I'M NOT FEEDING THE BIRDS.

Oh rats! Must admit that happens to us as well especially when the weather is bad. It wouldn't be too bad if it was just the odd rat I see but I think of all the others I don't see. Cat is useless and dog wrong kind. Anyone got a Jack Russell to lend out?

I started feeding the birds when we had really bad snow last year. My DD was looking out of the kitchen window and saw a rat coming out from under the shed. We have lived here for 25 years and it's the first time we have had rats. The rat man came and dispatched them, and advised me not to feed the birds any more.

Same here nanapug - we had rats and were told never to put out food for the birds. A coincidence!!

Bird food = rats.

You can have one of ours, grrrranny. They pick the wettest, muddiest day to dig down under tree roots and refuse to give up because the only good rat is a marmalised one! Your kitchen will look like the Battle of the Somme until you can get the little blighter cleaned up and then you have to clean the kitchen. Still want one???

Howjado oh dear. I have an ongoing war with the squirrels, never considered rats. I won't stop feeding the birds though, they pay back big time in entertainment come the Spring. I've been clearing cupboards and found lots of out of date pasta - a kettle of boiling water, let it soak and the birds just love it. The squirrels aren't interested oddly. No doubt notes have been sent to the rats now

Well merlot at least the dog is entertained for a while. Hadn't thought about the getting the remains of rat away from dog and generally swabbing the decks and the dog bit. I, foolishly no doubt, think that the way a dog kills a rat, quickly, is more humane than poison so, unless someone tells me differently, yup, I'd go for one of your 'blighters'

Howjado (love the name!) We ARE feeding the birds - and the squirrels, the field mice and 3 visiting cats who all call regularly at our Cafe. We view from the kitchen window, recognise our regulars and appreciate surprise guests - a heron one day, a bus party of long tailed tits yesterday. We have a play area for the squirrels, with a selection of allegedly squirrel proof bird feeders to test their wits.

We do not have rats. I cannot explain why, I have no idea. Perhaps the cats keep them under control?

I dont have ground based rats. Tree rats, aka Squirrels yes! The beggars keep burying the acorns and peanuts in my patio pots leaving a right mess.

I do feed the birds. I have a big feeding station outside the kitchen window. Right now I was trying to cook, but keep watching the blue tits and coal tits zooming back and forth across the garden to feed. I bought the feeder last Christmas as present for us.
They finally decided it was safe to use about last April , and they brought all their newly fledged chicks over to feed. Its the best present I have given myself in years.

I only got back onto gransnet when I came into this room to find a recipe! Honest! I am not really a gransnet addict!.
Why is my nose getting longer?

I did have squirrels until him next door shot them!
I do feed the birds though

I do have sweet little mouse which gets into the bird feeders.
I think mice are nice
Their tales are long
Their faces small
They haven't any chins at all

Tails not tales!

Although I don't know? Perhaps mice like shaggy dog stories.

3 beautiful Goldfinches now! Some birds are at last eating the niger seeds.
I hope they hang around over the winter. Next doors leylandi (Curse them) and the thick Ivy I have growing up though them might provide some good shelter for them over the winter.

Jeni could I borrow "him next door?"

My feeders are hanging in a large viburnum bodnantense shrub. The drawback to this is that the little b*****s dear little birdies will insist on supplementing their diet with the buds.

I used to run a pre-school at a village school. One monday we set up the lovely rustic wooden bird table that one of the children's grandads had made complete with home made bird cake etc. On the tuesday I had my back to the window whilst talking to a group of children and all of a sudden one little fellow chirped up with 'theres a lovely mouse of the bird table'. I looked around to see a R** (cant even type the word) sitting there. It was the size of a Jack Russell and even the exterminating folks sent out by the school's head teacher (we can't have rats at school!!) shuddered when he saw it a few days later. Needless to say we couldn't continue with the bird table!

Touch wood now that we live deep in the country we don't seem to be too bothered by the rodents.......the buzzards, sparrow hawks and owls seem to keep them nicely in check!

We have birds, squirrels, foxes, cats, mice and I'm sure a few rats when it's dark. I have told all my little friends that they're welcome to come into the garden to eat the nuts, seeds and each other but if they set one paw over my threshold they're dead. The threat seems to have worked up to now lol.

We also have bats which roost in the loft of the empty house next door each summer. I've told them that I don't mind them swooping down and feeding in my garden but I'd prefer them as neighbours rather than tenants.

Nelliemoser you're welcome to him! I think his wife might agree as well!

I do feed the birds when the weather is severe and difficult for them to forage.

However, squirrels are a pet hate. They look so lovely but we have a summer house and two of the critters got locked in by accident. They chewed away at expensive wood doors, scratched furniture and knawed it. Sorry to say they are beautiful vermine and can cause house fires if they chew through elctric wiring.

We have just caught sight of our first Redwings. Lovely.

I am glad I am not the only one with rat infestations. I rang the council but they said they could only deal with vermin inside the house.
So I have have removed the bird feeders in the hope that the critters will look for another source of food; namely the rat poison I have purchased from my local DIY store.
I have carefully followed the instructions and put the "blue stuff" at the base of a wall (a rat run?) and covered it from sight with lean to roofing tiles. Now I must resist the temptation to look to see if any has been eaten, at least for a few days.
Watch this space.

pogs

You are not the only one I have heard of who has had squirrels causing that sort of damage. The insurance company didnt pay as they used to feed them.

Nellie

As I say, nice to look at.

Good Luck, Howjado. If you see a greasy line running along the base of a wall it's probably a rat run. We use sections of drainpipe to put the poison in as they like to run up tubes and it means our other animals can't get at it. We have a smallholding so we have to be vigilant.

We are humans and we are social animal not merely animal..

So bird feeding energizes your life as it makes you healthy and wealthy according to the Ancient Beliefs and Rat of Course is the Traveler for LORD GANESHA ..
So think You belief on such things or not