Rats

[Kerry L]

About 3 months ago we discovered an enormous brown rat eating the bird food on the ground - in broad daylight,:eek: so I chased it down the end of the garden (literally - we live on a slope) and found it had been nesting in our compost bins. Needless to say we stopped putting kitchen waste into the compost and stopped feeding the birds for about a week. A call to the local council resulted in a visit, but the guy confirmed that it had gone. There is a small stream about 100 yards away, and where there are streams, there are usually these creatures not too far away. Sadly we don't have the water voles here, although mink have been sighted about 2 miles upstream (and I saw a squashed one at a local farm).
I have learnt my lesson in only putting out what can be eaten in a day (sadly the hedgehogs, who usually slurp up the no mess mixture, were in hibernation).
I'm not too fond of this type of wildlife - we used to have an allotment in Old Basing and they were overrun with rats. We lost about 2 thirds of our potato crops to the blighters where they nibbled at a spud and left it in favour of another, then another . . . . The pest control came and had approx. 370 confirmed kills, but then they came back the following year - who wants to eat food with rat teeth marks in it?:mad:
By the way not all rats are horrible - we used to have pet fancy rats and they were great fun.:)

[Jenny]

Kerry - every sympathy! We also were overrun with rats (surrounded by wheat fields and loads of run down outbuildings for them to live in!). Due to Barn owls taking young rats, plus a walk-in cat stray (he preferred rabbits and wood pigeons to rats - just my luck:o ) - poison not an option, so we ended up shooting (hubby a marksman) them from bedroom window having encouraged them out with food. Having got the population down to a reasonable level, we invested in an early version of the pest watch you can now buy from the cat watch people. This worked well - birds of prey got the young and we didn't get invaded. Obviously shooting probably not an option now, but do look at getting together with neighbours to invest in a pest deterrent programme. Good luck!

[Kerry L]

There is now a mouse in the compost bin! The little devil keeps going on midnight walkabouts and has uprooted my onion sets - and put them in several small, neat piles, some have been replanted upside down! I replanted the sets and pushed them much further into the soil, and today there were only two misplaced sets - one set aside and the other upside down again. Apparently, the mice move back when the rats have gone. They are wood mice (soooo cute), and they used to live under a step outside the back door, but I didn't see them for a while, and I guess now I know why.
My husband wants a gun, not to shoot rats (the neighbours cats only catch the birds and my garden is their toilet:mad:, the gun wouldn't be for them either) but the wood pigeons are a pest, so he looks at them and sizes them up for cooking. Needless to say, I chase them off, jumping up and down and clapping my hands (causing an earthquake in Hampshire) - the pigeons watch the entertainment just out of reach:o . My cousin came over from Canada and said "What are those beautiful big birds?" She got a very long answer starting with "Those blasted things are . . ."
My daughter (veggie) is disgusted by the thought of eating the pigeons!
Ah the joys of wildlife!
Happy Easter
Kerry

[Jenny]

See if you can change the feed Kerry for a bit to discourage those "beautiful birds" before your husband's blood lust takes over. (I think they are beautiful but en masse they're a nuisance and sooo greedy!). Cut out any corn or oats in the feed. If they approach your veggie patch or garden from a particular angle something flapping from a branch across the flight path can put them off - other birds don't seem to mind so much! And get a cage over ground feeders (well pegged down)!

Can't help with the mouse, at least s/he's in the compost bin - one enterprising individual (at least I hope it's one!) has found its way into the kitchen! My multi-talented (or plain mixed up) Collie has been whining at a cupboard for a couple of days; he figured out how to open it and pulled out the shoecleaning basket - yup! mice droppings and a very large hole by the dishwasher pipe! :mad: ! My fault - had two window feeders on kitchen window above - they've gone - sorry CJ Foods! And it's a trip down to get more pest controllers tomorrow!

[Kerry L]

Hi Jenny, the pigeons can't really get to the bird food very well (I use the CJ's no mess) but they queue underneath the feeders when the fussy little birds root their least favourite bits out of the way of the good bits!
As far as indoor mice go, we had one in our garage over Christmas. We bought a humane trap - weren't allowed to kill re daughter's wishes and baited it with some of the above bird food. My husband checked the trap several times but no luck. Unfortunately for the mouse, he went to Germany on a business trip for 2 nights, and I completely forgot to look. Trap worked fine, but poor mouse very dead - daughter very unhappy!!! (Actually she was livid!)
Your collie sounds like he would make a great cat!
Oh well, its late back to school in the morning - in one way yuk, but at least I'll be free from 2 teenagers!:D
TTFN

[birdgirl]

hi to all i'm new , but , have just had the exact same experience with my compost bins the council came , a week later we emptied the bins and my hubby found 4 dead ones. Our two wrens are still happy nesting in their roosting pouch . i have had an article and photos of homemade feeders etc published on a website called ' Space for Nature ' , go on ' Garden Projects' then it's the 3rd/4th article down ' Birds on a budget . I would like to know what you all think .:)

[Jenny]

Ain't it bliss with sprogs back at school - NOT when exams due in two weeks!

