Rat hunt (not OT)

On Aug 2, 2:10*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

...
On Aug 2, 12:28 pm, "Christina Websell"



wrote:
We were having a rat hunt around the chicken huts today as I'd seen a few
and the chicken food was disappearing faster than my chickens could eat
it.
I am supposed to keep Boyfriend inside overnight as he would go the way of
the rats, but he slipped outside after his breakfast. Aargh.
When I fed the chickens, there he was in the garden but when I called to
him
and made nice noises so I could pick him up, he ran off.
OMG.
I had killer terriers coming and Boyfie was out!!
Fortunately he came back before they arrived. Phew. I shut him up safely
in a bedroom.

There is always a problem with rats if you keep chickens. I used to use
poison but decided it was cruel, they took a long time to die, so now I
get
the terriers in. One snap sorts them.
Today we had Jess, a Patterdale terrier, Mooch, a Lakeland terrier and
Nipper a 10 month old Lakeland who killed her first two small rats today.
Every dog got one or more. That's important. Mooch & Jess got big ones.
Nipper was thrilled with herself. 6 rats won't die of poison.

There was a rat dying of poison yesterday outside my back door, I suspect
my
neighbours of it. I should have been brave enough to kill it but I
couldn't
bring myself to. I put Kitty's old empty litterbox over it to keep it away
from Boyfie and it was dead this morning.

I used to use poison once. I won't do it now.
Bring on the terriers, there are no days of suffering.
Snap. Dead immediately

Tweed

Ewww. (Something told me not to read this post, I should have
paid attention) * :-)

Why? * What do you find "Ewww"?
I have chickens and we get rats that want to eat their food. *They have to
be controlled, so what is better?
Poison? *No. *They die slowly over days, bleeding internally.
Today we smoked them out into the jaws of the terriers and they lived just
one second.
Isn't that better than dying of poison?
Of course it is.

Before Feather (RB) learned how to finish off mice I had to send quite
a few of them on their way. It isn't easy, even with mice, it would be
very hard with rats.

I had been told that cats learn the killing bite from their mothers
and that Feather, being from a mouse-deprived household, would never
learn. But he did and he became the mouse god of death of Lower Chapel
Street.

--
Will in New Haven

Will in New Haven wrote:
On Aug 2, 2:10 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

...
On Aug 2, 12:28 pm, "Christina Websell"



wrote:
We were having a rat hunt around the chicken huts today as I'd seen a few
and the chicken food was disappearing faster than my chickens could eat
it.
I am supposed to keep Boyfriend inside overnight as he would go the way of
the rats, but he slipped outside after his breakfast. Aargh.
When I fed the chickens, there he was in the garden but when I called to
him
and made nice noises so I could pick him up, he ran off.
OMG.
I had killer terriers coming and Boyfie was out!!
Fortunately he came back before they arrived. Phew. I shut him up safely
in a bedroom.
There is always a problem with rats if you keep chickens. I used to use
poison but decided it was cruel, they took a long time to die, so now I
get
the terriers in. One snap sorts them.
Today we had Jess, a Patterdale terrier, Mooch, a Lakeland terrier and
Nipper a 10 month old Lakeland who killed her first two small rats today.
Every dog got one or more. That's important. Mooch & Jess got big ones.
Nipper was thrilled with herself. 6 rats won't die of poison.
There was a rat dying of poison yesterday outside my back door, I suspect
my
neighbours of it. I should have been brave enough to kill it but I
couldn't
bring myself to. I put Kitty's old empty litterbox over it to keep it away
from Boyfie and it was dead this morning.
I used to use poison once. I won't do it now.
Bring on the terriers, there are no days of suffering.
Snap. Dead immediately
Tweed
Ewww. (Something told me not to read this post, I should have
paid attention) :-)

Why? What do you find "Ewww"?
I have chickens and we get rats that want to eat their food. They have to
be controlled, so what is better?
Poison? No. They die slowly over days, bleeding internally.
Today we smoked them out into the jaws of the terriers and they lived just
one second.
Isn't that better than dying of poison?
Of course it is.

Before Feather (RB) learned how to finish off mice I had to send quite
a few of them on their way. It isn't easy, even with mice, it would be
very hard with rats.

I had been told that cats learn the killing bite from their mothers
and that Feather, being from a mouse-deprived household, would never
learn. But he did and he became the mouse god of death of Lower Chapel
Street.

--
Will in New Haven



In this life, if you have the "guts" you do what has to be done --
Pleasant or not. On the very few occasions when I have had to dispatch
a small critter, I found it very hard but it HAD to be done. MLB

Christina Websell wrote:

There is always a problem with rats if you keep chickens. I used to use
poison but decided it was cruel, they took a long time to die, so now I get
the terriers in.

