# Rat Infestation



## aleefarms (Jul 23, 2014)

Does anyone have a proven safe way to eliminate rats in the barn. I have sheep and three Akbash so there is always some feed spills and waste. The rats love the molasses supplements and they are destroying anything that stands between them and food. I've caught 5 with the peanut butter on a can over the barrel of water but it is not efficient at all. I have offered the dead rats to the dogs just to see if they would eat them, and they didn't. I just don't want to take a chance with poison unless I can be assured the dogs are safe. Help!


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

cats a few


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## neverfear (Sep 26, 2006)

that dirty rat


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Snap traps in boxes might work for you.

Put snap traps in boxes big enough for trap to work and holes cut just big enough for rat to enter. Should keep the dogs and sheep from being hurt.


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## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

I would suggest a barn cat. if introduced properly the dogs should figure out it belongs and the cat will probably learn to keep its distance. I agree also with the above suggestion, you could do poison or traps this way by building a nice box that has holes for the rats , but much to small for dogs, with a lid you can take off. Then just place a weight or cinder block on top so the dogs cannot paw at it and eventually open it and set it by your feed. mice and rats love dark places. I even know of someone using a box such as this with un-baited spring traps inside along the walls and he catches mice, just because they love going in the dark little cozy room and looking around. I will say the downside to cats is they do not know the difference between a rat and a squirrel and a bird, they kill whatever they can catch regardless. We have a few outside cats and one in particular kills a lot of stuff, but we have never seen a mouse or rat in any of our barns or around the animal feed. The good thing is cats are cheap to free, many cats out there with no place to go. Just make sure if you get a cat 1st and foremost "get it fixed"


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

If you can find someone with terriers and bring them over after securing your dogs. Then start moving stuff in the barn to expose the rats. The terriers will do the rest.

Then I would get a couple dozen rat traps and start trapping. Keep shifting the traps around and change the baits weekly.

You can compost the rats when you get them.


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## CraftyLady (Jul 18, 2014)

I also have this problem. In our area of 5a plots many people have compost piles. Many will have closed piles. Others have open ones. The cats in the area aren't keeping up with the problem. Now we have hole/dens all over our yard and next to a rock fence and even going under our buildings. I started with rat poison in their holes. This didn't seem to work. Then I read that Vit D will give them a heart attack. So I bought two bottles of chewable VD gummies and put a few in each hole. That has made a significant impact. But, I need to keep on top of it. I hope by the end of summer I'll be rat free.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

Gummies, barn cats, and look up " Barn Hunting dog sport" its a new AKC event that lets terriers compete to kill rats- you can try contacting them to see if any one wants to do the real thing!


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## Wyobuckaroo (Dec 30, 2011)

I use this technique to trap chipmunks.... I have also caught an occasional smooth tail rat in the process... I use a wood board rat trap as they are the most powerful... I set the trap in the back of an 1x8 box about 18" long... There is an 1 3/4" diameter entrance hole to the trap... The trap is long enough a pet can't reach in and get caught... 

I bait the trap with a salted peanut wired to the trip pan with a bread wrapper twist tie... And a little peanut butter on top of that if you want....

I never used poison as it was always my luck the target animal would die and stink where I didn't want it... 

The most important thing seems to be persistence...
You need to monitor and tend your traps daily minimum... Some times several times a day.... 

It may take multiple traps in multiple locations.....
If your going to take up this fight..... Fight to win....

Good luck


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## aleefarms (Jul 23, 2014)

I have taken up the fight and want give up! 

Last night they ate through the lid of my feed barrel and four were trapped in the feed. These varmints are very persistent! 

Thanks for the suggestions.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

build some bait tunnels out of 1x6 16 inches long leave 1/2 the ends open fill the center with poisin bars or pellits secure it to the wall at floor level or in the rats path to your feed get serious about not haveing excess feed out over night , get a metal feed container at least for a while so they will eat the poisin , not much else you can do you hae a serious infestation cats n terriers may get lucky and get one now and then but if you keep feeding those rats you are going to have hundreds if you don't already .I keep a couple of these out all the time to avoid letting them get a start .


