Rats are evil.

[MehgaLegs]

Poor Lulu, my clucky mama hen and her three chicks were attacked by a rat last night, one chick has died .

Lulu and other three seem ok this morning.

Was watching Bruce Willis hostage film which was just getting tense when realised I could hear the chicks, then Lulu going ballsiitic and lots of thudding (she is in the ark in back garden). I screamed (poor DH, he was asleep) and legged it outside shouting, thought it was a fox, whole ark rocking and two chicks in the flower bed. Opened back door of ark Lulu jumped out then a big rat shot past my feet.

Lulu gathered chicks, DH arrived with torch and when I moved the nest box for a head count found third chick badly bitten and dead.

Really upsetting. Rat proofed ark with bricks and a fire guard but am going to add some extra netting today.

Lulu and other two I mean.

They are such evil things - I lost a bantam to one last year Hope the chicks are settling.

We found a dead rat in the run with our guinea pigs a couple of weeks ago.

We're not sure if the eternally good-natured guineas got all kick-arse, and ganged up on it, or whether another rat was involved.

Either way, we're very lucky that the guineas are still alive and kicking.

Sorry about your chick, Mega. It's so upsetting isn't it? And poor mama Lulu.

Vile creatures. How did it get in?

I've got my broody coop on an overgrown brick path at the moment, it's rather brilliant because it's covered in thick grass but there's no hope of anything digging a tunnel. It's hard-wire too so no gnawing through that. (And is an excellent excuse not to clear the paths post-birth!) I just need to watch nothing goes through the woodwork.

At least it's nice weather to make your improvements. How is Lulu this morning? She's not having the best spring is she? - give her some sweetcorn from me!

Poor bantam bp. I'd never worried about rats before, with the chicks it's usually crows and magpies in the daytime and the fox at night.

HC - I was worried about our guniea as she is out on the lawn in her run too but it's a better run and she's survived three years now so I think she'll be ok.

DoN - Think it must have got in underneath. The ark is sitting next to a flower border on the lawn so is a small gap between base and grass, might have squeezed under. Also there is a gap in wood at the covered end, again very small but rats can squeeze quite flat can't they?

There is also one top section that is covered in the larger grade chicken wire as DH ran out of the smaller stuff.

I have moved the ark onto the patio and put bricks all around. Will replace loose wood panel and big chicken wire.

I haven't seen a rat for ages but I saw one in the shed earlier when I was putting the bikes away.

We always underestimate how small a hole vermin can get through. When the fox got into our henhouse last year, he took the chicken wire off a square of window that was no more than 4" square - and over 5ft high with nothing to climb on. If I hadn't seen the carnage and the bloody footprints up the inside wall where he got out, I'd never have believed it possible.

Have you got some traps for your new unwanted visitors?

Hoorah for HumphryCusion's guinea pigs!

We have an eglu for our guineas but rats can get in through the run wire. Couldn't believe it when I saw it. It didn't attack the gunieas just went in and helped itself to some food.

MIL has traps. She is bringing them over this eve.

oh bollocks I was going to get some guinea pigs aswell. Poor environmental health pest control seem to be camped out in our WHOLE street atm so maybe the guineas will have to wait

why are there so many of the feckers anyway? i have never known anything like it

oops and sorry about your chicks

traps dont seem to work here either. The only thing that stops them is (a) killing them with poison or (b) putting smashed up glass around the edges of things (like in cavaties etc)

We have the rat man coming on Friday. They live between the garden fences/under decking though and seem to visit so I don't think we'll be able to stop that.

yurt they will most probably bait under the decking if there is any way of doing that, that is

Our man says ours are coming from the drains, so we have all new covers etc and still a problem. Now they are baiting the drains. They are bloody everywhere I tell you

Yurt, I wonder if the rats were just visiting our guineas to pinch food too?

The dead rat was described by DS1 as "sadly lacking in the face department". [grotesque dead body emoticon]

DS2 declared himself shocked, and disbelieving of the fact that "Ron and Squeaky could nibble to face off anything".

Seems more likely to have been two rats fighting to the death, I think.

Anyway, guineas were unharmed, thankfully.

I love the link, Enterobius!

Bloody rats. Tracking powder is really effective - put a spoonful of it into a narrow pipe or inners of a carpet tube. It sticks to their fur and paws then they lick it off.
here.
We sprinkle flour on the ground the night before to see where they go then put drainage pipes along the shed wall with the tracking powder in it. Watch out if you have cats though...

Poor DS, Humphrey, having to face the fact that Ron and Squeaky might have psychopathic tendencies. Our two (Carob and Handsome Pete) would eat the face off anything that was foolish enought to come into their cage without making it clear that it wasn't lettuce.

pmsl ev!

(P.S., I blame Ron. I can't imagine that Squeaky would have had anything to do with it.)

oh
I remember a rat attacking our guinea pigs when we were little, and literally ripping the 3 week old babies to pieces. My poor brother discovered the carnage in the morning, it was NOT nice.

for lulu and the chick and you!

can you get a terrier? they are usually good at catching rats..

Neighbours used to have a Jack Russel who kept the rats at bay. Our cat catches the odd one now and again. She was asleep at the end of my bed last night when i was leaping around like a mad woman in the garden.

And I misse dthe end of the film.

DS4 asleep so am off to rat proof the ark. Have also found some rat poison in shed.

Hope you get it sorted. I wish I could lend you my terrier. He would love to have a go at your rats.

Right, I have fixed hole in roof, added some extra batons to keep the chicken wire flush at the edges, cut my foot on a screw and sawn my own arm .

Rats BEWARE.

I am going to try GentleOtter's flour trick tonight and see where the little gits are coming from.