rats!!!!

[Guest MBpigeonguy]

this morning i found a 24 day old chick missing!!! from the floor of the breeding section!! latly i have found alot of big holes going under my loft!! but im not sure its rats but thats my first guess because i keep a bail of straw in my breeding section for nesting matirials, and i found that this mornig there was a huge hole about 3 inches wide coming out of the bail, i had the bail removed and i found no holes leading outside any were near the bail, the chick that is missing its nest mate under the wings there is little blood pluse he cant use both legs verry much!!! now if this animal has chicks from the floor and then will it be able to get my breeder bird? becouse i feed them on the floor!!!! help, how can i get rid of the animal, i could trow poison under my loft at the holes but what if its no rat and it will not eat poison and come back again and again?

[Guest]

Had bother with rats years ago - no pigeons then - but remember environmental health chap telling me that modern rat poisons are designed so that it gets on the animal's coat, it takes it back to its nest, just one lick of the fur. and they're all dead.

[The White Rapido Man]

its definately ratty mate.............he will readily take young chicks.....and now its getting colder they set up home where they can access food readily..

 

You need to be careful using the pellets...if he eats it under the loft and comes into the the loft, he can easily transitt poison into your loft through faeces or whatever which could be fatal to the birds...not only that, in some feed there are ingredients that actually counteract the effects of the poison!!.......

 

best solution would be to buy a cage trap that will catch him alive....cover the trap and bait it will the smelliest thing you can find....tuna is usually a killer.......put the trap along the side a the wall as ratty skulks in the corners..rarely crossing into the open.....it may take a day or so as theya re very nevous creatures..but once he get used to it.......he'll be in.....transfer the rat in the trap to the waiting water butt.......& bobs ye uncle....

 

oh......I am a pest cntroller for a couple of shooting sydicates so I know what I;m on with....there are other methods I can discuss with you if this fails...but all in all this is by far the safest method for the birds

 

[Guest MBpigeonguy]

ok im actualy scared of rats, i know males sould not be but i am!!! i ahve seen tons of mice in my loft!! but they will not kill a pigeon right, i have a mouse trap but no catches il see if i can find a rat trap!!! but i might not find one, btw i took the nest mate into the yb section wich is new and sapatate from the real loft,

[lofty]

Hi either get an electonic rat trap (about£25) and set it against the wall inside your loft

a couple of bricks occluding the entrance so your birds can't get in should avoid accidents

Or use FEN traps these are  legal if used in a tunnel (available from EBAY about £6 each) A couple of house bricks set end to end 6" away from a wall with a board over the top and leaving the ends open will do

you can spot rat runs easily becouse the soil will be flattened down and take on a slightly shiny apearance they are about 2-3" wide and start about an inch from a wall

 

a few hints on Rats

1/ they hate to venture into the open (owls are a big threat to them) but prefer to run along the base of walls

 

2/ once they have established a territory anything new in the vicinity is treated with suspicion and avoided for days

 

3/they can smell tobacco for weeks so if you smoke wear gloves when setting traps

 

4/ after setting spring traps (fens etc) sprinkle them with boiling water and use a fine sive to sprinkle soil over them (or whatever they are set on) this hides any strange smells

 

5/if, God forbid, they do kill a bird use it as bait in the trap I have known rats kill half grown ducks and tow them away accross a river

 

6/they spread disease which can kill your birds (salmonella,psudotuberculosis)

and affect you (weils disease or leptospirosis) in a study 50% of rats were found to carry weils disease in their urine

 

7/they make deep wounds in their victims as the lower teeth curve round in an arc

stoats and weasels form 4 small punture wounds also stoats etc usually chew the neck first, Rats chew haphazardly and will jump at the wings of a struggling bird and bite at them first  

 

good luck

Lofty

[George UK]

i could not understand what happened to my birds to so i put a cam in the loft and clocked the time they was comming in and was there with my 22 air rifle done the trick for me

 

[Guest]

Good info lofty.  

 

Solved a 36 yo mystery for me, found a 10/12 day old youngster dead at the wire fence behind my loft, two deep 'sabre-tooth holes' in its back behind the neck and nothing else, never did find out what took it from the nest, out in the country and loads of wildlife, thought maybe a stoat or something like that ..  sounds like it was a rat, and never gave that a thought.

[Guest]

i had trouble with rats a few years back!...they would rip the heads off birds to get at their crops,i caught 8 in 7 days in a trap...had two on the one night ,believe me ...rats are very inteligent animals.

the most common poison given to rats is a anti coagilant(spelling) it thins their blood and they cant get warm.its designed so they die in their holes....paul.

