Probably a stupid question, re rat poison

[StrawberryNinja]

Hi everyone,
This is probably a ridiculous question, but the allotment next to mine has chickens and so has a rat problem (I hear it’s pretty normal? Not sure), and she said that she has put poison down on the floor all around the place...

will this affect the my soil or will it be fine? It’s really wet at the moment and I’m worried it will seep into the soil, or am I worrying needlessly?

[Nicos]

Hmmm....a bit of a worry perhaps.
Where did she put the poison...what was it?
Rats move poisoned bait to store for the winter....could now be anywhere in their runs.
If it's warefrin based I seem to recall it has a half life of a year.
Meaning it's in the soil now for several years.

If thats the case....
hmm...I think I'd only grow veg which needs cooking in that area.
But who knows?

I too would be worried.
First thing is to find out what the bait was and research from there,..

[veggiechicken]

Rats are everywhere and compost bins are a regular hiding place. Even if they're not drawn to the chicken run, they may turn up in your bin or under the shed. Don't want to alarm you but, that's how it is.

Any poison should be laid where it is inaccessible to other species to avoid them being poisoned.
Have you seen baitboxes around?

[StrawberryNinja]

It’s not the rats that bother me, it’s the poison! she told me she has laid them all over the floor, totally inaccessible from my plot (you have to walk all the way into a field and then around) but it is right next to mine and separated by a big fence.

As Nicos said I’m worried they might bring it to my (future)veggie patches or the poison will go into the soil. Would that be dangerous?

Am I worrying too much? I’m a big worrier so please do tell me if I’m just anxietying all over the place aimlessly

[veggiechicken]

The rat man used to come here and laid bait in bags in boxes. I never worried about it getting into the soil. They eat the poison and never had cause to move it anywhere.

[StrawberryNinja]

Thank you. That’s reassuring

[SarrissUK]

I'd be more worried if you knew you had rat burrows or places where they live on your plot and brought the poison back over to your side. If you haven't, I'd not worry too much.

[jackarmy]

"While rats will eat nearly anything, they prefer grain, livestock feed, and meat. Unlike the mouse, which nibbles a little at a time, rats will fill up at one sitting, if possible. "

Seems theyd prefer to finish it all there and then rather than move it.hope that helps.

[Guest]

I can't imagine the poison percentage is high enough to worry about especially once it has been moved about. Unless your neighbour is one of those that found a packet at the back of the shed from the 60's but it'll be fine

[4Shoes]

I'm making the assumption you live in the UK.

About this time last year, 2017 the UK legislation for buying of Rat poison by the public was changed. Pack sizes are smaller and the stronger products are not available to the public.

This is good news because the quantity of bait laid is likely to be quite small.

When poison is laid, it should only be available to the targeted species. This tends to be done by dropping bait down the rat holes on wire (if blocks) and in bait boxes (grain and blocks) to stop it being carried away. This will limit the impact to the immediate area.

Are the chickens next to your plot and is there any evidence of rats on your plot? Take a look along the boundary fence. The neighbouring plots may also need to take action to resolve the issue.

[Jungle Jane]

Hi everyone,
This is probably a ridiculous question, but the allotment next to mine has chickens and so has a rat problem (I hear it’s pretty normal? Not sure), and she said that she has put poison down on the floor all around the place...

It’s normal that rats are always 9 foot away from us or some distance,it’s probably 6 foot by now. If she’s put poison down that’s accessible to birds,hedgehogs etc she’s creating a big problem. I hope this isn’t the case because rats will always find the plot,even if they all died this year,more would easily return,that’s not the same for our beneficial wildlife,sad isn’t it.

[StrawberryNinja]

Very reassuring, although I don’t think she’s putting it down holes as she said she’s put it all over the ground in her allotment. I can’t really see into her allotment so I can’t see for myself though. The chickens are against the fence of my allotment, so it’s worrisome

I’ll have a look if there’s any signs of rats on my allotment, I haven’t seen any but I haven’t reallu looked to be honest

[Scarlet]

If the chickens are next to you the rats will be on your ground too.
I wouldn’t worry about the poison. It’s not on your soil. It’s unlikely they will bring it and leave it around your plot . If they do move it, it will be in a nest somewhere. Personally I wouldn’t worry about it.

[ESBkevin]

Rats don't generally venture over open ground, they like to keep to edges like fences and walls (hence the term rat run). So to bait rats the poison is put specifically in those rat runs but kept hidden from other species and of course rain. The concentration a rat might consume to kill it would make you unwell for a while (unless you had underlying conditions), and any stray poison which I can't see getting to your plot would not likely have a detrimental effect on the soil. As stated above the currently available over the counter poisons are very much weaker and only registerred handlers can obtain and apply commercial grade material now.

[4Shoes]

One thing you can to "protect" yourself is to keep your Allotment tidy, remove any thing that gives them cover and any "food".