Baking soda for rat control

[Malquid]

Howard E. is right on the money. Before you start dreaming up creative ways to murder rats send us a picture of your chicken feeder and understand that most people set out a free buffet and then wonder why they get guests. That said, a lot of people go awhile without having a rodent problem but once they do the only sure and quick way is to eliminate what is bringing them there; the chicken feed.

You cannot trap your way out of a rodent problem nor can you poison them all. Rodents are smarter than people think, they very wary of strange things and quickly associate poison and traps with danger. After you catch a few the traps stop working and so does the poison.

You are going to have to get a treadle feeder but shop around a lot and read through the reviews carefully. Most treadle feeders are not rat proof, the bad reviews will tell you. There are so many fake reviews anymore on Amazon, scams where people can purchase and post a review and get their money back and keep the product, even sellers shipping feeders to themselves so they can post a review, but no one posts a negative review unless it is the real deal. But the basics are 100% sheet metal feeders, a narrow and distant treadle, a spring loaded door, and a counterweight. Then you have to have a large difference between the hens and the rats, at least two pounds, and adjust the balance of the treadle feeder. If you have small birds only, a treadle feeder might not work by the time you set it that sensitive and add a wider step so the small bird can reach the feed.

Thanks Al. Can you recommend a brand?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lol about the poison salesman. Too funny.
I like the idea of your feeders but I have over 500 birds right now and a lot of pens between breeder pens and grow out pens. It wouldn't be cost efficient for me to buy a feeder or feeders for that many pens.
I think its been well over two years maybe three since I had the rat problem so just maintaining stations seems to be working and isn't very expensive.
I totally agree about how smart rats are and agree you can never trap them gone.
I think the reason poison worked well for me was because I put so much out at a time. Plenty for every rat and then some and then I switched poisons often. I think that gave the opportunity for so many to take the poison before getting smart to it.
Rats breed fast, really fast. You have to have a plan that eliminates them faster then they breed. Or I guess you can buys some of the feeders and hope they move on.

 

[Howard E]

Curious how the commercial poultry farms keep rats under control?

I know I see bait stations outside the doors of Orscheln, and perhaps some even inside. Probably the same at many feed plants. I was at a nut processing plant in CA a few years back and they had both traps and bait stations out throughout the facility. So bait is what most professional exterminators use.

But it also seems that 90% + of BYC members have both small flocks AND a bias against the use of bait blocks. So if they are not going to be using them, they need an alternative, which is where rat proof feeder enters the picture. Cost should not be an issue for them.

Probably the most effective strategy of all is to use both......the rat proof feeder plus a few bait blocks to pick off the stragglers. Once you get them under control, the feeder will keep the population down, nullifying the need for bait blocks as a general practice. But if left in bait stations, and nobody is eating it, leaving those out there does nominal harm to anything.

 

[Howard E]

Thanks Al. Can you recommend a brand?

Al makes and sells his own. Look under his signature for a link to his website.

If he wants to elaborate, he can, but my take is he ran into a problem with rats while raising his own chickens, and being familiar with things mechanical, set about to make the rat proof feeder, which he later started making and selling.....as a small sideline to a larger, different business.

I would also suggest that in doing this endeavor, he has done something much more produtive than most of us......who mostly offer advice.......both good and bad......but otherwise nothing constructive.

 

[Birdielee]

So if we poison the rats, how are we poisoning the predators? Because they will scavenge the dead body they find laying around? Or thay they will eat the rat before it dies?
Specifically what animals will be injured this way?

Vultures, hawks, raccoons, owls, foxes, cats, dogs, squirrels (i saw one eat roadkill once), skunks, opossums, bats?
I dont have coyotes, bears, or weasels, but feel free to mention others i dont have listed.
Please specify to help me decide.
Al, your feeder is cool, but I'm not ready to spend the $ for my 2 hens to have 2 of your feeders.

 

[Howard E]

Search for "secondary poisoning from rodent bait blocks". Seems to be rare, but there are plenty of BYC members who get their knickers in a bunch about it, especially when it comes to raptors. Owls and such.

And if that is a concern, there are bait blocks that do not have this side affect.......like Terad.....with vitamin D3 as the active ingredient.

 

[Birdielee]

Search for "secondary poisoning from rodent bait blocks". Seems to be rare, but there are plenty of BYC members who get their knickers in a bunch about it, especially when it comes to raptors. Owls and such.

And if that is a concern, there are bait blocks that do not have this side affect.......like Terad.....with vitamin D3 as the active ingredient.

Vit d being toxic to them? Huh. I'll read about it.
Do all other rat poison basically work the same way, internal hemorrhaging?

 

[Birdielee]

Are they eating the poisoned rats live or dead?

 

[cmom]

Lol about the poison salesman. Too funny.
I like the idea of your feeders but I have over 500 birds right now and a lot of pens between breeder pens and grow out pens. It wouldn't be cost efficient for me to buy a feeder or feeders for that many pens.
I think its been well over two years maybe three since I had the rat problem so just maintaining stations seems to be working and isn't very expensive.
I totally agree about how smart rats are and agree you can never trap them gone.
I think the reason poison worked well for me was because I put so much out at a time. Plenty for every rat and then some and then I switched poisons often. I think that gave the opportunity for so many to take the poison before getting smart to it.
Rats breed fast, really fast. You have to have a plan that eliminates them faster then they breed. Or I guess you can buys some of the feeders and hope they move on.

I'm in the same boat. I change baits too now and then. I usually have anywhere from a couple hundred birds plus plus. I have very rarely found a dead rat. I'm still convinced they go down into their tunnels and die. I did originally use the Tomcat baits but the rats weren't toucking them. The feed store down the road used the Just One Bite bait. I bought some and tried it and the rats gobbled it up and as I said I didn't find any dead rats laying around.

 

[Birdielee]

Search for "secondary poisoning from rodent bait blocks". Seems to be rare, but there are plenty of BYC members who get their knickers in a bunch about it, especially when it comes to raptors. Owls and such.

And if that is a concern, there are bait blocks that do not have this side affect.......like Terad.....with vitamin D3 as the active ingredient.

Ugh. Thanks. I searched what you said and really don't want to cause anything to be in death throes for up to a week. I'll go back to being more diligent about making food unavailable in the afternoon, and research the just one bite bait. I guess I'm not quite to the point of bait.
Ah, but I just remembered that in the last 2 days they dug and chewed 2 potatoes and rook some bites out of almost 10 tomatoes. I assume it was the rats. Not cool.