Rats

This mild wet weather we are having has led to an increase in the numbers of rats about. This is largely due to them breeding more but also all of the food that's available in our chicken pen.

I have already had 2 chickens killed in the past 2 weeks by them overnight and a lot of eggs have been taken, so not best pleased.  The most effective way to get rid of them would be poison but with all of our dogs running around and the livestock I'm not too keen on this method. Besides which poison just doesn't seem very humane and after a while they become resistant to it.

Shooting of course is the answer!

 Rats may sometimes seem harmless and cute, but they can cause all sorts of damage and spread diseases, not to mention eating my chickens and eggs!

We really don't want to see these in the pen either!! CLICK HERE

An airgun’s limited power and quiet operation mean it can be used for safe and discreet control of pests that pose a threat to other, more vulnerable, species, especially in confined areas where the use of a shotgun or rimfire rifle would be too risky, or too noisy. In the confines of our chicken pen an airgun is by far the most suitable weapon to use.

Fortunatley our run backs on to large fields (Which we have permission to also shoot over). This means we don't have to worry about a backstop as much.

It’s not always so simple. If your shooting in your garden and it has only has hedging or flimsy panel fencing for boundaries you must ensure that the pellet doesn't leave your property. Safety first. In this case, you either need to put up a temporary measure such as a paving slab, or ensure that the angle that you shoot at is downwards into the ground.

As the weather isn't great, to start with, we have put down a couple of live capture traps. This means that the rats will be shot whilst in cages. Not very sporting but we need to thin the population out a bit. You must check the trap at least every 24 hours and the only safe and humane way to get a kill is by shooting (not by throwing the cage into a water butt as someone suggested!) For this purpose I use a Benjamin Trail NP Air Pistol. It doesn't require any CO2 cartridges etc as it is a break barrel nitro piston and has enough kick to get the job done humanely. It also means I can have it in my tool bag and check the traps when I want to. Also I'm not carrying a rifle around the farm with me all day.

I'm hoping next week to get out and shoot with the air rifles if the weather clears up a bit (Dont like shooting in the rain). More to follow.

Benjamin Trail NP £120