Poison is bad for other reasons, too. If another animal ate a rat that
had been poisoned to death, they would get sick, and possibly die, too.
And you really don't want that stuff getting into the ground, especially
if you grow vegetables in that same ground. Talk about "eww".

Joyce

--
I want freedom, the right to self expression, everyone's right to
beautiful radiant things. -- Emma Goldman

On Aug 2, 2:04*pm, "Jofirey" wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote in
...







"Sherry" wrote in message
...
On Aug 2, 12:28 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
We were having a rat hunt around the chicken huts today as I'd
seen a few
and the chicken food was disappearing faster than my chickens
could eat it.
I am supposed to keep Boyfriend inside overnight as he would go
the way of
the rats, but he slipped outside after his breakfast. Aargh.
When I fed the chickens, there he was in the garden but when I
called to him
and made nice noises so I could pick him up, he ran off.
OMG.
I had killer terriers coming and Boyfie was out!!
Fortunately he came back before they arrived. Phew. I shut him up
safely
in a bedroom.

There is always a problem with rats if you keep chickens. I used
to use
poison but decided it was cruel, they took a long time to die, so
now I get
the terriers in. One snap sorts them.
Today we had Jess, a Patterdale terrier, Mooch, a Lakeland
terrier and
Nipper a 10 month old Lakeland who killed her first two small
rats today.
Every dog got one or more. That's important. Mooch & Jess got big
ones.
Nipper was thrilled with herself. 6 rats won't die of poison.

There was a rat dying of poison yesterday outside my back door, I
suspect my
neighbours of it. I should have been brave enough to kill it but
I couldn't
bring myself to. I put Kitty's old empty litterbox over it to
keep it away
from Boyfie and it was dead this morning.

I used to use poison once. I won't do it now.
Bring on the terriers, there are no days of suffering.
Snap. Dead immediately

Tweed

Ewww. (Something told me not to read this post, I should have
paid attention) * :-)

Why? * What do you find "Ewww"?
I have chickens and we get rats that want to eat their food. *They
have to be controlled, so what is better?
Poison? *No. *They die slowly over days, bleeding internally.
Today we smoked them out into the jaws of the terriers and they
lived just one second.
Isn't that better than dying of poison?
Of course it is.

Tweed

Just not something that city folk want to read about over their
Sunday morning coffee and papers.

Although in this case I surly knew what to expect from the subject.
Gross? *Yes. *But I do envy you the services of the terriers.

Jo- Hide quoted text -

I also knew what to expect, so I have myself to blame. :-)
I'm not a city person, either. Nature is cruel and on a farm
there are a lot of unpleasant things to deal with. (and we
don't have animal control to call either; I wish we did
sometimes).

I just wouldn't discuss various ways to kill any animal,
especially in this group where there *are* a couple of
people who are fond of rats, and have had them for pets.
Even though pet rats and field rats are two different things.

Sherry

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

(snip)

I should have been brave enough to kill it, it was dying. But no, I just
put a litter box on top of it and waited until morning until it was dead.
I'm ashamed of myself.

Tweed



I could have ended it's suffering with a gun, but if I didn't have one I
would be afraid of just making it suffer more.

I think it's great the terriers have real jobs. More dogs should. People
try to make housepets out of dogs that have been bred for a specific purpose
ie herding or guarding or ground prey, and end up with a neurotic dog that
can't do what his nature tells him he must do.

Karla

Karla wrote:

I think it's great the terriers have real jobs. More dogs should. People
try to make housepets out of dogs that have been bred for a specific purpose
ie herding or guarding or ground prey, and end up with a neurotic dog that
can't do what his nature tells him he must do.

This reminds me - it's a bit OT - has anyone seen herds of working goats?
Around here, you can sometimes see a herd of 200 or more goats chowing
down on a field that has too much grass, weeds, bush, etc. They might
be seen there for 2 or 3 days, until they eat the place completely clean.
Then maybe a week later, you can see them elsewhere, cleaning up another
overgrown area.

I guess there are a few farmers who maintain the herds and hire them out
to landowners who have a big field to clean up. It's one of those "everybody
wins" scenarios.

Joyce

--
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me,
for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me
the hell alone. -- Unknown

i agree about using posion but not really because of the rats suffering , i
mean its good they don't suffer, but its even better no other more desirable
animal finds and consumes the posioned carcass, glad the little one got her
first ones, Lee
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
We were having a rat hunt around the chicken huts today as I'd seen a few
and the chicken food was disappearing faster than my chickens could eat
it.
I am supposed to keep Boyfriend inside overnight as he would go the way of
the rats, but he slipped outside after his breakfast. Aargh.
When I fed the chickens, there he was in the garden but when I called to
him and made nice noises so I could pick him up, he ran off.
OMG.
I had killer terriers coming and Boyfie was out!!
Fortunately he came back before they arrived. Phew. I shut him up safely
in a bedroom.

