I have a great barn at the house. 30’x40’ enclosed with a 30’x15’ overhang on each side. My girls raised broilers and steers and it was always a handy place to store stuff. Have a couple of nice steer pens and a coop for about 20 chickens. The problem is that feed attracts rats....big ole wood rats that look like possums and you could probably saddle for a young child to ride.
The list of things that they’ve torn up is ridiculous and embarrassing to list. Not to mention there is rat crap everywhere and on everything. I don’t like rodents. I don’t like them at all. I ain’t scared of them but my feelings on rats are like some folks feelings on snakes, spiders or hatchet murderers... they give me the hibigibis!
I’ve fought many battles. I’ve used poison, but always scared my dog would get to it. I’ve used peanut butter bait and a pellet gun, but you just can’t kill enough. I’ve tried typical rat traps and caught two baby squirrels. I’ve been battling, but after loss after loss and making little headway I decided that I was gonna concentrate my efforts on complete annihilation.
I found an idea on the interweb and made a trip to my local ACE Hardware. Some of the things I already had.
Materials needed:
1-30gal trash can
2- water bottles
1- 1/4”x 36” all-thread or similar
2- random boards for ramps
1- Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
First I drilled a 5/16” hole equidistant apart just below the handles of the trash can.
Next, I drilled a 5/16” hole in the center of the bottom and the center of the cap of each bottle.
I took the all-thread and pushed it through from one side of the trash can, through both bottles, staged cap to cap, and through the offside of the trash can.
I put a couple of random boards from the floor to the trash can handles on each side.
Filled the can with about 12” of water and coated the cap end of each bottle with peanut butter.
The idea is that the rats will come up the ramp boards going for the peanut butter and when they jump down about 3” onto the bottles, the bottles just spin, tossing them in the water where they paddle like hell until they get tired and die like the bastages that they are.
I’ll keep you updated on the death count.
The list of things that they’ve torn up is ridiculous and embarrassing to list. Not to mention there is rat crap everywhere and on everything. I don’t like rodents. I don’t like them at all. I ain’t scared of them but my feelings on rats are like some folks feelings on snakes, spiders or hatchet murderers... they give me the hibigibis!
I’ve fought many battles. I’ve used poison, but always scared my dog would get to it. I’ve used peanut butter bait and a pellet gun, but you just can’t kill enough. I’ve tried typical rat traps and caught two baby squirrels. I’ve been battling, but after loss after loss and making little headway I decided that I was gonna concentrate my efforts on complete annihilation.
I found an idea on the interweb and made a trip to my local ACE Hardware. Some of the things I already had.
Materials needed:
1-30gal trash can
2- water bottles
1- 1/4”x 36” all-thread or similar
2- random boards for ramps
1- Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
First I drilled a 5/16” hole equidistant apart just below the handles of the trash can.
Next, I drilled a 5/16” hole in the center of the bottom and the center of the cap of each bottle.
I took the all-thread and pushed it through from one side of the trash can, through both bottles, staged cap to cap, and through the offside of the trash can.
I put a couple of random boards from the floor to the trash can handles on each side.
Filled the can with about 12” of water and coated the cap end of each bottle with peanut butter.
The idea is that the rats will come up the ramp boards going for the peanut butter and when they jump down about 3” onto the bottles, the bottles just spin, tossing them in the water where they paddle like hell until they get tired and die like the bastages that they are.
I’ll keep you updated on the death count.
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