Rats digging into my chicken pens URGH !

[Kinnakeet]

For your consideration ...



I have one of those 1200fps air rifles, and that thing is louder than the .22 CCI CB rounds. Almost sounds like a firecracker going off. For the nuisance critters at my place, the .22 with the CB rounds is the go to exterminator. Cause Lord knows I don't want the next door Karen hearing a shot then see a dead critter in my yard.

Tree rats eat my bird food, I then snipe them from my bedroom window with my 22 LR used my 22 magnum once but far to loud, that way the hawks dont have to work so hard

 

[Kinnakeet]

For your consideration ...



Really? Maybe it had a light powder load? I've shot many a critter with the CB bullet going completely through and exiting. Even had one that went through a garden destroying rabbit and hit my garage door, which left a bit of a tiny dent.

If it shot a .22 LR the entire neighborhood would hear it.



Careful, ya gotta be smarter than the average bear. Rats are extremely intelligent. Ya might get one of them, but the rest will know something is up and change their behavior.

Use large amounts of cheese and peanut butter

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...

oh darn I forgot to mention that we focus on DOMESTIC PETS only and that doesn't include WILD animals. Wild animal rescue requires breed-specific permitting by the DNS. I did relocate a juvenile rat and did not kill it. We have a SPRING FUNDRAISER that is running out of time , so if you could help us get more orders that would be great. There are many gorgeous plants and flowers including vegetable plants and herbs too. You can get plants to LOOK at or plants to EAT .

You do realize I was just ribbing ya? Right?

 

[ArkRescue]

If you can find the opening to their den and you have a water source close enough you can flood the den and shoot them as they come out.
They usually have more than one opening so you may need to plug some openings up. If you have a wood pile or a debris pile near there that's where I'd start looking.
We had a problem like yours years ago and that's how we resolved it. You may need more than one shooter because the will come out pretty quickly once they start moving. Good Luck

I found 2 groups of holes in the ground in a covered area and there seem to be approximately 7 holes total and some may be connected? I need something smaller/lighter for me to use (my friend handles it just fine) as that air rifle is a little heavy for me with my bad shoulder.

 

[ArkRescue]

This sounds almost cartoonish. Why not stick some dynamite in the hole and wire it to a big plunger detonator and twirl your mustache before setting it off.

 

[ArkRescue]

For your consideration ...



You do realize I was just ribbing ya? Right?

oh hmm so now you are trying to back out from the adoption?

 

[ArkRescue]

So ...... yesterday I armed myself with the garden hose and filled the holes in 1 location. Out runs one juvenile rat which gets away and no others appear. Then I do the same in location #2 and nothing. What a bummer. So that means the adults are hiding elsewhere? If I had the money I would put up a few cameras to hone in on where they are nesting.

 

[ArkRescue]

We have been harassing the rodents so much that in time they will surely move on? I have been filling holes with water, digging up holes, taking away the food, and we are pulling down a temporary structure that gave them even MORE dry dirt to make tunnels in. Once we get this 10x20'+ section pulled down the snakes will have better access to anything in the ground. I had hoped the Bobcat Urine would have deterred them but they dug right through the smelly dirt to get back into the chicken pens. So they do not fear human urine, cat feces/urine or Bobcat urine it seems.

 

[ArkRescue]

I will be flooding every hole I find with the hose every few days. I set traps but there is so much food around they are not enticed to the traps. I am going to take out all of the big watering drinkers and put in small ones that are easier to dump/remove every night so there will be no water source available. I am removing all of the large feeders and will use a small container to give each pen what they need for the day and make them eat every piece so nothing is left for rodents. This is a big ordeal since I have 11 pens of chickens and the rats are digging tunnels into ever one, even the ones that they could just walk into (chain link). This is war on rodents with no use of poison. We already took the roof off the enclosed storage area they were using to dig holes in.

 

[ArkRescue]

So the battle of humans vs rodents continues. Opened up the big shed and discovered mice URGH. I am going to resort to a special "non-poison" I found that is supposed to not harm other critters that may eat the dead animal? I will put it only inside the shed to start and brace the doors so they can't get in/out for 5 days (I suspect they are squeezing in/out through a gap at the bottom of the door). I will brace that door closed tight.

For the chicken pens I have removed ALL food stations and only give in the morning the food they need for the day. I removed all large waterers and gave each pen 1 gallon waterers that have to be refilled daily (usually running out by dark) so the rodents don't have a water supply to pass more germs through. We pulled down the roofing over the enclosed dirt floor storage areas to minimize good nesting spots. I have already used Bobcat Urine and dirty cat litter, and today I am picking up dirty ferret litter to spread around the chicken pens. I am hoping that so many predator smells will drive them away as I have NOT caught any more rats (they are so smart) and I am working on the mouse population. I don't have barn cats wandering loose because the road is so close to the barn and people drive so fast that I'd need to have road savvy cats to keep them safe.

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...

So the battle of humans vs rodents continues. Opened up the big shed and discovered mice URGH. I am going to resort to a special "non-poison" I found that is supposed to not harm other critters that may eat the dead animal? I will put it only inside the shed to start and brace the doors so they can't get in/out for 5 days (I suspect they are squeezing in/out through a gap at the bottom of the door). I will brace that door closed tight.

For the chicken pens I have removed ALL food stations and only give in the morning the food they need for the day. I removed all large waterers and gave each pen 1 gallon waterers that have to be refilled daily (usually running out by dark) so the rodents don't have a water supply to pass more germs through. We pulled down the roofing over the enclosed dirt floor storage areas to minimize good nesting spots. I have already used Bobcat Urine and dirty cat litter, and today I am picking up dirty ferret litter to spread around the chicken pens. I am hoping that so many predator smells will drive them away as I have NOT caught any more rats (they are so smart) and I am working on the mouse population. I don't have barn cats wandering loose because the road is so close to the barn and people drive so fast that I'd need to have road savvy cats to keep them safe.

View attachment 170854

Seems about time you got some hardware cloth and set it at least a foot down in the ground next to the pens.

Or, invest in something like this ....

 

[ArkRescue]

For your consideration ...



Seems about time you got some hardware cloth and set it at least a foot down in the ground next to the pens.

Or, invest in something like this ....

For your consideration ...



Seems about time you got some hardware cloth and set it at least a foot down in the ground next to the pens.

Or, invest in something like this ....

I wish that would stop them but some pens are attached to the barn and those are large 25'x15' ? foot pens and it would cost me a fortune to add more hardware cloth (already on sides and front) so I am thinking I will have to continue to set mouse snap traps and keep food/water only available during the day for those pens. I have other types of pens/coops that are not as easily wrapped (chain link) as the rodents climb quite well. The best protected pens I have are Amish Coops with a run attached (below) and I keep the food/water INSIDE the coop which is closed at night with no access for rodents (sits off the ground). I wish I had more of these.

 

[ArkRescue]

PS - that air rodent killer for almost $200? I did research into that and sadly as soon as 1 rodent sees another one dead they avoid it so your next pool of potential victims gets smaller each time it kills one depending on how many rodents were nearby or stroll by later and see the dead one. Otherwise it seems like a great option.