That really sucks I think that pests on permaculture property are some of the luckiest in the country. We had some pidgeons move into our chicken coop and I had to go through a major acceptance stage. First I tried keeping them out, shooing them off and chasing them away, fake birds of prey, netting etc etc - those things are like rats, they resisted it all. One day I just came to terms with it, and now I have flock of fat, glossy, pet bloody pidgeons - they all have names, lol. We also have rats. Huge, fat, organic, hydroponically fed rats. They'd probably be a delicacy in some societies. They run down the patio, slide down the pipes, drink the water from the fish tanks and eat the tops off our aquaponic seedlings. Aghhh! The amount of money they waste and the tears of frustration at all that hard work and energy down the drain. Practicising permaculture gives me a real appreciation for those people that have come before us and had to live off the land, what a pita natural 'disasters' and 'pests' are. What got your chooks?
maybe the Biodynamics (BD) way is the answer to the rats. you trap one, cremate it, and use the ashes to make a spray in the usual BD way. for the exact way to do it you will need to talk to someone from BD or google it. They reckon it keeps foxes away but you have to use a vermin that is local to your property. Cathy
Lol, if you boys would like to come and collect some oraganic squab for dinner you are welcome. I've offered it to the locals around here but while they reminisce about their days eating good ol' pidgeon pie, no-one has taken me up on the offer. I'd eat them, but like I said, I made the mistake of giving them names ;P Thanks for the rat tip Cathy! I'll check that out. I also read about mixing plaster and chocolate powder together too - but I worry it might not be humane. We have some decent sized tom cats that hang out around our place and they like the sport but don't do much to actually eradicate the rat problem food good. Hope you're having a better day OP!
Oh man you know it! YUM!!!! And to think, this "new" world used to have flocks that would block out the sun for hours.
Baited electric fence has become my standard answer to critters of all sorts (except the bugs, of course). String one wire at nose height of the critter you are trying to keep out and hang tags of aluminum foil every few feet with a swatch of peanut butter or something else your target enjoys. One good lick and a deer, for instance, will stay clear for months. I've used the same technique to get goats to respect a single wire enclosing them, too. Electric fence (four strands, alternating live and ground, up to 1 meter high) also surrounds the night pen for the poultry, and nothing molests them except an occasional snake after eggs. An exception is the armadillo, which lives on grubs and worms and is difficult to bait or trap, and will turn over a mulched garden in no time. But a spray of dilute urine serves to repel him. It will also repel deer, even from sweet potatoes which are one of their favorites. I think possums in USA are not the same as in AU and NZ. They are excellent eating...lots of fat, reminiscent of pork, and they have no fur to speak of, just a coarse sparse hair. You scald them and scrape them, like a pig, and eat the skin underneath. Rats and pigeons are OK too. Curry is my default recipe for all kinds of odd critters....it all tastes like curry when it's done!