Problem with neighbours feeding wildlife

My friends parents had rats get into the wall cavities RosesareRed, in the end they had to get pest control out to clear them.
Luckily we don't have badgers or foxes, garden is completely fenced in.
Suspect our problem arises because there are a couple of nearby houses with chicken runs, one placed the other side of one of our fences. That plus nearby unkempt gardens makes a haven for the rats. Unfortunately they decided to live under our shed so OH got straight to work getting rid. Yes we all know they are around us but I don't want to have them running around the patio or getting into parts of the buildings!
They soon get out of control.

I have fed the birds for years, and have been constantly criticised by my neighbours about attracting rats. In this world where we are losing all our animals to extinction through lack of food, habitation etc. we all need to do our bit
to try and preserve the wildlife and animals that we have got, I feel it is every one's duty, after all without them, we are gone too!! I have only had rats once, I didn`t want to kill them either, but knew I had to, secure bottom of fences, make it hard for them to enter your garden, and let's do our bit for protecting our wildlife.

Love your wildlife friendly garden Shinamae!
The main problem to hedgehogs , as people have said, is all ourgardens being inaccessible and too tidy. But equally, so much traffic on the roads and also intensive farming and the loss of wild boundaries.
Any foxes that your neighbour may attract will certainly catch and eat the rats if they can. That’s nature. Please don’t even think about putting poison down especially because if a larger animal happens to eat the poisoned rat, they too will die.
Hedgehogs need all the help they can get, as do the foxes who are being killed by the hunts even though fox hunting was banned in 2005. Then there’s the badgers who are currently being culled: up to 64,000 this year will lose their lives.
Soon we will be complaining that British wildlife is extinct, just like we do now about the red squirrel which we were previously responsible for culling as part of another government strategy.
Good Luck with your move.

I'm with Quizqueen. The indignation of rats in the garden. ... How very dare they (sarcasm). I have had a big fat hedgehog in my London garden, and of course we get foxes. I don't enjoy the idea of rats but it is what it is. My local underground station car park is overrun with rats. They are everywhere.

www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/a28604641/hedgehogs

Hedgehogs will get extra protection under new building rules

I feed the birds in squirrel proof feeders which I bring in at night.
I loathe rats and would always use the council rodent team to minimise them, well kill them.

Definitely don't tell her, but I would certainly stop your dogs from jumping at her fence & barking. As an ardent dog lover & owner I still appreciate the fact that it can be very irritating for neighbours to have their peace disturbed by noisy dogs. It's unnecessary & dogs can easily be trained to keep most of their barking to the doorbell & possible intruders.

It's not barking that upsets me about neighbors dogs, at least while barking they are usually having fun or at least occupied. It's when they're left alone all day and whine and howl. That really gets to me.

Plunger, your comment 'the trap is locked' is misleading. Rat poison is very dangerous!