[DOVEScot]

Tuna and antifreeze is a good bait/poison,

my latest solution to setting traps for unwanted rodents is a mushroom basket, you can aquire loads from any chinese carryout, turned upside down in our food store, place a board on top then a weight on top of the board, the four pegs that are for stacking them make ideal feet allowing them into the trap area

I will post a photo of them later today

I have been in Burslem, Stoke on Trent today seeking out a different rat, the two legged Mr Coxy but he evaded me this time, but I have got loads of traps for this type of rat   ;) , looks like he comes from a family of rats :o

[George UK]

i always thougt my ex wifes boyfrend was a rat lol

[George UK]

paul u ro right with rats its like pigeons be pation u will be back and kill them:)

[ACE LOFTS]

i would go to my local diy shop and get a back bracker trap, wack a bit of cheese on it or chocolate and then wack bobs your uncle and fannys your aunt

[Back garden fancier]

Lots of good advice, but if you're scared of rats then poison would be best option. The other thing to remember is rats only come for food, so make sure your corn bins are rat proof and there's no food in the loft for them. If theres no food they'll move on.

[EAGLEOWL]

put some van vermin on some wheat that will kill them like no tomorrow but keep away from birds or they will be killed if they eat it .

[DOVEScot]

put some van vermin on some wheat that will kill them like no tomorrow but keep away from birds or they will be killed if they eat it .

 

What is van vermin and where do you get it

Does it work on crooxy vermin ;D ;D ;D

[retired]

if i see a rat in my loft i would be hanging from the roof trusses to keep away from it

[Guest MBpigeonguy]

ok this morning i will run to my dads barn to get poison, and a spring trap, i have not noticed any other birds missing!!! becouse the rat was in my breeding loft, all the birds are now full grown and only come down to eat 2 a day, so maby the rat cannot get them, and in my yb loft last night i settles 27 yb drom another guy, every colore pigeon there is i have now!!! i just hope the rat cannot get into my yb loft, its new and there is no place were he can sqeeze into the loft uless he chews trought the wood, i kust hope the hell he dont!!! becouse my yb all sit on the floor,

[EAGLEOWL]

 

What is van vermin and where do you get it

Does it work on crooxy vermin ;D ;D ;D

 

VERMINE EX IS USED FOR PARASITES &MOTHS IN THE LOFT THIS IS VERY GOOD FOR KILLING ALL SORTS ,I SEEN SOMEONE WHO HAD A VERY BIG PROBLEM WITH RATS KILL THE LITTLE SODS LIKE NO TOMORROW WITH IT APPLIED TO WHEAT ,BUT BEAWRE IT WILL KILL YOUR BIRDS IF THEY EAT IT IN MINUTES .

 

[Roland]

 

VERMINE EX IS USED FOR PARASITES &MOTHS IN THE LOFT THIS IS VERY GOOD FOR KILLING ALL SORTS ,I SEEN SOMEONE WHO HAD A VERY BIG PROBLEM WITH RATS KILL THE LITTLE SODS LIKE NO TOMORROW WITH IT APPLIED TO WHEAT ,BUT BEAWRE IT WILL KILL YOUR BIRDS IF THEY EAT IT IN MINUTES .

 

Best left in Pipes aside lofts / buildings, as rats, and mice for that matter, hardly ever, if ever pass up the chance to enter them. Of course set well inside and too small for a pigeon enter.

[Guest shadow]

rats will soon chew through wood in one night I would get your birds off the floor until you catch it just to be on the safe side I once lost 6 y/b@ in one night did not even know a rat was in the loft. got him the next night.

[markspigeons]

i a old farmers boy, my dad use to get some cement sling in a lot of sugar and leave it near the rat holes at first dark it sets in the gut of the rat and kills them, always worked back then lol

[DOVEScot]

i a old farmers boy, my dad use to get some cement sling in a lot of sugar and leave it near the rat holes at first dark it sets in the gut of the rat and kills them, always worked back then lol

 

Brilliant I can see that working,

In the mines we used antifreeze and bread, also before my time they used to use the carbine of their lamps, correct me if I am wrong

 

Rats do love pipes, we used to hit pipes with a hammer before we lifted them as there were usually rats in them

[solo]

try and get some ferret muck off a ferret keeper,and throw it under the shed,that will shift them

[THE FIFER]

dont know if you still get it but the old carbine miners used in their lamps was good ground down and mixed into food, wont tell you what happens when they eat it,   ;) even sleeping pills ground and mixed into food,

[Roland]

i a old farmers boy, my dad use to get some cement sling in a lot of sugar and leave it near the rat holes at first dark it sets in the gut of the rat and kills them, always worked back then lol

 

Yep and something THEY never get immuned to! Same as I say Porridge Oats or such!

Same go's for mice!!! And like I say also ideal inside a pipe!