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

They can't vomit. I understand that if you put out bran mixed with sugar and cement powder (and protect it from other animals), and give them free access to water, it will give them a fatal case of constipation. I can't guarantee it, but it's worth a try.

I KNOW that fumigating them with burning sulphur works. It's safe if you're careful. DON'T BURN THE BARN DOWN! Locate any holes you can, and find flat shallow cans about 3" wide - maybe tuna. Make little packets of newspaper folded or twisted on the ends, but short enough to stay entirely in the tin, containing a serving spoonful of sulphur powder and a little wax or grease or shortening on top - maybe a quarter-inch of candle. 
In the morning, lock your animals out for the day, put the packets in the tins, wet them with alcohol (maybe wood alcohol), and put the tins upright down the holes with a pair of tongs. DON'T BURN THE BARN DOWN! Block any other tunnel mouths (like against walls, posts or other flammable stuff) with dirt or rocks. DON'T BURN THE BARN DOWN! Light the packets with a taper, a wood sliver, a paper spill, or a metal rod dipped in burning sulphur, moving upwind as you go so you don't breathe the smoke. DON'T BURN THE TOES DOWN! 
The smoke is acrid, choking, white, heavy, and was used as one of the lesser poison gases in WW!. It will flow down the tunnels and poison what it finds. As described here, you'de have to be suicidal and strong-minded to kill yourself with it, but it could temporarily damage your throat and lungs, and make you sick. While you shouldn't need it, a gas mask might not be a bad idea.


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## aleefarms (Jul 23, 2014)

I am strong minded about not killing myself but also sure I don't want damage to my throat, lungs, etc. I did however go with Arnie 's suggestion. I moved all feed to another building in metal containers and built my bait stations as suggested. It scares me a little bit to thing my puppy might eat one of those poisoned rats! I've got $1000 bucks invested in her and she seems very promising for such a young age.








Well the bait is set....so I will just wait and see if I can thin the hoard.


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

CraftyLady said:


> I also have this problem. In our area of 5a plots many people have compost piles. Many will have closed piles. Others have open ones. The cats in the area aren't keeping up with the problem. Now we have hole/dens all over our yard and next to a rock fence and even going under our buildings. I started with rat poison in their holes. This didn't seem to work. Then I read that Vit D will give them a heart attack. So I bought two bottles of chewable VD gummies and put a few in each hole. That has made a significant impact. But, I need to keep on top of it. I hope by the end of summer I'll be rat free.


I gotta check into this!!

A rat tail to share, I had an explosion of the things in the coop a couple of winters ago. Traps were not working and the cats were only going after the smaller ones. In fact, one of my best hunter cats, she has killed weasels, turned up with some pretty nasty gashes, I believe rat induced. These blasted things were getting bold enough to let me touch them! The scatter shot was purchased. Then, within days they seemed to disappear. I live trapped a female mink who had very kindly killed and stacked the dead rats. She even left the chickens. After I found the dead rats I felt bad that ds dispatched her.....although she probably would have gone on to the birds.

Anyways, there baaack! Not as bad but I truly sympathize with your battle. Poison is not an option unless I can use something that won'tkill anything farther up the food chain. So, off to research vit d and rats!


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## aleefarms (Jul 23, 2014)

Thanks Arnie, I built one tunnel and put 1/2 pound of anticoagulant every nite until they quite eating it up which was 7 days. I stopped using the barn to feed and I think I'm rat free. I only saw a few dead rats so they must have gone under ground to die. It smells pretty bad but should clear up in time. The dogs are doing fine!


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## Phil V. (May 31, 2013)

Coke and Pepsi also works good. Put some in old mayo jar lids or aluminum pie plates and set them out and it will go fast.


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