Keeping Your Barn Rodent-Free This Winter

Barns in New England are often used to house and harbor some of the animals you love most, but sometimes less lovable visitors will make themselves comfortable in your structures and stables. Rats and mice aren’t inconspicuous. If rodents are living in your barn, it’s likely that you’ll notice. But are a few mice or rats really a cause for concern?

Why Pest Control Is Necessary For Barns

Rats and mice can eat or contaminate incredible quantities of food intended for consumption by livestock. A single mature rat can eat approximately one ounce of feed per day. This volume might not sound like much until you consider that a large colony of rats can eat an entire ton of food in one year. Furthermore, this figure doesn’t include the amount of food spoiled by rodent waste and fur, which can reach up to an additional ten tons.

Furthermore, rodents can cause damage to a barn’s structure, and any equipment that is stored inside. Rats and mice have even been known to cause irreparable damage by causing fires as a result of chewing through electrical wires. Rodents are also responsible for a terrible variety of diseases such as Salmonella, rabies, and hantavirus. Rats and mice can spread ticks, mites, fleas, and other parasites, all of which have their own potential for distributing pathogens. Even their droppings can spread airborne diseases.

It is critical to address a rodent problem in your barn as quickly as possible since rats and mice can reproduce in under three weeks. A single female mouse can produce up to 10 litters in a year. Just one female rat can birth approximately 22 female rats, each of which reach sexual maturity in about three months.

How Do I Prevent Rodents From Infesting My Barn?

Similar to virtually any pest problem, rodent prevention starts with identifying and sealing any potential entry points to your barn. Clean up any spilled feed immediately, and remove trash or waste from your barn and stables regularly. Ensure that your windows and doors close tightly, and that any vents are covered with screens. Store your feed in secure metal containers, and repair any cracks in your walls. Oh, and you might consider getting a barn cat!

How Do I Get Rid Of Rodents In My Barn?

Not everybody is a cat person, but there’s no denying their small-game hunting proficiency. Cats are a great way to keep your rodent population in check. It may be necessary to keep your cat on a strict deworming schedule to make sure your felines do not become vectors for disease after coming in contact with rodents. And despite what you might have been told about your diligent mousers, it is best to feed them daily. Hungry cats are much more likely to hunt outdoor field mice for an easy meal rather than spend time stalking rodents hiding in a barn.

If employing a few cats isn’t a plausible option for you, traps can be placed. Simple “snap traps” are inexpensive and effective, killing rodents instantly. Since most rats prefer to move along the walls of your barn, it is best to place traps up against the base of the walls, perpendicular to the rodent’s path. Contrary to popular belief, rats and mice don’t particularly like cheese. Most experts recommend baiting your traps with peanut butter, chocolate, or even marshmallows.

Poisonous baits can also be effectively employed, but many horse and livestock owners are understandably concerned about placing rodent bait in their barns and stables -- especially if they also have dogs and cats that inhabit them. Bait stations can easily be placed out of reach from horses, but they can still pose a risk to dogs and cats. Single-dose poisonous baits inside wax casings can look especially appetizing to dogs, so be sure to relocate your pets after placing bait traps in your barn. For optimal effectiveness and safety, all bait placement should be delegated to pest control professionals.

Is your barn overrun with rodents? The experienced professionals at JP Pest Services can prevent and exterminate mice and rats from your barn quickly and completely, all while keeping your pets and livestock safe. Contact JP Pest Services to request a free residential estimate today.