowhere and on a farm so I doubt we would get any help. I'll try the lights idea. If I pick up some cheap solar ones and wrap in red cotton would that do?
I was not meaning for you to use red Led lights to illuminate the area , simple one pound a go stick in the ground jobbies from pound land or a string of out door white LED Christmas lights running off a protected mains extension cable .
( Protected from the elements at the plug /connection in points )
Or
If you can afford a bit more for the mains light go for a 10 or 20 watt led white light flood lights they will easily illuminate a 50 yard circle it they are slightly elevated to say 8 foot up.. ( plenty on the internet @ £10 - 40 ish )
It is all about getting the rats to feel comfortable eating whilst the light is on over a couple of days . Once they are hooked & not afraid of the light then you shoot them with ease . It means putting the light on at some time before dark and doing the shooting when you observe their developed feeding habit time.
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Why not get pest control in?