Chicken coop/tractor

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nope....Rats have a bladder.
They mark constantly which makes it appear they are incontinent.

Ah - thanks for that - I just thought they liked p!ssing constantly but had a bladder then I read not long ago that they didn't so corrected my thinking - that'll teach me to pick up a copy of the Daily Mail when I'm waiting for my takeaway!

 

[Teemore]

A neighbour used to raise pheasants and when he bought new traps, he left them out to weather for a few weeks and always wore gloves when handling and baiting them. His view was that you needed to remove the "new" smell and avoid introducing human scent as that made the rats stay clear of them. Old, used traps always seemed to have a higher success rate.
Loved the picture of the terrier with rat in mouth - reminded me of another neighbour's Jack Russell. Brandy was a great ratter. As a very small child I saw Brandy sprint about after rats when my family moved a few thousand bales of straw off the top of a silo. I can still picture Brandy waddling around at the end of the day with a tail sticking out the corner of his mouth and a belly that was as tight as a drum...... apparently he spent the next few nights in the shed rather than his normal spot in the corner of the kitchen!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

some people will say to boil new traps in a concoction of all kinds of filth - others to chuck them onto a wood fire for a minute or two - all to get rid of the new smell.

I had a cocker spaniel once who was extremely territorial - any bird who would be foolish enough to venture into the run to explore the food bowl would end up as a pile of feather - even hedgehogs weren't safe from her!! once during my two weeks at sea a colony of rats moved in behind the kennels from the stream down the field - it took a while for me to realise and by this time they'd bred and a lot of the youngsters would sneak into the run and filch the fried food left behind - nearly every morning I would walk up to the kennel to be greeted by meg sat there obediently (something the bugger seldom did when we were out shooting!!) with a headless young rat in her mouth.Stranfely enough though she had an extremely soft mouth when retrieving.
I had to ask SWMBO's grandmother to be on standby to feed the dogs next time I went away as SWMBO declared tht regardless of the fact she loved the dogs to bits - if she was greeted with the sight of a dead rat ever - the dogs would have to feed themselves from there on!!

 

[Millet]

some people will say to boil new traps in a concoction of all kinds of filth - others to chuck them onto a wood fire for a minute or two - all to get rid of the new smell.

I had a cocker spaniel once who was extremely territorial - any bird who would be foolish enough to venture into the run to explore the food bowl would end up as a pile of feather - even hedgehogs weren't safe from her!! once during my two weeks at sea a colony of rats moved in behind the kennels from the stream down the field - it took a while for me to realise and by this time they'd bred and a lot of the youngsters would sneak into the run and filch the fried food left behind - nearly every morning I would walk up to the kennel to be greeted by meg sat there obediently (something the bugger seldom did when we were out shooting!!) with a headless young rat in her mouth.Stranfely enough though she had an extremely soft mouth when retrieving.
I had to ask SWMBO's grandmother to be on standby to feed the dogs next time I went away as SWMBO declared tht regardless of the fact she loved the dogs to bits - if she was greeted with the sight of a dead rat ever - the dogs would have to feed themselves from there on!!

If the trap is set properly it can be set straight from the shops shelf, i do however like to soak new duffus mole traps in muddy water for a few days even though they can also be set straight out of the box.
You have got to laugh at some of the funny things them pooches do, my old terrier would not eat full grown rat's but he would swallow small ones like tablets and then spew them all up in the back of the car on the way home.

 

[Millet]

This mate of mine is nuts and better than a terrier, he has already had Leptospirosis and recons he is ok doing such things, personally these days i wont even pick a rat up without nitrile gloves on.

 

[pargyle]

If the trap is set properly it can be set straight from the shops shelf, i do however like to soak new duffus mole traps in muddy water for a few days even though they can also be set straight out of the box.
.

Well ... got one last night .. used your idea .. narrowed a run behind the greenhouse with a dustbin to block the space down to just a small space between the wall and the bin, one of those big plastic easy set rat traps set under a tunnel and partially in the ground and a few leaves around it in the run...no bait ... one big dead rat. Thanks ... still might be more so going to keep going. Thank goodness for nitrile gloves though ....