There is always a problem with rats if you keep chickens. I used to use
poison but decided it was cruel, they took a long time to die, so now I
get the terriers in. One snap sorts them.
Today we had Jess, a Patterdale terrier, Mooch, a Lakeland terrier and
Nipper a 10 month old Lakeland who killed her first two small rats today.
Every dog got one or more. That's important. Mooch & Jess got big ones.
Nipper was thrilled with herself. 6 rats won't die of poison.

There was a rat dying of poison yesterday outside my back door, I suspect
my neighbours of it. I should have been brave enough to kill it but I
couldn't bring myself to. I put Kitty's old empty litterbox over it to
keep it away from Boyfie and it was dead this morning.

I used to use poison once. I won't do it now.
Bring on the terriers, there are no days of suffering.
Snap. Dead immediately

Tweed

Karla wrote:

I think it's great the terriers have real jobs. More dogs should.
People
try to make housepets out of dogs that have been bred for a specific
purpose
ie herding or guarding or ground prey, and end up with a neurotic
dog that
can't do what his nature tells him he must do.

This reminds me - it's a bit OT - has anyone seen herds of working goats?
Around here, you can sometimes see a herd of 200 or more goats chowing
down on a field that has too much grass, weeds, bush, etc. They might
be seen there for 2 or 3 days, until they eat the place completely clean.
Then maybe a week later, you can see them elsewhere, cleaning up another
overgrown area.



The local news showed a goat herd cleaning a field just last week.
MLB
I guess there are a few farmers who maintain the herds and hire them out
to landowners who have a big field to clean up. It's one of those "everybody
wins" scenarios.

Joyce

--
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me,
for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me
the hell alone. -- Unknown

and wasn't the point of your post your panic at not having boyfriend in
where you thought at first? Lee
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"Sherry" wrote in message
...
On Aug 2, 1:10 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

...
On Aug 2, 12:28 pm, "Christina Websell"





wrote:
We were having a rat hunt around the chicken huts today as I'd seen a
few
and the chicken food was disappearing faster than my chickens could eat
it.
I am supposed to keep Boyfriend inside overnight as he would go the way
of
the rats, but he slipped outside after his breakfast. Aargh.
When I fed the chickens, there he was in the garden but when I called
to
him
and made nice noises so I could pick him up, he ran off.
OMG.
I had killer terriers coming and Boyfie was out!!
Fortunately he came back before they arrived. Phew. I shut him up
safely
in a bedroom.

There is always a problem with rats if you keep chickens. I used to use
poison but decided it was cruel, they took a long time to die, so now I
get
the terriers in. One snap sorts them.
Today we had Jess, a Patterdale terrier, Mooch, a Lakeland terrier and
Nipper a 10 month old Lakeland who killed her first two small rats
today.
Every dog got one or more. That's important. Mooch & Jess got big ones.
Nipper was thrilled with herself. 6 rats won't die of poison.

There was a rat dying of poison yesterday outside my back door, I
suspect
my
neighbours of it. I should have been brave enough to kill it but I
couldn't
bring myself to. I put Kitty's old empty litterbox over it to keep it
away
from Boyfie and it was dead this morning.

I used to use poison once. I won't do it now.
Bring on the terriers, there are no days of suffering.
Snap. Dead immediately

Tweed

Ewww. (Something told me not to read this post, I should have
paid attention) :-)

Why? What do you find "Ewww"?
I have chickens and we get rats that want to eat their food. They have to
be controlled, so what is better?
Poison? No. They die slowly over days, bleeding internally.
Today we smoked them out into the jaws of the terriers and they lived
just
one second.
Isn't that better than dying of poison?
Of course it is.

I understand what you're doing. I just don't find it pleasant, or
even interesting, to read a graphic account which describes
the various ways to kill an animal.
Sherry

_______
so don't read it, I don't think it was graphic. If you ever get rats
you'll have to do something about them.

Tweed

wrote in message
...
Karla wrote:

I think it's great the terriers have real jobs. More dogs
should. People
try to make housepets out of dogs that have been bred for a
specific purpose
ie herding or guarding or ground prey, and end up with a
neurotic dog that
can't do what his nature tells him he must do.

This reminds me - it's a bit OT - has anyone seen herds of working
goats?
Around here, you can sometimes see a herd of 200 or more goats
chowing
down on a field that has too much grass, weeds, bush, etc. They
might
be seen there for 2 or 3 days, until they eat the place completely
clean.
Then maybe a week later, you can see them elsewhere, cleaning up
another
overgrown area.

I guess there are a few farmers who maintain the herds and hire
them out
to landowners who have a big field to clean up. It's one of those
"everybody
wins" scenarios.

Joyce

I understand they are very popular for clearing brush for firebreaks
around Los Angeles.

Could provide Kayla with a career. She likes to herd goats.

Jo