The Rat Thing Continued

So - the rats are multiplying by the hour. The chicken feed buffet is supporting an entire colony.

There are live traps available, but here's the catch...it is ILLEGAL to transport rats OFF your property. No one wants you dropping rats off to bother some other property owner somewhere else - think UVIC and the bunny thing. Fair enough.

So, if you trap the rats live, you still need to kill them and dispose of them. (What is the most humane way to kill a rat?) Well, the rat traps we picked up are - it's instant. None of this grabbing a paw thing or the tip of the nose. Instant rat sandwich. Release, dispose. In the first 6 hours we caught four. No poison, no macabre incidents. Just quick and clean.

That all being said, I'm calling an exterminator next week to finish off the colony. There are these sound devices you can use to keep them away from the area, which will follow once we have reduced the number signifcantly.

Meanwhile, our girls are as happy as ever. We have a balanced coop - very vocal and productive.