Photo: Ken Tomita

How do farmers keep mice away?

Sealing of Entrances Make sure you use rodent-proof materials such as hardware cloth, silicone sealant, and copper cloth to seal potential entryways. Tightly seal openings and cracks in vents, building foundations, and water pipes. You can use mortar or steel wool and caulk to eliminate gaps in pipes.

agrisales-inc.com - How to Keep Mice Away from Your Farm - Agri Sales Inc.

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How to Keep Mice Away from Your Farm

Mice are hazardous for livestock, and they chew up farm equipment wires. Learn how to keep mice away from your farm to prevent infestations.

Keyword(s): how to keep mice away

Rats, mice, and other rodents spread over 35 diseases through feces, saliva, urine, and bites. These diseases include Tularemia, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, Salmonella, leptospirosis, and Hantavirus. Also, rodents like to make themselves at home in gardens, sheds, houses, and garages—where they eat, sleep, and breed. When mice invade homes and farms, they cause a lot of damage by chewing through timber, fabric, wiring, and many other valuable items. As a farm owner, you may want to get rid of the annoying pests through every means possible. This article offers helpful tips on how to keep mice away from your farm.

1. Population Reduction

Many people prefer to use snap traps to get rid of mice because they’re less harmful than rodenticides. However, when using traps, it’s important to be mindful of where you place them. Keep them in areas that kids and pets cannot reach. A good place to place a snap trap is where you find a nest, feces, evidence of chewing, or crumbs. Most often than not, these places are behind furniture and hidden corners that allow mice to move about undetected. Mice are active during nighttime; hence, it would be advisable to set traps at night.

2. Rodenticides

To eliminate mice from your farm, you can also use poisonous mouse baits that come in chunks or pellet form. Be careful when using rodenticides in an area where there are pets or children. Curious pets and kids can ingest these chemicals and suffer illnesses that could be fatal. Rodenticides are classified as non-anticoagulants and anticoagulants. Non-anticoagulants like vitamin D³, bromethalin, cholecalciferol, and Zinc Phosphide kill mice within a few hours. Cholecalciferol causes a mouse’s body to release too much calcium into the blood, thereby disrupting the normal body functions. A single dose of bromethalin kills rodents within 1 to 3 days. It shuts down the rodent’s ability to generate energy within the body cells. Anti-coagulants are slow reacting. They kill rodents by preventing blood coagulation, which causes internal bleeding. Examples of anticoagulant rodenticides include bromadiolone, brodifacoum, and difethialine. If your pet ingests an anticoagulant, you should give him/her Vitamin K and seek medical help from a reputable veterinary physician.

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Put safety first when using rodenticides to reduce the risk of secondary poisoning of livestock, beneficial predators, and humans.

3. Trap and Release

Some farmers don’t like killing mice. They prefer catching the rodents and releasing them to the wild—far away from their farms. You can buy a humane trap or create an inexpensive one from home. The Bucket and Soda Can trap is one of the easiest mouse traps to make. You need a dowel, tin can, 5-gallon bucket, peanut butter, and scrap wood.

To make the Bucket and Soda Can Trap:

Drill holes uppermost part of the bucket, on two opposite sides.

Make holes in the middle of each flat side of the can.

Insert the dowel through the can and bucket holes.

Make a ramp using the scrap wood.

Bait with peanut butter.

Fill the bucket with a few inches of water.

How does the trap work? If mice walk on the ramp and try to reach for the bait on the can, the can will rotate downwards, making the mice fall into the bucket.

4. Sealing of Entrances

When thinking about how to keep mice away, you need to think about how they get into your home or yard in the first place. Identify and seal any opening that mice can enter through. Make sure you use rodent-proof materials such as hardware cloth, silicone sealant, and copper cloth to seal potential entryways. Tightly seal openings and cracks in vents, building foundations, and water pipes. You can use mortar or steel wool and caulk to eliminate gaps in pipes. Seal large openings with ¼-inch mesh or aluminum flashing.

5. Proper Sanitation

Eliminating the entire population of mice is almost impossible as they can survive on limited amounts of shelter, food, and water. Nonetheless, limiting the availability of water, food, and shelter can help prevent rodent infestation.

To improve sanitation in your farm:

Keep your living areas and yard clutter-free.

Dispose of your trash regularly.

Fix leaking pipes and faucets outside and inside your home.

Store firewood away from your house.

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Ensure your farm is free of debris piles.

Clean up spills and crumbs quickly, and store food in sealed containers —off the floor. Even though sanitation might not get rid of all the mice in your farm, lack of it will allow them to thrive and breed. Destroy or eliminate places where rodents can find shelter and food. If mice have fewer places to rest, they will have a hard time procreating because they won’t have enough room for their young ones.

How to Keep Mice Away from Your Barn

Practice good barn keeping and cleanliness. Set up traps, use rodenticides, erect physical barriers, and keep your barn clean. Check your tack and equipment regularly to ensure that there are no nesting materials for mice. It’s also advisable to store out-of-season sheets, bandages, leg wraps, and blankets in sealed containers. Ensure that these items are clean and dry before storing them. Don’t let rodent waste and contaminate your animal feed. Mice eat less food than they spoil. They leave droppings, hair, and urine on animal feeds. Store all your animal supplements, pellets, and grain products in clean metal bins and cover them with tightly fitting lids to discourage mice from invading your barn.

Disposing of Dead Mice

Carefully remove dead rodents from areas where children, native animals, or pets may access. Wear gloves when handling dead mice to avoid contracting diseases. After disposing of dead pests, you should wash your hands with soap and warm water, and rinse them thoroughly.

Take Action

Mice, like any other pest, can be a nuisance to a farmer. They seem to destroy everything in their way and spread illness to humans and animals. Following the tips discussed in this article can help you get rid of mice for good and safeguard your crops and livestock. You can make mouse traps at home or buy efficient traps from Agrisales Inc. Contact us today to request a catalog of our products. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have questions about how to keep mice away from your farm and home.

agrisales-inc.com - How to Keep Mice Away from Your Farm - Agri Sales Inc.