Today will be my sixth day on the farm, and doubts are starting to creep in. I am not having second thoughts about being a farmer or working with goats, or even WWOOFing. But I am getting homesick and wishing I had found a farm somewhere closer to my people in Portland or family or Bellingham- somewhere I have community. Much of my homesickness is due to seeing my folks this weekend. It was really nice to visit with them, especially after not seeing them for so long. I also got to see my aunt Juli and cousin Chandra- thanks for coming up guys!- who I probably hadn't seen since Christmas 2008. So while it was an awesome Sunday, it was sad to come back to the farm without all my people around me.
All that would have just made me melancholy and more likely to try to build some community here rather than filled with uncertainty and thoughts of escape, however, if it wasn't for the RATS!!! I am so completely disgusted by the rats I couldn't fall asleep last night. And I haven't even seen the worst of it yet- night shift in the barn is still to come. I'm not sure I can handle it. Nothing else is really bothering me- not barn smells or animal feces or getting dirty or being around strangers- all the usual things I avoid. But Rodents Of Unusual Size? Oh dear god!
Ok, I can handle a few rats in the barn. Its kind of unavoidable, I suppose, with all the grain floating around for the chickens and the goats. But there are mountains of rats, armies of rats, a murder of rats. (I know, its usually a murder of crows, but no other animal grouping word seems harsh enough for rats.) And there are tons cats and rat terriers here, but they all live in the house and no one is training them to catch rats. Hello! Barn Cats are usually a staple ingredient of a farm. And above there is photo of one of the SIX Rat Terriers on the farm. Why do none of them live in the barn, catching rats???
Alright. I will not give into the rats. They will not GROSS me right out of this trailer and off the farm. Its war time now. As Aristotle once said, "We make war that we may live in peace."
So on that note, I am soliciting suggestions and doing research. How does one kill rats when the farmers do not lock up the food, poisons are out as they may get ingested by other animals, and water traps are dangerous hazards for baby goats? I have one idea, but it depends on poison that acts super quickly, so we'll see if I can find a brand. Post an idea if you'd like, and be creative people but show NO MERCY!
In all honesty I would say that the first thing to do would be to try to find out if there is a reason the owners do not allow the dogs and cats to remain in the barn. They might have a good reason. :) And if they don't, it may be fairly easy to convince them to allow the animals to do the job. And also, why don't they secure the food? That just seems weird to me and my non-farming sense. I will think on this and poke about on the interwebs to see if I find a more elegant solution. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks yo! I think dogs and cats are the best solution as well. Thats plan A. Plan B involves milk jugs, instant acting poison, and peanut butter. Do you think rats can fit through the opening in a one gallon jug? And will they stay in there long enough for a fast acting poison to work? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI will be interested to hear your rat solution! That is if you haven't posted it already, I'm a few days behind & catching up on your blog.
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