And it happened in broad daylight. Never mind that I'd taken pains to fortify the coop and run to keep my hens safe.
Something had gone very wrong. It's taken me several weeks to fix the problem. In hopes of saving you similar trouble, here's what went wrong and what I did to make things right.
RAT PARADISE
My first mistakes? Locating my large compost bins too close to my chicken run and falling down on its maintenance. I'd generally kept my compost well-watered and turned until emergency surgery took me out of commission.
So, for a month or two, food scraps accumulated on top of the pile. This created a potential draw to the chicken run for rats.
I'd also gotten lazy with my feed. Although I kept my opened bag inside a galvanized trash can, I kept additional, unopened bags on my garage floor. Had I been paying closer attention, perhaps I'd have noticed that something had gnawed holes in those bags. A small feast of pelleted food had spilled out.
ASSESSING THE PROBLEM
That I saw a rat at all was bad enough. But that I saw it during the daytime suggested this was a serious infestation. Rats aren't only vectors for disease. They'll also eat young chicks. Their presence can have a chilling effect on egg-laying, too.
Denne historien er fra March - April 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra March - April 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.
