Rodent Pest Control on the Farm

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Grain bins are a favorite feasting place for pesky mice and rats. iStockphoto.com/Robert Hunt

With the onset of fall, summer's bounty gives way to an urgent need among animals to seek food and shelter for the coming winter. Rats and mice are on the move. And to the wandering rodent, your farm looks like a deluxe hotel. Proximity of a food source and nesting grounds are prime considerations for rodents about to take up residence. Buildings, feed bins, woodpiles, junk heaps and stacked trash are all highly attractive to rodents. When it comes to providing habitat for these varmints, the farmer is often her own worst enemy.

Rats and mice have been a nuisance to humankind since the beginning of time. The infamous bubonic plague, the Black Death, was caused by fleas that bit infected rats and then passed the disease on to humans. From time to time, nations experience a virtual swarm of rodents that destroy foodstuffs and crops. On U.S. farms, losses from these vermin are measured in hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Fortunately, with some basic precautions, rodents can be controlled. 

Have a strategy

A good rodent-control strategy is a simple three-step process. First, deny them food and shelter; second, employ an ongoing control program; and third, encourage all area farms and rural households to institute similar rodent control measures. Since rodents can reproduce exponentially, everyone's help is needed.

Let’s start with habitat denial. Rodents survive and multiple largely through human negligence. Sloppiness comes with a price ... and it can be high. It is estimated that on poultry farms alone, rodents can consume $250 worth of feed for every 100 hens housed per year. They damage structures and wiring, cause fires, spread disease and can prey on baby animals.

Some important steps to eliminate a harborage for rats and mice are:

● Don’t have open and unsanitary dumps on the farm. Bury or burn trash, offal and garbage.

● Stack lumber and building supplies 1 foot off the ground. Never stack wood next to buildings.

● Store feed in metal or plastic containers when possible. Clean up spilled feed as soon as possible.

● Avoid on-farm junk piles and storing old machinery or equipment. These make good rodent homes.

● Rat-proof buildings by using concrete floors and foundations. Use hardware cloth to screen windows, vents, pipes and drains. Check buildings for holes and make necessary repairs. This denies access to rodents and discourages their residency. 

Reduce populations

The second part of a good rodent control program involves reducing existing populations by trapping, predation and poisoning.