Oh Rats!

My months-long struggle with trying to kill a rat has finally ended. It all started when I was out late doing chores, and a rat had come in the chicken door and found a nice snack in the feed trough. I screamed, the rat took off and the chickens were all freaking out. Needless to say, the chicken door didn't stay open past 5pm after that. My next encounter with the rat was when I discovered that he chewed my 3/4 bushel of potatoes to shreds that I was keeping in the garden shed. I mean, they were ruined. Feces everywhere! So out went the potatoes. I didn't see him again for a while except for tracks here and there. But then, yesterday morning I was doing chores innocently enough and out of the poop tray of Marigolds cage came the rat, looking sneaky and guilty as you'll get! Poor Marigold was scared silly up on top of her box. So rat-killing got a bit more serious. I bravely set the rat trap, put it in a well travelled area, bated it with some broken Christmas cookies and left. Later I went to do my evening chores, completely forgetting about the rat trap. I went into the garden shed for feed and BAM! I had caught my much avenged rat! He was large, and no longer in-charge. Im glad I caught him but I certainly don't have the stomach to go near a dead rat! It took all the gumption I had to shovel him up and turf him on the manure pile! Gross! Hopefully I got him before he had a chance to make a family...