"Martin" wrote in message
...

Is it a ratzilla?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...odents-UK.html
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IME people who are not used to seeing rats around always over-estimate their
size when they've seen a glimpse of one.
As a poultry keeper I have an ongoing battle with them. I use terrier men
every month or two to come here and smoke them out with the dogs waiting.
The biggest one we ever got weighed just over a pound.
I used to use poison. Not any more - my tawny owls disappeared for one
thing, and poison takes a while to work, seeing dying rats in extremis
changed my mind about the method to use.
The terrier way, I believe, is kinder because the rats are either caught and
gone literally in a second or they get away to maybe be caught next time.

These are not ordinary pet terriers, btw, the terrier men like to hunt with
them and that's what they are for. Patterdales & working-bred Lakelands
make short shrift of my rats. Even if a big one hangs on to their nose and
makes them yelp, it's a gonner.
It costs me nothing except tea & biscuits