Pests under my chicken coup

[rex 8]

Hi Guys,

 

Didnt know which section was best to post this in so thought I would plum for General.

 

Having kept poultry for years I have had a few unwanted visitors but nothing to serious and I have always just dropped abit of poison down and seems to have done the trick.

 

I have quite a large chicken pen with a large run with a slabbed floor, I am 99% sure it rats there are 3 holes around the edge of the slabs with quite abit of earth piled up outside.

 

I have today set a small fenn trap near to one of the entrances and baited it with some dog food.

 

I am after your opions as which way to tackle the little buggers! I dont want to use poison as I now have 2 dogs ( Lurcher and Patterdale ).

 

I am a pretty good shot with my air rifle and I have access to a logun lamp ( gun mounted )if this is the way to go what is the best way to bait them for shooting?

 

I have access to an old smoker and let the dogs have some run haha.

 

So what do you think is best .... trap, air rifle, dogs???

 

Thanks

 

Rex

[Richie10 345]

Dogs.

[rabbit reaper 26]

smoke them out mate and let the dogs have abit fun you will be on forever picking them off with an air rifle

[SEAN3513 7]

trapping or smoking would be my choice

[stubby 175]

you say the chickens are housed on concrete slab that the holes are under, so smoking with a petrol engine might not be the best plan for the chickens, as gasses may harm them, unless you know someone with a rat attack smoker (harmless smoke)

 

the air rifle option will work, just make sure you have a good backstop for missed shots, and lay out some liquidized cat/dog food in a suitable place to get the rats to stop, check this out in the daytime and have a few practise shots to make sure you hitting the spot

or

 

see how the mk4 fenn trap goes, make sure you build a suitable tunnel over it, wood or bricks to keep within the law, saves any non target species getting caught, if this catches, then maybe carry on with this, one a night would'ent be bad

[pluckers son 0]

get some little nipper rat traps mate there about £3 each and do the job nice....bait with peanut butter and watch your fingers in the traps because thay go with a GOOD SLAP

[Guest ROUGH COATED]

Pull the slabs up and let the DOG'S have some fun

[rex 8]

Thanks for the fast replys guys,

 

Stubby that was my only concern with smoking em out. I have read somewher that a can of dog food with holes drilled in it is a good way of keeping them in a single position long enough to get a shot away. back drop is not a problem.

I will put some peanut butter on the trap and see how that goes tonight, if not I am off work tomorrow so i will have an hour n sit out and see what happens with rifle in hand

 

Shame would have been good experience for the patterdale to have some fun!

 

I will keep you posted

[Malt 379]

What about a multi entrance live capture trap? You can then dispatch them with an airgun.

Edited January 21, 2010 by maltenby

[The one 8,512]

Try setting a mk4 permanently in a tunnel

[IanB 0]

Want to buy some 110 bodygrips

[pritchy 2]

id say a good live trap or leave them dogs do what comes natural!!

[kill um with crisps 7]

As youve got dogs i wouldnt of thought a fenn trap baited with dog food would be the most fantastic of ideas! Lol! Poison applied properly would be the most efficient way of sorting it out. Shooting will take out a few and so will the dogs, a three pronged attack perhaps?

[TAZ BOY 4]

run a ferret through and have the dogs waiting. use a trap during the night hope you get them alb

[theferreter 311]

set a live trap with peanut butter or nuttall that should catch the fuckers for you best of luck