Oh Rats!!!

[ReneesRanch]

So we had a sink hole a couple blocks away a few weeks back and since then the town has been ripping up the storm drains under the roadway to ensure the creek flows better. This creek runs under a road and goes down behind 99 Restaurant, Dunkin, DeAngelos, McDonalds…you get the idea. All of the sudden I have a rat. Not too big. I thought a chipmunk was digging. Sure enough, I set up my trail cam and I catch the lil bugger at night. It’s only been 5 days…but that lil one is SMART! I tried the have a heart, and I put some darn good treats in there. Nothing. I sprayed deterrent all around the parameter and over by ky shed. Nope, still on cam! Then I bought Rat Magic. Man I can smell that all the way across my yard. Nope, still digging. I even caught him chatting at the camera, I think he was laughing at me.
Now I keep the coop and run clean and pick up food daily. It isn’t a dirty coop or run ever.
This lil guy is killing me. But I am being VERY creative. I use Cedarific cat litter. biodegradable. Safe. Natural and soaked in kitty urine. I know it can cause respiratory problems, too. But I have a plan. i scooped the litter, bagged it and sprinkled it all around the outside of my run and down to my shed (the direction it comes from. Away from the chickens but in the rodent path. Fingers crossed this works. I am in the middle of building a new coop and run that will have hardware cloth all around and the food will be inside. I can’t kill the lil bugger. I also ordered the bucket lid trap just in case.
Fingers crossed there will be no rodent on the cam tomorrow!

 

[Aunt Angus]

So we had a sink hole a couple blocks away a few weeks back and since then the town has been ripping up the storm drains under the roadway to ensure the creek flows better. This creek runs under a road and goes down behind 99 Restaurant, Dunkin, DeAngelos, McDonalds…you get the idea. All of the sudden I have a rat. Not too big. I thought a chipmunk was digging. Sure enough, I set up my trail cam and I catch the lil bugger at night. It’s only been 5 days…but that lil one is SMART! I tried the have a heart, and I put some darn good treats in there. Nothing. I sprayed deterrent all around the parameter and over by ky shed. Nope, still on cam! Then I bought Rat Magic. Man I can smell that all the way across my yard. Nope, still digging. I even caught him chatting at the camera, I think he was laughing at me.
Now I keep the coop and run clean and pick up food daily. It isn’t a dirty coop or run ever.
This lil guy is killing me. But I am being VERY creative. I use Cedarific cat litter. biodegradable. Safe. Natural and soaked in kitty urine. I know it can cause respiratory problems, too. But I have a plan. i scooped the litter, bagged it and sprinkled it all around the outside of my run and down to my shed (the direction it comes from. Away from the chickens but in the rodent path. Fingers crossed this works. I am in the middle of building a new coop and run that will have hardware cloth all around and the food will be inside. I can’t kill the lil bugger. I also ordered the bucket lid trap just in case.
Fingers crossed there will be no rodent on the cam tomorrow!

That's clever! Let us know if it works!

I have rats in my run, but it's been under control for a while thanks to a neighbor's cat and some rat electrocuting traps. Those work great if you find you can't keep them at bay. No poison, so I toss the carcasses at the far end of our property for the cats, foxes, and vultures.