Rats!

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jasmine2009

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Hi all
The yard im at is over run with rats just wondered if there being so many around if it could effect my horse especially as i keep finding them at the bottom of his water bucket :-S
Thanks :-)
 
Rats do carry things i wouldn't want them in my water buckets, don't think horse will drink out of it once it has fallen in though.

We have had a rat problem, in 8 years of keeping horses i have always kept a load of carrots in a bucket on the floor no problem, two nights ago the rats stole about a hundred carrots the bucket was empty bar a few apples, later to find the apples don't fit in the whole they run through!!!

Think as we have had such a snowy winter they are looking inside for more food, water and warmth.
 
I used to have a problem with rats in some wooden stables - they could eat through a lot easier than brick, so we did our best to brick up/concrete over the holes. They used to chew through the trunk I kept my rugs in and eat the rugs. Had to use a metal feed bin in the end.

I also had a problem with them getting into the water buckets and drowning, so I hung the water buckets from the beams using lead ropes (clip the clip to the handles) I only needed one rope as the horses seemed to figure it out very quickly, but if the horse is bothered you could use two to stabilise them. The rats didn't seem up to climping up into the roof, then down the rope.

My cat was also great at catching all but the biggest rats.

I think your horses will be ok, so long as the rats are kept away from anything the horses have to eat or drink.
 
Although we hate poisoning as it is such an awful way to die, after trying dogs/air rifle, because there were so many something had to be done. We've recently used a new poison called Jaguar. It is positively evil. Not seen a rodent for 2/3 months. You would have to be VERY careful as it takes only one feeding to kill, so need to protect from all wildlife and dogs. Might be worth suggesting to owners?
 
There's a rat poison feeding system that might help. Not sure of the proper name but it's designed to be safe to use in a chicken coop so should be safe for dogs and wildlife as long as it's sited in an inaccessible corner. Imagine a 2ft section of tubular drainpipe with a hole in the top about halfway along. Low baffles sit an inch or two inward in each end of the tube and prevent the granules tumbling out. Another smaller, clear tube with a lift off lid locates into the hole. You site the long tube firmly on the ground and fill the clear tube with the poison granules. They fall down the clear tube and into the long tube, as far as the baffles. Rats can crawl into the ground tube and over the baffle to get the poison but chickens, dogs, foxes etc can't. You can monitor the rate of eating of the poison through the clear vertical tube. One of the most common causes of failure of rat poison is stopping giving it too soon. You end up with some hardy rats still alive and they will pass on resistance to the poison. Someone on here will know what the device is called. Only a few quid. Or google rat poison chickens.
 
We've always had a rat problem, as our stable is very near a brook, and also I stupidly sited the manure heaps far too near the stable when it was originally erected. My son gets quite a lot with the air rifle, one of our dogs was a brilliant ratter, and I use poison (I hate doing it and you have to be so careful).

Over Christmas, a mink took up temporary residence in our garden shed. It was slightly injured, amazingly non-aggressive, and though I knew i should get it shot it seemed churlish at the festive season and with the weather being so awful. Anyway, it only stayed about three days. There is a rat run through this (very old) stone shed to behind the stables. I think the mink gave us a very nice Christmas present, as I haven't seen a rat since, and I reckon he had Christmas dinner about five times a day.
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
There's a rat poison feeding system that might help. Not sure of the proper name but it's designed to be safe to use in a chicken coop so should be safe for dogs and wildlife as long as it's sited in an inaccessible corner. Imagine a 2ft section of tubular drainpipe with a hole in the top about halfway along. Low baffles sit an inch or two inward in each end of the tube and prevent the granules tumbling out. Another smaller, clear tube with a lift off lid locates into the hole. You site the long tube firmly on the ground and fill the clear tube with the poison granules. They fall down the clear tube and into the long tube, as far as the baffles. Rats can crawl into the ground tube and over the baffle to get the poison but chickens, dogs, foxes etc can't. You can monitor the rate of eating of the poison through the clear vertical tube. One of the most common causes of failure of rat poison is stopping giving it too soon. You end up with some hardy rats still alive and they will pass on resistance to the poison. Someone on here will know what the device is called. Only a few quid. Or google rat poison chickens.
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we've got several of these dotted about the yard and despite constantly filling then with poison we still have a major rat problem, I'm extra vigilant about keeping everything in bins and I sweep the fees room out daily. We've decided to get a couple of terriers, just trying to decide what dogs are best tatters, any suggestions?
 
FaldingwoodLivery said:
we've got several of these dotted about the yard and despite constantly filling then with poison we still have a major rat problem, I'm extra vigilant about keeping everything in bins and I sweep the fees room out daily. We've decided to get a couple of terriers, just trying to decide what dogs are best tatters, any suggestions?
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Traditionally Jack Russells are the best ratters...but you can't guarantee what you'll get will have a natural instinct...I have one JRT who would run a mile and the other works for a local rat catcher at the weekends and is a pure natural!!! I would invest in a local professional catcher to come over a few times, you'll be amazed what they can catch. Once the numbers are down ask him to recommend a breeder of JRT's that should work well or be cheeky and see if he's got a couple of older dogs nearing retirement he wants to rehome!! The JRT of mine came from the local gamekeeper, he wasn't good at working down holes (would run back up!) so wasn't useful to them but he works fabulously as part of a pack killing rats in barns etc.
 
FaldingwoodLivery said:
we've got several of these dotted about the yard and despite constantly filling then with poison we still have a major rat problem, I'm extra vigilant about keeping everything in bins and I sweep the fees room out daily. We've decided to get a couple of terriers, just trying to decide what dogs are best tatters, any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Trust me - I've gone through the same process for years, buying rat poison at £30 a bucket, and they never went completely. This new stuff is absolutely AMAZING. We are like a rodent graveyard, not one to be seen, and we do have dogs so would know if anything was about as they soon tell us.
 
Yes the new stuff is absolutely fantastic. The pest control guy in our area has stopped using pretty much everything else, as it just doesn't work anymore.
Only thing to bear in mind, is if you see a rat dying on the yard, finish it off and dispose of the body properly. This minimises the risk to carrion eating wildlife. Most will die in the burrows, but you always get the odd one that wants to see daylight for the last time:rolleyes:
 
My Jack Russell and Rhodesian Ridgeback are both brilliant ratters! However, when we have a lot I use 'Pasta Bait' which is brilliant, the rats keep going at it like crazy and it kills them all-the trouble is it smells so nice you want to lick it :-0
Rats are a disease hazard obviously (leptospirosis and other nasties) and should not be allowed contact with the horses' feed, sorry I know that's stating the obvious..
 
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