Automatic drinker pipes and rodents

[countrryboy]

We have jist put automatic drinkers into our pens on a wee diy syndicate shoot to try and make life a bit easier.

Was putting finalish touches to it last nite, turned water on, went till fill some hoppers while the water filtered throu the system. Looked at the IBC tank thing and thought it had lost a lot of water, investigated a bit further and found some little bugger (probably voles) had knawed through a section of pipe. Pipe was only laid out 2 days before, worried this is going to happen more often now or will it stop when water in the pipes (wishful thinking)

Do other shoots have this problem and how do other shoots stop this (we used 10mm plastic pipe rather than alkethene)

Cheers in advance. And i thought they'd make my life easier The 5 gallon barrels are on standby

 

[Roedinator]

countryboy I have had this happen before
set some fen traps around your pen in tunnels etc possibly rats causing this
and also suspend the drinker line off the ground with some plastic fence posts
or some cut hazel sticks to stop whatever it is getting at the line
hope this helps regards pete .

 

[trouble]

Get some rat poison down , you dont want any rodents feeding out of your hoppers at night or you might end up with a big vets bill

 

[cockerdog]

Ive had rabbits do this to water pipe before and the plastic type electric fencing wire when its not turned on.

 

[old keeper]

Sounds a bit like squirrel to me. Watch your feeders if you use plastic.

 

[norma 308]

replace 9mm black pipe every other year only need 3ft from saddle to drinker, saddles have lasted 10 yrs on one pen .never had any probs with holes .the blue main 20 mm pipe is same age no probs i dont use poison within a million miles of my pens! i like the b owls and kestrels too much

 

[trouble]

Youve never seen birds with lysteria then ? passed onto them by mice feeding and urinating in hoppers

 

[countrryboy]

Luckily we dinae have rats (or very very few) or grey squirrels in our area. Lot of voles and mice thou, usually have a barn owl nest and fledge young 200yds from pen.
Thought about elevating it but i've laid it alongside the feed ride in some places it crosses it, willnae be long afore i trip over the raised pipe. Will probably try this thou.

Alot off shoots in this area jist work of the small dia pipe rite from the water butt, never thought to askthem if they have this problem. But when u beat on there shoots pipe always looks old so can't have the same problem and have never moaned about it either.

Cheers for the advice may have to rethink for next year and move to alkethene.

 

[norma 308]

Youve never seen birds with lysteria then ? passed onto them by mice feeding and urinating in hoppers

NO .just dont like poison thanks .use manolas in the pens then there are a few hoppers where i cant feed with the bike and snacker .i have used poison and i do around my property but not near the pens .i have watched phezs kill mice and voles think they find it quite sporting

 

[bob257]

had this problem every year. grey squirrels normally the culprit,put down some fenns in tunnels
you will be surprised what you will catch especially when there is feed there

bob

 

[widows son]

You don't say what type of set up you have .
I used 1000 ltr tanks sat up off the ground using gravity to feed a blue 45 gallon drum that way if you have a similler problem you are only losing 45 gal..from the 45 gal drum I fitted it with a 15 mm bulk head fitting and used copper to a system of top hat drinkers suspended on a timber frame with a ply roof to stop the pheasants shitting in the water .

The other system I use is 1500mm long, 150mm galvanized electrical ducting cut and fold up the ends tig weld together , leave one long to fit a ball cock with a bulk head fitting to cover the ball cock with a netting to stop the birds sitting on it use copper piping between the drum and the drinker, check out a couple of bits of timber to use as feet, using the same 45 gal drum to feed it ,again your only loss can be 45 gal of water I made 10 of these they came in handy when I had to use emtril to dose the birds we were only using a the drum of water after the dozing it was easily cleaned and topped up by the 1000 ltr tank.

All easily made tools .