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Post by brownrexx on Apr 13, 2015 8:54:44 GMT -5
We may have the same situation this year. We have a ground level deck and yesterday we found some holes and I thought that they were rabbit nests but they went into actual tunnels under the deck. They are too big for voles and too small for groundhogs so I am getting the creepy feeling that it is rats again. The incident with the duck pond was at least 7 or 8 years ago so it is not the same ones.
Hubby put some dirt in the holes this morning to see if they dig it out but he is coming home with rat poison tonight. My cats have been sitting at the windows obsessively watching this area so I am pretty sure that we have a problem again.
I hate using poisons but I CAN'T have rats. I can live with voles but rats are a different story. They must go.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 13, 2015 8:57:46 GMT -5
We posted over each other OM. I had bird feeders all winter in this area so if I have rats they were probably feasting on seeds. But I cleaned and brought in the feeders yesterday so I need to deal with this problem before they head for the chicken coop. We have wire buried all around it but you know how rats are they can probably tunnel under it. Now I am really worried.
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Post by OregonRed on Apr 13, 2015 11:44:31 GMT -5
I could tell stories about roof rats in so. cal. at APARTMENTS -
caught one IN THE HOUSE at the last house I was at.
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Post by claude on Apr 13, 2015 13:44:07 GMT -5
Will they hurt the chickens? I don't use poison for anything else..but I feel the same way...they are not living here with me.!
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 13, 2015 14:21:48 GMT -5
I think that rats can gnaw on their feet as they are sleeping on the roost. How awful. No problems with the chickens so far.
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Post by oliverman on Apr 13, 2015 20:59:16 GMT -5
Never have had a problem with rats actually bothering the chickens, and infestation has been pretty bad a couple times. Once a mink came along and took care of the problem. Only trouble is, he started killing hens when the rats were gone.
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Post by gardendmpls on Apr 13, 2015 22:08:19 GMT -5
I also was going to clean the coop this past Sunday, but first I had to spread out compost pile #2 on the garden beds so I could turn pile #1 into the vacant #2 spot so that I could put the chicken cleanings in the pile#1 spot. I got as far as spreading half the compost pile when I found that I tire more easily, now that I'm older, so I sat down for a while and watched the chickens before going in to do other things. May hire our out of work friend to spread the compost, turn the pile and dig out the coop. I'm always ready to help those in need, especially when they are me.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 14, 2015 8:49:50 GMT -5
We also spread the compost first but hubby has a mid sized garden tractor with a bucket so he takes big buckets full of compost and dumps them on the garden and then we can rake it around. It makes it a lot easier. I can't imagine how my shoulders and back would feel if I had to move it all by hand.
We filled in the possible rat holes yesterday morning and so far nothing has opened them up again. Maybe the feral cat that we fed over the winter took care of the problem for us. I have not seen any rabbits so far this year but I did see blood spots on the snow during the winter.
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Post by ncgarden on Apr 14, 2015 14:20:48 GMT -5
Thankfully, my barn cats seem to do a good job at keeping all rodents away; I do find the occasional mouse in the sheep barn, but no rats! We had a horrible infestation one year in our attic space in California - required a professional exterminator.
Ethel has gone broody - now to decide whether to ride it out or get her some eggs....
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Post by binnylou on Apr 18, 2015 5:27:45 GMT -5
Ethel has gone broody - now to decide whether to ride it out or get her some eggs.... Get the lady some eggs. You know you want some baby chicks.
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Post by ncgarden on Apr 18, 2015 5:40:56 GMT -5
binnylou!! (a) I have 14 hens, I do not need any more chickens (b) I really do not want to have to deal with any more roosters (c) I got her 4 fertile eggs and she is due on May 7 - such a good mother she is!
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 18, 2015 7:27:27 GMT -5
I also have 14 chickens. One rooster and 13 hens. We were able to look at the adorably cute chicks at Tractor Supply last night and we just walked away.
I have enough chickens also, especially now that I looked out the window this morning and see that they dug up my garlic bed yesterday. Grrrr.
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Post by claude on Apr 18, 2015 7:36:08 GMT -5
Well you know that if you were able to walk away from buying more chicks..the seed purchase fairy is gonna snatch you....
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Post by OregonRed on Apr 18, 2015 9:41:37 GMT -5
claude: hahahahha
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 18, 2015 11:40:10 GMT -5
Grrrrr. BAD chickens!
I have a double row of garlic planted near the herb garden, just behind the house. Well yesterday, my free ranging chickens dug and scratched right up the center between the two rows of garlic and chicken tilled the herb bed too.
Only 2 of the garlic plants were completely uprooted but all of the rest were laying down because their soil had been pulled away. I only have a couple of herb plants that came back from last year (thyme and oregano) but all of the soil was pulled away from them too.
As I was putting the soil back in place with my hands, I kept looking over at the chickens in their outside pen and saying BAD chickens.
They were begging to be let out but they can forget about that until about an hour before dusk. They were outside almost all day yesterday. More than enough time for them to cause trouble!
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