Chickens and rats.

[Beekissed]

Having the same problem here in the last few days...went from 11-12 eggs to 3 eggs! The only thing that could do this is rats...had the same problem this time last year. I know where they live and I simply put some OneBite in their little shed and they all die.

If my chickens were eating the eggs, I would see yolk residue...so, it's the rat boys again.

 

[SKR8PN]

Feral cats don't live to long around here either, between the hawks, the coyotes, the road and the neighbors 200lb snow white German Shepard named "Rowdy"


Well......set two traps yesterday afternoon, locked the hens up for the night and caught NOTHING in either trap. I hate to do this, but, I am thinking I may try to move the chicken tractor to another location, just to stir up the rat natives and see if I can force at least one of them to get stupid while going for food. We just got fresh snow during the night so moving them is going to prove to be interesting to say the least.

 

[FarmerChick]

simplest remedy to do is staple chicken wire around the outside of the tractor. Just about a foot. One you can curl up and attach a bit to move the tractor in the future.

Basically you are making a 1 foot wide wire mesh away from the tractor at the bottom and that "close to the edge" burrowing will be stopped well before they can get in without you being surprised. oh and put a few staple anchors into the edges on the outside of the wire just to keep it down into the ground.

Should work very simply for you

 

[freemotion]

Yeah, but what about the rats elsewhere? In the garage? Running past me when I milk? Fighting in the hay bales? Mating in the woodpile? Running across the snow in the moonlight and into the buck's house???

(Is it a hijack if I stay on the same subject? )

 

[FarmerChick]

any other rat can be handled in due time thru dispatching methods..LOL

key being, save the eggs and hens and all that mess and not have to move a tractor every 2 days...ya hoo

you can't kill entire populations of critters attacking your "stuff"--but you can fort knox your cages

 

[Beekissed]

I just place OneBite bars in a shed where they can live and no other animal can get into. For me, this is the outhouse next to the chicken coop. This takes care of the problem within 3-4 days where I live.....no more rats until next year about this time.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Get a yorkie (seriously) and a broom.....

That's how we handled our rat issue last winter, and so far, no problems yet this year....... *knocks on wood*

 

[Farmfresh]

Alright you have conned me out of it. The gruesome way we eliminated a BUNCH of rats when I was a kid.

Warning not for the FAINT of heart!



First you acquire a barrel nice tall trash can will work. The you put it in a likely covered location with a 2 X 2 or other nice long stick inside and another 2 X 2 or stick outside and braced so that it is sturdy and won't fall down. Then add some grain to the trash can and leave it mostly alone for a few days. This is to enable all of the rats to find the free food and invite their family and friends to the feast! Be sure the boards are set up so the rats can easily enter and exit the barrel.

While you are waiting fashion a board or circle of sturdy wire (or even the lid off of a smaller trash can with a few holes in it) that will slid down into the bottom of the feeding barrel.

After you are good and sure that the rats are all coming and going to your feast remove the inner stick. The rats will leap down into the barrel to eat and be unable to get back out.

Now the next step has options. Some just remove the stick and get the barrel full of live rats (this is what we did) and some fill the barrel with a foot of water and add oiled bran to float on the surface (this works too). Water method they plunge into the water and begin to swim till they can't swim anymore. With a rat this can take 72 HOURS! With the dry method you wait until you are full of rats, then add the water to about a foot or two deep, then add the follower (your other lid) and weight it to submerge all of the rats at once. This way they drown in a few minutes.

After I weight it, I leave for a while, then come back and dump out the carnage.

You have to either move the trap a bit or wait a while or both before this will work again. Rats are smart.

Good luck and happy swimming!

 

[freemotion]

Two questions: Bee, what about your dogs or hens eating dead rats that have One Bite in their systems?

And FF, we have an issue with that method this time of year....the water will freeze! So I'm thinking.....put One Bite in the trash can so they die and can't leap out. Am I missing anything important? If I poison my dogs or my hens I will be just devasated!

 

[freemotion]

Get a yorkie (seriously) and a broom.....

That's how we handled our rat issue last winter, and so far, no problems yet this year....... *knocks on wood*

Oh, we have enough dogs for now!!! What is the broom for?