A Stable Relationship

[hutch6 550]

I've been taking care of the rats at a local stable for some time and the numbers are down somewhat but having horses in the stables with rats nesting in the straw beds is never an easy thing to deal with.

 

I had a call on Friday to say that a few nests had been uncovered during the weekly clean up and could I come sort them out with either dogs or ferrets. Well my two collies are no good with rats as there is no way I am wanging one of those for them to fetch again and I don't know anyone one with working terriers.The only thing left was the ferrets and I knew just the man.

 

A few month ago the same stables warned me not to shoot the ferret they had wandering about whilst I was stationing myself for night sessions on the scaley tails. I never did see the ferret and assumed it was one that had been put to ground and didn't come out, never got dug for and had to fend for itself.

A few weeks went by and I still hadn't seen it wandering about. Anyway I do some shooting at another stables further down the valley and they called me to say the fox had killed yet another clutch of hens and could I come down to see if I could pass my opinion on how it had gotten into their Fort Knox set up.

I arrived and had a look around whilst the series of events leading up to the pillage were recalled. Things just didn't add up and as the husband went off to get the wife to explain things as she was the one that had locked up the hens and let them out again I popped my head around the corner to see a fezza's head popping out of a rat hole under the foundations for the chicken building. I called my mate who has ferrets and he came up and we captured the little killer with my mate taking him in and giving him a good home.

 

Anyway. Yesterday I picked my mate up along with three of his fezzas, one being the one we rescued. We headed up tot he stables and were abruptly greeted with conflicting opinions which is always the case - "aww you goign to kill defenceless rats? I can't stand them!" Well what is it to be?

We got shown the stables that had been turned over to uncover nests and got to work. The sides of the stables are built up so if the horse lays down it doesn't get stuck and it is on the sides of these banks the rats leave a nice calling cars in the form of a flat half tunnel run where they run along the hay at the side of the walls.

The two pen mate Fezzas were drop in the hay and they rolled, ran, chased, played and did everything except sniff out the rats so we got stuck in turning over the straw for them to run under and patrol. Nothing.

The next stable turned up one rat which we had to hit with the spade as the fezzas were too busy sniffing the walls. Humans 1 - 0 fezzas.

It looked like it was going to be a long day as we'd turned over two full stables for just one rat that was about 3months old. So much for it heaving with them, I see more just sat watching them scurry about.

 

We moved down the bottom stables and put in the rescue fezza "Rogue". He was enthusiastic, determined and tenacious at trying to get back in his box or out of the holes the rats had chewed in the bottom of the doors. After my mate turned over some straw a rat shot towards me as he was working from the back and I from the front. WHACK!! another one gone. WHACK!! and my mate had picked another off. I was losing faith in the fezza idea.

We cleared that stable, had a smoke and a brew then set about the back corner stable.

 

Rogue was dropped at the back and we turned over the straw. A rat bolted towards the stable door so I covered the escape as best I could/ Rogue was in hot pursuit of my mate's trousers and missed it but the rat settled between the horse water bucket and the fezza cage. We dropped Rogue down between the bucket and his cage and my mate used the spade to block any escape from the other side of the water bucket. There was no way out except passed the Rogue. That was soon scuppered as the rat leapt over the fezza box and ran for the stable door. I swung a boot but as Rogue had seen the rat he was following it this time. I volleyed the rat back away from the door but over Rogue's head. This confused him greatly and as he turned to see where it went the rat was already passing him on the blind side. I couldn't swing a boot without taking out both rat and Rogue so quickly open the door to follow the rat's escape. It stuck itself between some horse apothecary boxes (crazy horse ladies). We definitely had it this time. We blocked all escape routes, moved the box forward and drop Rogue in. Immediately there were squeals and a scuffle.After a few seconds the squeals stopped and so did Rogues body movements.At last, the Fezzas had chalked one up.

We tore Rogue from his prized possession and slung him back in the stable. He headed straight back to the stable door to get through the little hole to get to his trophy. Luckily I caught him half way through and dragged him back much to his protest. I stuck an empty bottle in the stable door hole to block and critters, fezzas included, escaping.

Rogue soon lost interest in trying to get through and accepted he was here to stay and seemed to switch on then with a "well if I can;t get to that one I'm gonna get me another!" and he shot over to my mate who was clearing the back left corner, Rogue shot in under the straw and an almighty squeal filled the stables. The straw was moving in a frenzy of activity where Rogue had gone in and then the brawl spilled out into view. The rat wasn't going down easily and it must have taken 20-30 seconds for Rogue to get the upper hand and come out the victor. This time it took some effort to separate Rogue from his victim. He's done all of the work with this one so we let him have a few moments with his prize whilst we took a picture. This was a bigger rat by some way from the others we had been dealing with and to be fare neither of us wanted to grab hold of it and have a tug of war with Rogue. In the end I ended up pulling it from his jaws whilst trying not to gag. I hate rats.

We slung the rat over the stable door and Rogue back into the straw. In the back right corner we lifted the straw and Rogue was straight in. He ran off with a tiny lump in his mouth. It was a still blind baby rat. He dropped it and then came back in for another raid just as we were bringing our boots down hard on the nest. He shot behind us and a squeal cam from just behind me. "OH Christ!! I've knacked the fezza" I thought but when I looked round the fezza had knacked a rat we hadn't even seen set off.

 

We called it quits after that stable as shovelling ton after ton of sodden horse bedding is hard work but we'll be back this weekend for sure but anyone who is local (Bradford) and has terriers we'd be interested in a day up there with them.

 

Here's Rogue with the big rat he battled with.

 

 

[bmull 189]

a very nice read keep up the gooood work :yes: :yes:

[ruggers13 268]

Awesome pal sounds like you had a great day

[vanman1 411]

Cracking write up mate

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Good write up mate enjoyed it?