Barn rats

Just got a call from a farmer who has a problem with barn rats in his silage bags. His biggest concern other than trying to get rid of them, is that he doesn't want them to move across the road to some other out buildings. I don't have alot of experience wit barn rats but know they get trap wise real quick. Farmers is also concerned about his cats so I think poison is out of the question. Any suggestions?

There was a story in The Trapper decades ago, about the reality of exterminators who worked in cereal companies, and how you can never kill all the rats. They would poison, use sonic devices, trap and eventually bring in people to shoot them in the dark, and still there were rats left.
The only effective means you have is poison in a series of different flavors. Place the poison in the silage bags. You can use a T shaped plastic pipe to keep the cats out, and that should contain the problem in they will die in the silage bags.

I read once that you can make a bait using soda, I think it was, as rats can not burp, the built up gas kills them. Never tried it, as it seems too pie in the sky.

Just tell the farmer that poison is the only alternative, otherwise you are going to own his farm for all the hours you are going to put in, not killing rats. Have him sign off on it, knowing you are trying to not feed dead rats to his cats, and that is all you can do. He already knows what happens when the corn is moved, in the rats move to the buildings, or they will move to the neighbors where there is food.

This is a no win situation, and that is the reason he called you, or he would have solved it.

Pretty much what I was thinking. Like I said, I have little experience with barn rats but know how difficult it is to get rid of them. I said I would come out and look since it's not that far away but said I was not taking the job. About the only successful way I have ever heard was to clean up the place and store edible items in rat proof containers. No food, no reason to stick around but not always a practical solution.

Something like that, I'd be turning to tracking powder placed in burrows.


There's a guy on YouTube that uses dogs and mink to take down rats. Its fascinating to watch.

Can't use minks but did ask if the farmer knew of someone who own a ferret or two. Seen some videos on YouTube of hunting dogs with rats, really fun to watch but doubt I could do much with just one dog.

Have any of you heard of Bobby Corrigan? He's a rat expert.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...rant-closures-leave-shortage-scraps.html

Article where he was consulted about food shortages in cities and how rats are dealing with it.

Anyway, I've read his book on rodent control, and the bottom line was as some of you have already said: if you don't get rid of the food, you'll never get rid of the rats. You'll be trapping and poisoning them forever.

Was reading about using poisons to control rats in cities (Think it was something from Baltimore City Rat Patrol). There is a certain poison that the antidote is Vitamin K which is found in dog and maybe other animal scat. Page 8 of this publication.

http://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Baltimore%20City%20Clean%20Guide_2016.pdf

On a farm, I guess just pick the right poison. And, apparently, deal with the food supply,

Getting rid of the food source isn't possible as they are in the silage bags. So far about the only reasonable answer is poison but that's not necessarily the right answer. Had several locals tell me to catch one rat and singe it with a torch, then let it go. The theory is that it will go back to the colony making the rest think there is a fire. Then they all leave the area heading up wind. Even if that works your just passing the problem onto the neighbors. Think I'll pass on that one.

I would suppose it depends on what the farmer's expectations are. If he's going to pay you to try and doesn't expect huge success, then it's up to you. If he's going to expect them gone, passing on this one might be the best thing to do.

If it's legal where you are, some people like to hunt rats at night with air rifles and night vision scopes. Use bait that isn't easy to quickly cart away, like slightly watered down cat food. Won't get rid of the rats, but keeps them wary, a bit controlled, and could be fun.

I know that the double door swing panel cage traps set in tunnels, runs and even vertically work. One trapper said he got 2 in a Trex, then they stopped. He set a 5x5x24 swing panel cage vertically and caught 8 more.

I was told today that guinea hens will chase out barn rats since they eat mice young rats. Anyone else hear of this?

Do they chase them out or do the rats leave because of the noise?

Guinea hens eat mice and young rats. I'm guessing since they would be a threat to young rats, the adults would move to a less threatening area, probably the neighbors.

The farmer does not want dead rats rotting in the silage bags. One year we had a good number of turkeys. The spring was sunny and warm, perfect for growing hay and for nesting turkeys.

So I have a customer who after a dozen or so, became frustrated with getting off the tractor to move turkey hen with a nest of eggs. So he turned up the fuel a bit and from then on just ran the hens with their nests right through the haybine. Later he came back and raked. Still later he came back and made round bales.

As a good farmer he stacked the bales inside hay sheds and barns. Eventually the bales started smelling bad. after awhile that went away. That winter most cows would not eat the hay. Those that did got sIck. He scrapped about 350 big round bales.

Cows react similarly to bales used as a raccoon toilet.