Home Page
   Articles
       links
About Us    
Traders        
Recipes            
Latest Articles
Eggs being stolen even the false ones
Page Previous  1, 2
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Poultry
Author 
 Message
Kommando



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 8
Location: Ayrshire
PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The rat trap with the egg in it is untouched so far, the inflatable toy is up and scared the chickens at first but they ignore it now, it has a weight in the bottom and sits on the floor moving in the wind. Next step will to have a chicken sized hatch in the main door so maybe the thief will be intimidated by having to go into enclosure through a small opening. We did have a rat problem a few years ago but I put down poison every sept and its untouched after a month for the last 2 years, no signs of burrows and the barn owl in the old byre next door could be a deterrent. 3 Crows were close to the enclosure when I went to let the chickens out this morning so they are favourite thief.

Bodger



Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I'd move the Mrs in there for a few days if I were you. That should take care of the crows and the rats.
It worked for me.

menadews



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We lost a lot of eggs to rats at one time. I have also seen the crows sitting on a fence post with a chickens egg. My late hubby poisoned the rats and the problem seemed to go away almost overnight

Kommando



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 8
Location: Ayrshire
PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 2:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well it looks like rats, found a piece of corrugated iron nearby and under it was 5 empty egg shells and a false egg also loads of snail shells which it must also be feeding on. Will put some poison down, do rats eat snails, a french one perhaps . Strangly no telltale burrows which I have found at the entrance to rat abodes before under flat pieces of wood.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 2:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Kommando wrote:
Well it looks like rats, found a piece of corrugated iron nearby and under it was 5 empty egg shells and a false egg also loads of snail shells which it must also be feeding on. Will put some poison down, do rats eat snails, a french one perhaps . Strangly no telltale burrows which I have found at the entrance to rat abodes before under flat pieces of wood.


Yes rats will eat snails, and anything else they can get their teeth into, including, no doubt, Frenchmen

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Make sure your trap with the egg is covered with a tunnel so only target species can access.
Otherwise you are going to catch a corvid, they may be pest species in certain circumstances but it's a terrible way to die being caught by the legs & completely illegal.

Kommando



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 8
Location: Ayrshire
PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 11 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Its a live catch trap cage, poison will be in a box with a hole only big enough for a rat.

cornishappletrees



Joined: 12 Oct 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I had the same problem look under the chicken house you will find shells and false eggs i thougt i had a hen eating eggs so i blew some eggs and put mustard in seemed to do the trick rats dont do mustard

Kommando



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 8
Location: Ayrshire
PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I will give that a go, the poison is being taken so I expect activity to go away in a few days. I have a plastic pallet under the hen house to reduce woodrot but it is clear of shells.

kirstyfern



Joined: 03 Jan 2010
Posts: 1574
Location: Great Dunmow, Essex
PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Kommando wrote:
Well it looks like rats, found a piece of corrugated iron nearby and under it was 5 empty egg shells and a false egg also loads of snail shells which it must also be feeding on. Will put some poison down, do rats eat snails, a french one perhaps . Strangly no telltale burrows which I have found at the entrance to rat abodes before under flat pieces of wood.


Snake? or do they eat eggs whole?

Vanessa



Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 7:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Snakes usually swallow eggs whole ... mind you, if the eggs were too big for the snake's head ... Dunno, I'm not a snake expert.

I'd also have thought that invertebrates would be hibernating in this cold weather. I'm fairly sure it'll be rats. Sadly.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

snakes would eat the egg in the nest, not carry it away.

Liz in Ireland



Joined: 27 Jan 2009
Posts: 1287

PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Snake loving son tells me that there are no egg eating snakes in Ayrshire, and an escapee would be too cold to want to eat.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Sun Jan 23, 11 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Liz in Ireland wrote:
Snake loving son tells me that there are no egg eating snakes in Ayrshire, and an escapee would be too cold to want to eat.


Snake loving son is right. Rats is my guess.

Kommando



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 8
Location: Ayrshire
PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 11 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It was a weasel, got caught in the electronic rat trap, which had a golf ball in, which I had added.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Poultry All times are GMT
Page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2
View Latest Posts View Latest Posts

 

Archive
Powered by php-BB © 2001, 2005 php-BB Group
Style by marsjupiter.com, released under GNU (GNU/GPL) license.
Copyright © 2004 marsjupiter.com