Ö÷²¥´óÐã

The Village Hall  permalink

Feed the Birds?

• Message 1. 

  Posted by DiamondLil (U11107751) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  I have been a keen garden bird feeder for many years, and have invested loads of money in feeders and various selections of gourmet meals. As my reward, I have had endless pleasure watching all sorts of wild birds in my garden, once, even had a sparrow hawk come down and stayed put with his prey long enough for me to get up close and film his with my video camera. Recently, however, I have noticed,(shock of shocks) not one, but 2 rats!! What should I do? I cannot stand the thought of them being there and my OH suggests that I no longer feed the birds to cut off the rats supply. I am at a loss!! Any ideas??
  
  Lil
  

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message1

• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Lynnie P (U3585914) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Do you put food down on the ground, Lil or leave it out overnight? That would attract the rats for sure. If you stick to feeders that hang up and store your bird food indoors, in box(es) with a lid that also would be a good move. I have some really cheapo cheapo plastic boxes from the pound shop and keep them inside the back door.
  
  Or maybe stop doing it for a bit, clean the bird table if you have one, then re-start in the cold weather just using hanging feeders and putting down food for the ground feeding birds in very small amounts, replenishing if necessary. Never leave food out for ages and never put cooked food out, ever.
  
  LynnieP x (bossy boots to her friends)

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message2

• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by Alsdouble (U524298) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Yes I am, but. And I have just bought a rolls royce bird feeder, squirrel proof, and pole upon which to hang the said device and...........
  
  NOT ONE SINGLE BIRD IS AROUND,
  
  In my area. None, zero, zilch, nowt.
  
  Last year there were some. Now there are none.
  
  Seagulls? Yes. Little decorative items, no.
  
  I'm not happy about that.

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message3

• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by Lynnie P (U3585914) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Give em time Als - my Dad is moaning about the same thing. It always happens when you do something new - birds are ornery critters. When one of them spots the new de-luxe feeder and starts incorporating it in their daily routine they will all come. Patience is a virtue....

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message4

• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by GuzziNut (U6364582) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  when this has happened where I live we stopped using everything but peanuts, coz they make least mess with the nuts.
  
  If yours 'll eat nuts, the ones round the folks place are fussy lil fellas and wont touch them!
  
  We bought a bait trap and poison, and we poisoned them.
  
  You have to keep putting out the poison until they are no longer seen around. We also knew where the entrance to the nest was and put the poison in the entrance.
  
  I maybe should not go into our lads application of the air rifle, save you know you live in the sticks when there is a rifle in the downstairs bog (and an air hadgun in the wellie room) and you dont ask if its loaded
  
  Give 'em time Al, they will find your feeders in the end.

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message5

• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Lynnie P (U3585914) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Guzzi - sometimes I feel such a wuss...

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message6

• Message 7

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by Alsdouble (U524298) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  I have not see a small bird for 8 months. They've gone.
  
  Last place in the forrest, hundreds. Jays, woodpeckers, tits of all shapes and sizes, everything. Here, gone.
  
  Mind you I do occasionally throw out bread for gulls. They come down in waves. Love the way they curl the air. Fantastic on the wing they are. Magic.

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message7

• Message 8

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Reggie Trentham (U7102122) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  I don't think there is much you can do about it apart from stopping feeding the birds. I've noticed that sparrows are particularly messy feeders. We have a family of field mics that live under a shed and come and hoover up the stuff on the ground.
  
  Are you sure that it's the bird food that's attracting the rats though? I wouldn't have thought there would be enough detritus to attract them.

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message8

• Message 9

  , in reply to message 8.

  Posted by GuzziNut (U6364582) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  no, dont feel a wuss LynneP
  
  I wouldnt dare use the gun, I cant aim straight (astigmatism, thanx dad) and the rats would fall about laughing, mind you then I could get them with a brick
  
  but I do wonder what passing commuters must think, if they see the rifle barrel poking out of the window... Life in the sticks, gotta make your own fun

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message9

• Message 10

  , in reply to message 8.

