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Let's talk Chicken.. The pets, not the food..

jeeper

jeeper

Currently without Jeep
Location
So Jo, Ut
I bought a couple of these bucket traps, we’ll give them a shot for a couple days.
I’ll take the chicken food and water out of the coop so the rats have to pay attention to these for food.

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My .22 is sighted enough for a 6” gong at 50yards. But I don’t know if it’s good enough for a rat at 10’. So I’ll have to put some hits on paper to see, and then we’ll give that a try also.
 
Hickey

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
Location
Grantsville, Utah
jeeper said:
I bought a couple of these bucket traps, we’ll give them a shot for a couple days.
I’ll take the chicken food and water out of the coop so the rats have to pay attention to these for food.

View attachment 170745

My .22 is sighted enough for a 6” gong at 50yards. But I don’t know if it’s good enough for a rat at 10’. So I’ll have to put some hits on paper to see, and then we’ll give that a try also.
Click to expand...
I bought one of those lid traps before. It was too flimsy for any use. Lots of ideas if you search mouse bucket trap.

I use a 5 gallon bucket, with a rod across the top of it. A tin can has the rod thru it. Make sure the can is able to spin. Smear some peanut butter on the can. Add a stick or a board for the jerks to climb up to the top of the bucket. I’ve caught many mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and even a small jackrabbit in mine.
 
DAA

DAA

Well-Known Member
Location
West Bountiful, UT
jeeper said:
My .22 is sighted enough for a 6” gong at 50yards. But I don’t know if it’s good enough for a rat at 10’. So I’ll have to put some hits on paper to see, and then we’ll give that a try also.
Click to expand...

Bet you're about an inch low at 10'. A scope that allows close distance focus would be nice too, thinking about it. A feature common to air rifle scopes. I have a couple centerfire target rifle scopes that will focus down pretty close, but not that close.

- DAA
 
jeeper

jeeper

Currently without Jeep
Location
So Jo, Ut
DAA said:
Bet you're about an inch low at 10'. A scope that allows close distance focus would be nice too, thinking about it. A feature common to air rifle scopes. I have a couple centerfire target rifle scopes that will focus down pretty close, but not that close.

- DAA
Click to expand...
I've got a sig romeo5 red dot on it, so close shouldn't be a problem. Lack of talent is where the issue will be..
 
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jeeper

jeeper

Currently without Jeep
Location
So Jo, Ut
Corban_White said:
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We caught 1 last night, but I could easily see at least 8 in the cameras. So not awesome odds.

I am planning to build a trap set just like that video, but in a box with a clear lid. That way I can leave it always ready and baited without worrying about the chicks or dog getting at it. I think it would be a good long term trap set.
 
Kevin B.

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
jeeper said:
4. That’s the number of rats in this one photo. I can identify at least 5 from watching video.
I have bated with poison, but they don’t eat it. I have set traps, but they don’t trip them. I set out sticky traps, but they won’t walk in them. These are the smartest rats in the world.

View attachment 170735

I am going to try to make one of the bucket traps to see if that will work.

Any other ways you guys know to catch/kill rats??
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This right here is why I have not yet pulled the trigger on a yard of chickens. I've dealt with mice, I DON'T want to deal with rats.

For what it's worth, to get rid of the mice I had to spend a couple days running around the house sealing every possible way in or out with hardware cloth or steel wool and spray foam. Then I had to remove every possible food source or get it out of their reach - I spent so much on little Sterilite totes for the kitchen stuff. Then and only then did baited traps work (peanut butter FTW), but I had to put them where the mice were hanging out - look for concentrations of poop. If you don't deny the rats the food they prefer, AND deny them access to shelter/places to hide, then you can trap them all day and they're just gonna breed more. You gotta seal up that chicken coop tight, and anywhere else they might be getting food too.
 
jeeper

jeeper

Currently without Jeep
Location
So Jo, Ut
Kevin B. said:
This right here is why I have not yet pulled the trigger on a yard of chickens. I've dealt with mice, I DON'T want to deal with rats.

For what it's worth, to get rid of the mice I had to spend a couple days running around the house sealing every possible way in or out with hardware cloth or steel wool and spray foam. Then I had to remove every possible food source or get it out of their reach - I spent so much on little Sterilite totes for the kitchen stuff. Then and only then did baited traps work (peanut butter FTW), but I had to put them where the mice were hanging out - look for concentrations of poop. If you don't deny the rats the food they prefer, AND deny them access to shelter/places to hide, then you can trap them all day and they're just gonna breed more. You gotta seal up that chicken coop tight, and anywhere else they might be getting food too.
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It is sealed tight. The have dug tunnels from the farm behind us, under ground, under our chicken wire that is in ground, and into the coop. I will fill the holes and next day they are back. They have chewed completely through multiple 2x4's to gain access as well.
 
jeeper

jeeper

Currently without Jeep
Location
So Jo, Ut
Kevin B. said:
You got ratshot for your plinker? A solid .22 bullet is gonna go right through a rat, I expect.
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It will. But my shot will be elevated and against a shed.. so any passthrough should hit dirt. If not, it's got 2 shed walls and a wood fence before anything else. That'll stop it for sure.
 
jeeper

jeeper

Currently without Jeep
Location
So Jo, Ut
Our bucket lids were mildly successful. One rat in each, 2 mice in one. Baiting the lid was the trick, but it only lasts one time because the food falls in with the rat.


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So I made my own ultra trap. I went with 4 on each side instead of a long row of 8. I needed it to be enclosed so it can be left out without harming the chickens or the dog.

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I added a clear top so we can easily see what’s going on inside. This will help with the long term use to easily identify when we have a rat, and makes for better video recording. The screws in the plexi are not holding it down, they are acting like pins to keep it from sliding. I can easily lift it up to get access.

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One trick the experts said to do was put screws through the trap so that if the rat doesn’t die quickly it can’t wiggle its way out of the trap.

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So now it is in place. I have added some chicken feed and sunflowers for bait, but did not set the traps. I will give them 1 night of buffet to get them comfortable. Tomorrow I'll set the traps.


And of course, my disgusting kids couldn’t just throw the dead ones away, they had to play and pose with them for a few minutes 🤦🏼‍♂️🤢

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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Aren’t chickens supposed to kill the mice? I’ve heard stories about that. I guess maybe the chickens are put away for the night when the mice come…?
 
Kiel

Kiel

Formerly WJ ZUK
I'll have to post my lunker rat pictures. The guys at work suggested gi Joe action figures for scale
 
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