Rats - AAaaaRGH!

[Shark]

Only animals I don't feel some empathy for are rats and snakes

You need to talk to more Chook breeders about the wonder of Foxes.
Down here in Vic can easily become quite the snake sypmathiser, plenty snakes here but not a bother to aviaries like you northerners.

[Craig52]

Reminds me of a funny story...years ago I had a large avairy in Mackay....found after couple of seasons some rat tunnels....so I thought best way was to pour petrol down all the holes I could see (bet you can imagine what happped next) well there was about fifteen holes all with fuel in them...I put the container out of fire range, went to the furthest part of the avairy to light the first hole (not thinking they were all interconnected) lit it and next thing I know I was surrounded with explosions birds going nuts..and no way of getting to the door and no way through the tough wire lol lol...after a couple of minutes it all settled down but it was pretty hairy for a while...needless to say I have never poured fuel down a rat or mouse hole again...best thing though killed all the $%^$#s..

I've got a funny story too,got a 9kg gas bottle,cut the end off the hose put it in the rat hole and blocked around it,turned it on for a couple of minutes result no more rats and mice.The rats and mice never use that hole again. Craig

[vettepilot_6]

Reminds me of a funny story...years ago I had a large avairy in Mackay....found after couple of seasons some rat tunnels....so I thought best way was to pour petrol down all the holes I could see (bet you can imagine what happped next) well there was about fifteen holes all with fuel in them...I put the container out of fire range, went to the furthest part of the avairy to light the first hole (not thinking they were all interconnected) lit it and next thing I know I was surrounded with explosions birds going nuts..and no way of getting to the door and no way through the tough wire lol lol...after a couple of minutes it all settled down but it was pretty hairy for a while...needless to say I have never poured fuel down a rat or mouse hole again...best thing though killed all the $%^$#s..

I've got a funny story too,got a 9kg gas bottle,cut the end off the hose put it in the rat hole and blocked around it,turned it on for a couple of minutes result no more rats and mice.The rats and mice never use that hole again. Craig

Ohhh I like that one Craig...just dont light it huh... ..I think I will try that next time..

[maz]

Average litter size for a rat is around 10 but can go up to 20, they are sexually mature anytime after 5 weeks of age and pregnancy lasts 3 weeks, they can and do get pregnant again immediately after birth, so a mature female will give birth every three weeks or there abouts (there may be some delay). The natural attrition rate in a wild colony would be pretty high though, but still if they have plenty of food and a good tunnel system they can reach huge numbers VERY quickly.

[E Orix]

Since finding the 4 small rats a few days ago there hasn't been anymore found.
I think the pleasing thing is the baits are not being touched at the moment so we live in hope.
Can't smell death either

[SamDavis]

Sounds positive E.Orix and based on your comments throughout the thread you've lost few if any birds to the rats. Maybe they get a taste for birds once they've taken one. The rat in my aviary was an absolute serial killer. And it seemed the bugger was particularly good at nighttime nest raids based on the number of murdered adults and chicks I found in nests. In any case it's a close call and it seems you've been really lucky.

[Nrg800]

The other problem with rats is that they're very invasive, not aggressive (which can be flaunted by reintroducing the Bush Rat, which is more aggressive, and will drive Black Rats out), but invasive, so, when you get rid of them, more come pretty quickly. Due to the dispersion rates that Maz was alluding to.

Nonetheless, found another one from the bait tonight, that makes 5 for me.

[lardles]

Since slashing some gorse/blackberries in a paddock a few months about 300-400m from the avairies (and seeing rats pop out of rabbit holes in the process), I have had them in the shed next to the avairies, (but not inside, although the mice are back). Keeping the baits up to them I have found 8 or 9 dead rats in shed.

Applying the 10 for 1 seen rule.................dont want to think about it.

I did get rid of them for a while, but found a smallish one a week or two again dead, so they may be back.

Even with mice proof wire and concrete footings the damn mice are back in the avairies.

Just have to keep the baits up to them - 4ltr ice cream containers with small hole in it around the place with brick on top to keep kids/dogs out.

[E Orix]

Still so far so good,I guess it's nearly a week since any dead rats were found.
I have so many bait station around but not one has been eaten as per the rats.
A few mouse nibbles and some dead mice around.They are getting easier to control now as the cooler/wetter
periods tend to drive them into the drier areas which are far easier to bait.
I think we must be down to the last 200 and still exterminating.