Rats!!

[Devonian]

Bear in mind it's not only the chicken feed that the rats are after, they'll also eat the chicken poo!

[Steve]

A big plastic flower pot with a little door cut out and a breeze block on top will prevent your cats treading on the traps.

[Tartar Horde]

Block up any holes you see with broken glass, be careful!! Scythe is right traps are the way to go, they will work all day and night. Shooting them is not at all efficient, makes you feel a bit better, but it will not solve your problem, merely reduce it till they breed themselves back into dominance. There's no shortcut to controlling Rats, it's a War of attrition where you have to destroy their food and shelter with grim determination. You have to respect the Rat, as nasty as they are they possess amazing powers of survival.

[bigpaul]

at the end of the day its just another animal doing what it can to survive.

[MaryN]

Well, it's harvest time here and the rat problem has started up again. We appear to have a couple of really brazen beasties in the chicken run, and I'm determined to solve it this year. I completely lost the plot last week when one erupted from just in front of me; I just didn't see it. We have tried bait and rat traps with and without bait. No luck. OH had evidently had enough of my hissing and swearing last week and frogmarched me into the nearest country store. We now possess a .22 air rifle; quite good enough to take down a rat or two apparently. Anyway, after a bit of muttering that he hadn't fired an air rifle for years, he drew a rough target and tacked it against a wall. Loaded a pellet and promptly hit the tiny dot he had made for the bullseye! O.K. then. I now expect action. One rat stuffed and mounted As extra incentive I have promised a day of doing whatever he likes if I am presented with a dead rat.

I must point out I am not a particularly bloodthirsty person, I just hate rats!

[Steve]

Much as I prefer rabbit and pigeon shooting with the 0.177 calibre, I'm happy to admit that the .22 is the tool for short range ratting, especially with flat head pellets. Even the biggest rat won't survive a decent hit.

My lad recently cleared our barn with his .22 Airsporter, he got 14 rats in short order by tempting them out of cover with cheap cat food.

Good luck.

[Mortblanc]

Put out bait, duct tape a torch below the barrel, sit out a lawn chair and cold beverage and wait for dark.

[CharlesHarris]

Lots of old fashioned Victor rat traps and peanut butter will do the job. A couple Jack Russells are also good. As for shooting rats, using a spotlight and .22 gallery rifle with short hollowpoints is perfect if allowed. Air rifle doesn't provide volume fire, but is effective to supplement other methods. But most eco friendly method is a pair of Jack Russells who will compete against each other. Keep them a bit hungry and reward them with canned food or kibble ONLY after they have killed a rat. They will learn Pavlov's Law quickly and soon become eager, bloodthirty little rat catchers!

[MaryN]

I'm amazed and thrilled! One. Dead. Rat! First shot. OH is debating what he wants to do with his "day".

[harrypalmer]

Well don Mary, but there is a massive difference between pinging one rat in an infestation and getting the infestation under control, traps work, poison will do a better job though.

ONE pair of rats can produce up to 2000 rats in one year.