  Posted by Lynnie P (U3585914) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  I was wondering about that, too, Reggie - they might eat a few bits of food, the opportunists that they are, but I suspect that they have other things in their sights. We had rats in the garden next door but one but not in ours - YET.
  
  LynnieP x

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message10

• Message 11

  , in reply to message 8.

  Posted by Dapply (U2437462) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:39 GMT, in reply to Reggie Trentham in message 8
  
  Mr Dapply and I both love feeding the birdies and watching them. Our blackbirds especially love their sultanas that we leave out for them.
  We had a rat attracted by bird food. And yes because of the messy eating sparras this autumn.
  
  Next door tried to poison the blighter, and we left a trap with very tempting food inside. Mr Dapply wanted to get an airgun to shoot aforementioned rat but I won't have guns in the house so we decided that when/if we caught it we would drown it. Anyway matters were taken out of all our hands when Seren (our Dalmatian) caught the rat unawares one morning last month and killed it. No more sign of another rat, but Mr Dapply took all the bird feeders down and scrubbed them all clean and we haven't had another rat...........yet.
  
  Seren may be hired for rat killing duties. On her CV she has caught two rats (one killed about 2 years ago, a grey squirrel and a blackbird. She only asks for a biscuit as her fee and lots of cuddles.

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message11

• Message 12

  , in reply to message 11.

  Posted by catwomyn (U1485618) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Shooting is a much more humane way of despatching rats than drowning, Dapply. But only if you're a good shot.
  
  My dad had rats in the garden, and when kill traps failed (the rats outwitted him) he got an air pistol, but made sure he got a lot of target practice in to do the deed as swiftly as possible.
  
  His dozy dogs were (predictably) useless at ratting.
  
  Cat x

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message12

• Message 13

  , in reply to message 12.

  Posted by NTyeti (U14171244) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  If it's the one or two rats then I'd try not to worry, so long as you're not spreading buckets of seed all over the place they won't become a problem. We've had the occasional one that I see once or twice a month and less often I'll sometimes discover a dead one on the lawn - probable victim of the neighbourhood cat judging by the wounds.
  
  What I'd caution against is the use of poison, it's not a species selective solution so while you may kill the rats, you may well kill other wildlife too. If you must go down that road you really ought to get in a professional who'll have to expertise to do it properly and as safely as possible.
  
  Take a look at this leaflet too...
  

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message13

• Message 14

  , in reply to message 13.

  Posted by GuzziNut (U6364582) on Wednesday, 25th November 2009

  Bloke is a good shot, I am not...
  
  The metal bait trap we have is designed for rats, no birds would go into it. It needs to be placed near a run but rats hate change, that makes them harder to catch and filled when they eat the bait until this stops happening
  
  Yes, sparrows are messy but so are greenfinches and blue tits lob away everyother seed. Thats why we used only peanuts, they are harder to crumble and fling

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message14

• Message 15

  , in reply to message 8.

  Posted by DiamondLil (U11107751) on Friday, 27th November 2009

  I actually saw one, (a rat, that is) upside down on the feeder that hangs high in a prickly climbing rose outside my Kitchen window. Ugh! I don't put food on the ground unless I am there to keep an eye out now and at night I gather all the feeders up and bring them in. I have also taken to leaving my terrier out in the garden a bit more of an evening to do a bit of mild terrorizing which may deter them slightly. I have Blue Tits and Coal Tits coming in and occasionally, those very pretty ones with bright red heads, that I cannot, at this time remember the name of (you know the one's I mean). Not a Starling in sight though, used to have loads.
  
  Thanks for all your messages!!
  
  Lil
  

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message15

• Message 16

  , in reply to message 15.

  Posted by Sixties Relic SAVE ML (U13777237) on Friday, 27th November 2009

  The dog is your best weapon, I think.
  
  Keep him hungry!
  
  My old cat used to catch rats, when he was in his prime. But they always managed to bite the top of his head, which then would get infected and I would end up taking him to the vets for antibiotics - I reckoned it cost me about £25 per rat.
  
  We could do with a cold snap - that will see off some of the rats.

  Link to this forum: Feed the Birds?

  Report message16

Back to top