chickens

Rat problem, war is on the cards

Today I think I have a rat problem. In the chicken run, I noticed a hole. This was not a mouse hole but big enough for a rat to get its grungy little body though. Now I hate rats and I know that rats are a severe threat to my beloved chickens so I needed to attack.

What should I do

First of all, I armed myself with a trusty garden spade. Then I decided to find out how far had that rat needed to dig to get into the run in the first place. I dug and felt a real sense of evil pride that I was demolishing the tunnel that little fiend had dug. Queue evil laughter here….. All the while being on high alert in case one popped its head out, and I needed to run, screaming girlie fashion, to the nearest high spot. I am THAT brave!!

After inspecting the rat traps I noticed that they were empty of bait. Being a girl who excels at delegating, I got my man to glove up and fill all the traps with more bait. I am usually quite a caring person who respects all animals, but not the rat I am afraid. They spread many diseases notably a nasty one called Weil’s disease because it can affect humans. Rats will contaminate my chickens’ feed and water but now they are munching holes in my netted segregation areas.

Rats are vile creatures (in my humble opinion). Most worryingly, the rats will also show my hens no mercy when they are at their most vulnerable. Rats are known to snack on chickens during the night. A rat problem will also severely p*ss my neighbours off if they think that I am attracting them.

Mr Ratty is not getting away with that, especially as I have just cleared my bedroom of chickens and the house smells nice again.

Moral of the story

Remind yourself to keep on top of your inspections. This way you will quickly notice any strange holes or gnawing appearing and tackle the rat problem straight away.

Hopefully, I have done enough to protect my lovelies from becoming victim to the vicious teeth of these nasty beasts. I am most definitely on the case.