Rodent Problems

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Cheshire Chick
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Rodent Problems

Post by Cheshire Chick »

I think I may have a problem with a rat/rats in my chicken run. We have had mice in the coops before but have always managed to keep them at bay with the use of Jeyes Cleaning Fluid and I haven't seen any mice for a while. Each morning I have noticed that soil has been dug up in the run and it seems too much for a mouse. I have found a couple of holes in the run but they don't seem to go very far down. We are concluding that this must be the presence of a rat, but I was under the impression that rats will not go where mice have been. Any advice would be gratefully received. We have invested in an electronic rat/mouse trap, but we have not caught anything in it todate. We do have a lot of squirrels and I was wondering if they have been getting in the run, although I thought that squirrels would nest at night and are only active during daylight. Thank you for any advice.

bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: Rodent Problems

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi if rats you should do something as soon as possible as 2 will become many more .
Obvious ones do not leave feed out . Maybe get a enclosed chicken tread step feeder .
Rats I believe chase the mice away.
Bob
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wendy
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Re: Rodent Problems

Post by wendy »

Hiya.

When I had my chickens.
I got ferret litter fom a friend who had quite a few ferrets.
I put it down the holes and under the house. I did that everytime it rained and never had rats again.
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Cheshire Chick
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Re: Rodent Problems

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Thanks very much Wendy and Bob for your replies - much appreciated. We bring the food in every night, nothing is left out and I have got this electronic trap device, which we put in every night (nothing caught yet). Went down this morning and nothing has been disturbed or dug up so I am hoping whoever it is/was has found somewhere else to live. Ferret litter is good advice - now all I need is to know someone who has a ferret!!! Many thanks, once again.
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KathJ
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Re: Rodent Problems

Post by KathJ »

The ferret litter comment was very interesting as I'd never heard of that. We were plagued with rats last winter and caught quite a few in the cage traps we bought (there are always more around than you think). We also bought a rat proof feeder which is great but if you take the food in then they aren't going for that but to be honest we did see them in the run during the day eating the pellets, they didn't seem bothered by the girls being around! Luckily we haven't seen any for quite a while now but we are now being plagued by a cat instead - I think we've swopped one problem for another as the girls really don't like that being around yike*
Kath xx

Mum to my beautiful girls Lucy, Holly, Rosie, Hettie, Polly, Ruby, Lily, Penny, Gracie, Maisie, Molly, Evie and my gorgeous boy Toby

RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx

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