CHAPTER IX 



TRAPS FOR POULTRY PESTS 



Rats are no doubt the prime nuisance in most 

 poultry raising sections. They steal grain and eggs, 

 disturb sitting hens and kill young chickens by whole- 

 sale. By reason of their numbers and boldness they 

 usually give more trouble than the wild pests of the 

 swamp and forest. To fight them with cats is to invite 

 a remedy which may prove nearly as bad as the dis- 

 ease. A trained rat dog is the best policeman for pests 

 of this kind, and he may be taught to drive off strange 

 cats. He will in fact fight or at least give warning of 

 any dangerous intruders except hawks. Rats often 

 nest and burrow directly under chicken houses and 

 coops. When the owner suspects an)'thing of the 

 kind let him call his dog and pry up the coop or tip it 

 over, and Snip will do the rest. 



A simple, but where rats arc numerous, very elifec- 

 tive trap is made by taking a large shallow box with 

 the lid shut down and but one small hole in the side 

 near the bottom. For this hole have a sliding lid which 

 will stay open and can be shut suddenly. Place the 

 box on the barn or stable floor, put some grain or other 

 bait in it, and leave it for several days. Put evcr^•thing 

 else that is eatable as much out of the reach of rats as 

 practicable. Renew the grain in the box if it is taken. 

 Then when the rats have got used to the box and re- 

 sort to it regularly for their feed, come up to it softly, 

 shut down the sliding lid, take the box off into some 

 open space, where the rats will have fair play, call 

 the dogs and let the rats get away— if they can. Then 



