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poultry poofs
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 1807
Location: Wensleydale,North Yorkshire.
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 Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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We use the Tomcat2 blocks which deal with rats that have developed a tolerance of some poisons.We sed to use boxes but for weeks the bait never got touched so now I find the rat holes by watching for rats in the evening and looking for signs of their runs and drop the blue poison blocks down the holes or push them in with a bamboo stick.Post it to them  we usually find a lot of bodies in a few days.
You have to keep doing it though or they will be re-occupied with new rats.
I have watched them digging into and out of a line of chicken house runs and running along the roofs at night climbing up the wire mesh searching for food.When they found the quail they dug under the wire floor then when that didnt work chewed the net top to get in ate the food and some quail so the poison came out and within 2 days the rats were dead.
You have to remain vigilant though,just because you dont see them doesnt mean they are not there and like squirrels they will chew through just about everything.Dont leave food in runs at night and dont hide it in the chicken house over night it just encourages rats to chew throught the house to get it and then they find eggs and thats YOUR food source gone too. Experts have said you are never more than 10 yards from a rat and there are more rats in the country than people-scary stuff.
rich |
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fenwoman
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
Posts: 933
Location: Tydd St Giles, Cambridgeshire.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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I use tomcat2 now too and find it very effective indeed.
This area is rat heaven since every field is surrounded by a dyke and plenty of undergrowth. When the harvest is taken off the field, the rats tend to come into the gardens. My neighbours (townies) have the bottom 1/4 of their land as a dumping ground for tree trimmings, grass trimmings and the like and the rats are safe there so they tend to live there and come under the fence to mine.
I have fast tracked the 'getting used to' time for the bait boxes by putting some of Frederico's poop inside them making wild rats think that if another rat has been inside, they must be safe.
Frederico would never speak to me again if he only knew he was helping to murder his wild cousins  |
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poultry poofs
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 1807
Location: Wensleydale,North Yorkshire.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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It doesnt pay to leave anything lying around too long or the rats and mice move in.All garden rubbish is removed or burned straight away and even the wood fuel pile gets moved occasionally to make sure there are no unwelcome inhabitants.
Its worth having a mooch in the sheds weekly too moving anything you wouldnt normally bother about like sacks of stuff as before you know it they are using it as a home or eating the contents and there isnt much to beat the stink of rats when they have moved in somewhere you dont want them.Not to mention the damage.
rich |
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fenwoman
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
Posts: 933
Location: Tydd St Giles, Cambridgeshire.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:35 pm Post subject: |
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| it is hard though. I tend to leave woodpiles for my hedgehogs to hibernate in. Luckily my cats like to hunt so investigate feed stores, sheds, and the like to discourage rats. I also place ferret poop around to try to discourage them from actually setting up home on my land. |
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Pete&Jackie
Joined: 03 Sep 2005
Posts: 209
Location: Hertfordshire
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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Depressing stuff! I will keep on looking, as I said I have NO food outside at night now or water, other than the pond, everything is in the house. The only time there will be food out is in the run during the day.
We have 9 very large Orps and wyandottes plus a hefty Wheaten Maran, all adult, well 4 of the Orps are about 30 weeks, but massive! I hope they are safe from attack from rats. I understand the bigger worry is the spread of illness and disease.
I also have a friend in the village who goes out and shoots rats at one of the farms, he has offered to come over and do a spot of clearing up, is that any use as well?? |
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fenwoman
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
Posts: 933
Location: Tydd St Giles, Cambridgeshire.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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| The trouble with shooting is that he can only shoot one at a time, and only those who appear. The noise will also scare the chickens. I think that shooting rats might be good sport for the shooter but is not effective rat control. |
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poultry poofs
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 1807
Location: Wensleydale,North Yorkshire.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| fenwoman wrote: | | I tend to leave woodpiles for my hedgehogs to hibernate in. |
we burn ours on the rayburn wood piles not hedgehogs.
Ferrets are excellent for clearing rats.My mates had one on his farm for 12 months and not a single rat anywhere.the only drawback is they tend to be slightly fatal to chickens and they have a taste for eggs which is a bind. |
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poultry poofs
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 1807
Location: Wensleydale,North Yorkshire.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:06 am Post subject: |
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| Pete&Jackie wrote: |
I also have a friend in the village who goes out and shoots rats at one of the farms, he has offered to come over and do a spot of clearing up, is that any use as well?? |
You can shoot them if theres enough around and not many routes of escape but it can take weeks to clear them they just keep being replaced by more.Poison you can leave to do the job and is pretty good if you rebait the bait points weekly.
rats do carry disease the leptospira virus is a nasty thing to get they also defacate over everything and render it unusable so its best to get rid of them however unpleasant it might sound.
If you leave them alone they will make your life a misery. |
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fenwoman
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
Posts: 933
Location: Tydd St Giles, Cambridgeshire.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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| poultry poofs wrote: | | fenwoman wrote: | | I tend to leave woodpiles for my hedgehogs to hibernate in. |
we burn ours on the rayburn wood piles not hedgehogs.
Ferrets are excellent for clearing rats.My mates had one on his farm for 12 months and not a single rat anywhere.the only drawback is they tend to be slightly fatal to chickens and they have a taste for eggs which is a bind. |
I used to burn any wood when I had the rayburn cooker but a leaking chimbery flashing which nobody seemed able to cure meant that in desperation I had the chimberly removed and slated over so am unable to burn now. Still the hedgehogs have places to hibernate and the woodlice which eat decaying wood are enjoyed by the chickens. The ferret poo certainly discourages the rats from actually living here though but does nothing for the colony living next door.That's where the poison comes in, and the cats who take care of any at the front of the cottage and near the house.
I tend not to take the ferrets down to the bantam paddock for ratting as the sight of them sends the chickens into a frenzy of terror even though they have never been attacked by one. It is instinctive it seems, same with my rabbits and guinea pigs.
Every time I clean out the ferret court, I take a shovel full off poop down the bottom and spread it about.
Sheesh, the things we have to do  |
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