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Post by solomon on Feb 16, 2011 20:12:37 GMT
I know its grim, cleared a load of droppings yesterday, and two dead ones. We have poison down  . The thing is what does every one else use for storage of feed etc. We have some dustbins but could do with something bigger. Love those metal feed bins but too expensive. Old freezers? |
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Post by Blonde Donkey on Feb 16, 2011 20:24:30 GMT
We use plastic containers within plastic containers with my dads poison mixture in between so if they do chew it they get a gobful of poison.
*my dads poison is cocoa powder and bicarb of soda mixed together so nothing dangerous.
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Post by dannyboy on Feb 16, 2011 21:56:06 GMT
My worst nightmare is rats!!!! We had mice a few months back - they ate into a plastic 5 litre sunflower oil bottle and drowned. I think we eventually found 6 in the bottle - gross I know but it worked.
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Post by fimacg on Feb 17, 2011 13:25:08 GMT
I have barrels with screw on watertight lids for general feed which I bought from Robinsons - Rats have never even attempted to chew through those as really think plastic and I don't think they smell of food and 2 plastic dustbins from B&Q which I store chaff in, hay is kept undercover in a seperate hay store and the rats do get in there but we have poison and traps down and have now blocked all the holes where the rats could get in (I hope).
Only way to manage them is to keep all food in sealed containers including bags of treats, poison down, clean up spills immediately and hope for the best.
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Post by duckles on Feb 17, 2011 13:53:24 GMT
My nightmare is rats. I bought metal bins a few years ago - they were 27 euro I think so probably a lot less in sterling. I use a bungee over the lid and attached to both handles to make sure lid doesn't slip. I put down a lot of poison last year and didn't need any this year (so far) - I noticed the same before - poison every second year seems to work. Other than that I try and keep everything clean and I clean up spillages of feed immediately. Of course when you share with others, you are dependant on them to an extent and uneaten feed is often left in the other stables.
The rats did eat through thick plastic pins here a few years ago- I think that food had been left to ferment a bit in one bin (not mine) and this obviously was a big draw. After the rats found that they could get through, they started on other bins. The holes were big and shredded plastic was all over the ground. I was pretty freaked out! I think that there must have been a bit of an infestation at that stage. (It was encouraged as one girl had a feed bin that she did not cover properly).
I hope that you get rid of the rats Sol as they are dangerous and destructive and (too me) pretty scarey. I am sure a freezer container would be fine but they always give me the creeps for some reason.
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Post by duckles on Feb 17, 2011 13:53:49 GMT
My nightmare is rats. I bought metal bins a few years ago - they were 27 euro I think so probably a lot less in sterling. I use a bungee over the lid and attached to both handles to make sure lid doesn't slip. I put down a lot of poison last year and didn't need any this year (so far) - I noticed the same before - poison every second year seems to work. Other than that I try and keep everything clean and I clean up spillages of feed immediately. Of course when you share with others, you are dependant on them to an extent and uneaten feed is often left in the other stables.
The rats did eat through thick plastic pins here a few years ago- I think that food had been left to ferment a bit in one bin (not mine) and this obviously was a big draw. After the rats found that they could get through, they started on other bins. The holes were big and shredded plastic was all over the ground. I was pretty freaked out! I think that there must have been a bit of an infestation at that stage. (It was encouraged as one girl had a feed bin that she did not cover properly).
I hope that you get rid of the rats Sol as they are dangerous and destructive and (too me) pretty scarey. I am sure a freezer container would be fine but they always give me the creeps for some reason.
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Post by maximum on Feb 17, 2011 20:01:42 GMT
ugh! I loathe rats - not only are they destructive they carry so many diseases its dangerous.
get some poison and put it into poly bags and shove it down the rat holes - push it right in with a stick.
as said above the best way to stop them coming back is keep all the food in locked bins and clean up any spills and wash down the buckets every time they are used.
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. The thing is what does every one else use for storage of feed etc. We have some dustbins but could do with something bigger. Love those metal feed bins but too expensive. Old freezers?
