Austin: (512) 517-8050 | San Antonio: (830) 931-1292 | Waco: (254) 224-6744 | College Station: 979-431-3992
Austin: (512) 517-8050
San Antonio: (830) 931-1292
Waco: (254) 224-6744
College Station: 979-431-3992

Dealing With A Norway Rat Infestation On A Farm

Dealing With A Norway Rat Infestation On A Farm

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Dealing with Norway rats is a normal part of owning a farm. There are plenty of buildings and areas they are drawn to, including storage areas, poultry coops, barns and outbuildings. Here, the rats can find all the food and shelter that they need. The problem with Norway rats is that they can quickly get out of hand. They reproduce very quickly, and if there are no pest control measures in place, they can cause a lot of havoc. While it may be impossible to prevent rats from visiting the farm, you can implement measures that keep their population low.

If there’s food, the rats are not too far away

If a Norway rat or a colony of Norway rats find food and shelter on your farm, they will shortly move in. If you store animal food improperly, the rats will find it and eat it. On top of that, rats also enjoy the chickens’ eggs and even chicks, and they also carry around a plethora of diseases which can be spread to humans. As such, it’s very important to implement preventative measures if you have any flock or animal on your farm. When it comes to shelter, rats will be at home in chicken bedding, chips, wood shavings, and old straws. They will even take the space under the chicken coop if nothing else is available.

Dealing with the rats

A rat infestation on a farm can be extremely hard to eradicate completely, but there are measures that can be used to greatly reduce their population. Trapping works really well, and there are plenty of commercial options available on the market. There are snap traps, no kill traps, baited traps, and you can also go for poisons. However, the latter option is a bit riskier since your livestock can ingest it if you are not careful with the placement. There are also electronic and acoustic deterrent devices, but these are not very effective at keeping rats off your property. You should also be mindful of the prevention methods that you can put in place. First, you want to limit the access to all the food sources on your farms, and eliminate any entry ways into the coops.

If you are having problems with rats on your farm, you can also hire a pro to help you out. Contact us today and we will get the rat population on your property under control.