 

[Millet]

Brilliant result, no matter how many rats i have trapped over the years it is still a good feeling to see one in a trap that you have took the time to set properly, like you say they could be more and there usually is so i would keep setting the trap for now but if possible you are better with a Fenn mk4.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

narrowed a run behind the greenhouse with a dustbin to block the space down to just a small space between the wall and the bin,

rats like to run along walls etc - It means that they only have one side open to attack - in areas with a large rat population you will often see a dark 'grease' mark along their regular routes.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

i would keep setting the trap for now but if possible you are better with a Fenn mk4.

not that many years ago SWMBO's grandmother had a rat regularly vising the chicken run - i popped over to have a look and she said 'I've dug out Glyn's (SWMBO's late grandfather) traps if you want to have a go at catching the b*gger. I now have a nice collection of gin and pole traps in my 'museum'

 

[Millet]

not that many years ago SWMBO's grandmother had a rat regularly vising the chicken run - i popped over to have a look and she said 'I've dug out Glyn's (SWMBO's late grandfather) traps if you want to have a go at catching the b*gger. I now have a nice collection of gin and pole traps in my 'museum'

I don't mind them gin traps but they can be a bit bulky to set for rats the long spring handle on them can make it awkward to place the trap so the jaws shut the correct way.

 

[VEG]

pargylle have a lookhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IP6b4JitNQ
I made mine for about £80 can shoot about 40-60 yrds at night

 

[pargyle]

pargylle have a lookhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IP6b4JitNQ
I made mine for about £80 can shoot about 40-60 yrds at night

Made it ? I want one of those..

He's not that good at getting a head shot though .. quite a few runners. My Weirauch .177 knocks them down even with a chest shot ... they wriggle a bit but don't run. Mind you ... I'd hope that I never get as big a rat problem as that !! Scary ....

 

[pargyle]

I found this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg5-z_RXQp0

That's within reach ... it even looks tidy !

 

[oliver90owner]

60yds with an air gun? Is it a firearms certificated one? Even then, 60 yards with sufficient accuracy, for hitting a rat, is not exactly recommended.

20-30m would be more like it, for most. I use a pcp, which is very accurate at that range, but springers would need considerable skill and practise to be used over that distance.

Mine cost much less than £80 - unless you include the scope as well. But I don't need more than about 35-40m clear vision, so my illuminator is not so very high powered and I used cells from an old laptop to power it.

 

[VEG]

How far my gun can shoot is not what the post is about. My above post was just to show what can be made for very little.

 

[oliver90owner]

My above post was just to show what can be made for very little.

Really? What was the carp about shooting at 60yds, in the context of shooting rats, supposed to mean?

Is it not far better to shoot within a range at which a humane kill can be expected?

 

[Millet]

60yds with an air gun? Is it a firearms certificated one? Even then, 60 yards with sufficient accuracy, for hitting a rat, is not exactly recommended.

20-30m would be more like it, for most. I use a pcp, which is very accurate at that range, but springers would need considerable skill and practise to be used over that distance.

Mine cost much less than £80 - unless you include the scope as well. But I don't need more than about 35-40m clear vision, so my illuminator is not so very high powered and I used cells from an old laptop to power it.

I was thinking the same it might be a rim fire but they are lethal for ricochet in enclosed spaces , here is my PCP in .177 and i don't really like to shoot anything over 45yrd, rat wise around 35yrd and its just shy of 12ft.lb

 

[pargyle]

20-30m would be more like it, for most. I use a pcp, which is very accurate at that range, but springers would need considerable skill and practise to be used over that distance.

Mine cost much less than £80 - unless you include the scope as well. But I don't need more than about 35-40m clear vision, so my illuminator is not so very high powered and I used cells from an old laptop to power it.

The video I posted off Youtube is costed at under £30 ... without the battery .. an old laptop battery sounds like a good idea - I've a few of them laying around. The gun already has a Bisley scope.

My Weirhauch springer is fairly accurate to about 20 yards after that it drops off quite significantly. It's had a bit of work but still legal. Frankly, unless it's on a rest I would be lucky to hit a target at 20 Yards with my ability !!