Kitchen Garden Forum

If you stand your compost bin on a sheet of galvanised aviary netting it will stop rats from getting in from underneath. The micro organisms and worms etc can get in, it doesn't interfere with drainage and is strong enough to keep pests out.

Hmm PP!

Neighbours have chickens, their ruddy rats prefer my compost to theirs! That sounds wrong as they are very clean & caring for their chickens, so obviously rats like my pile better! I have chicken wire lining the bottom of my compost bin but the little guys are burrowing into the main dump of weeds! Not keen on them being there but they are turning the heap over very well with their tunnels - with a bit of help from me blocking tunnels - and I never see them!

Westi

I have moved my compost bins to a concrete base and have a lot less trouble. They do say that you are never more than 50 yards from a rat, comforting thought especially after the recent photos of giant urban rats.

Prior to dispensing with the plastic compost bins I had paving slabs under one and fine mesh wire, stronger gauge than chicken wire under the other.
So the rat (s) just chewed through the plastic