Collie obviously suffering from delusions of grandeur! But yeah! if he keeps going I get the best of both worlds.

Hi Birdgirl - will try and check out website - sounds good. Hey, how come Council came? You're lucky!

[Kerry L]

. . .that I am a soft touch for wildlife - we now have a racing pigeon. This is the third in a year. This time last year one flew into the greenhouse and got a bad headache. It stayed with us until a courier came to fetch it and take it up to Doncaster (it recovered after a cuddle to warm it up after the shock). Daughter upset, she wanted to keep it. Then another towards the end of summer, but it only wanted a little food, rest and a drink and went on it's way. Both coloured almost like the vermin townie pigeons, but prettier. Today is a pure pale silvery grey beauty. My daughter wants to keep it - fat chance!:p Don't worry, we only follow the British Homing Pigeons Society instructions. If you get too close, they might not go home and someone out there loves the bird more than my daughter! We have seen lots of pigeons let out on Portland Bill from enormous lorries packed to the brim with baskets. Perhaps this one started there too. I hope the hawk doesn't get it, anyway there's much more meat on those fat woodies!
I liked birdgirl's site, some very good tips.
Don't mention waste collection, our lot quotes that they are a "leading role in waste management". After they broke down, our rubbish wasn't collected for almost 3 weeks - they had forgotten us.:mad: I'm afraid I sent a rude e-mail quoting " The Leading Role in Waste Mismanagement". :rolleyes: I don't think it had an effect, but I felt better. They are going to do our bins every fortnight in a few months - recycling one week, rubbish the next, and then the foxes will attempt to thin the rubbish out a la Tracy Emin!
Night night, sleep tight everyone!:)

[Jenny]

You mean you get help from the homing pigeon crowd? :eek:

When lived in Midlands was forever getting downed racing pigeons and looking after them - ok, most were fit enough after a few days but some folks we contacted told us to "wring their necks as they wouldn't be any good any more". :mad: Needless to say, we didn't - some made it, some didn't, but it wasn't their fault!

Hey, for anyone with an AGA (my old Aggie was a recalcitrant ancient beast to get going but a lifesaver in a house with no central heating!), the bottom oven is great for helping warm up shocked birds fairly quickly - just hold them in your hands by open door whilst someone else is getting box ready to put the casualty into to fully recover.

[Mobee]

Must be the season for racing pigeon casualties. I rescued what I thought was a feral pigeon from next doors two cats, (they hunt as a team). I put it in the greehouse, only place I could think of where it would be safe, gave it some food and water and after a few days it seemed a bit better. I left the door open and kept watch for cats but it didnt want to go. It was now on its feet and I noticed it had a ring from which I was able to read its number and trace its owner. Imagine my horror when he took one look at it and said oh its done for! I know they are "disposed of" if they dont perform but I had become quite fond of this one.

Maureen

[Kerry L]

What a pity this happens to some of the birds. It may be that they had rested too long in one place, and the only place they would go to is back to their rescuers.
The little grey beauty has gone, I think we were only a pit-stop this time.

[Ben]

hi to all i'm new , but , have just had the exact same experience with my compost bins the council came , a week later we emptied the bins and my hubby found 4 dead ones. Our two wrens are still happy nesting in their roosting pouch . i have had an article and photos of homemade feeders etc published on a website called ' Space for Nature ' , go on ' Garden Projects' then it's the 3rd/4th article down ' Birds on a budget . I would like to know what you all think .:)
Hi Birdgirl,

Found the site OK and the garden projects but unable to find "Birds on a Budget".Can you please post a link on the forum.

[optrex]

I think this amy be the article you are looking for Ben
http://www.spacefornature.co.uk/default.asp?ftr=Features\Projects\teresa-leech.xml

[Ben]

I think this amy be the article you are looking for Ben
http://www.spacefornature.co.uk/default.asp?ftr=Features\Projects\teresa-leech.xml

Thanks Optrex some money saving tips there.