Rodents are a problem. As temperatures drop in the fall mice and rats tend to migrate to a warmer shelter. That means your barn, your coop, your livestock facility, even your home. These rodents can contaminate feed and carry disease. They can even chew through wires and cause barn fires. What can you do to keep the mice and rats away?
Keeping your livestock operation clean is crucial. It's the first step in biosecurity. A clean barn will do wonders in keeping your rodent population down. The extra effort is worth it. Making sure your facility is clean as possible now will make it easier to maintain in the winter.
Set mouse and rat traps in areas where rodents tend to travel. Places such as corners, against walls, feed rooms and other areas the critters like to hide are a good start. Check the traps daily. Empty them as soon as possible so they can be reset or replaced if they're the disposable kind.
Baits can be a very effective tool in reducing rodent problems. Rotating rodenticides can keep baits effective against the rodents near your facility. Click here for Motomco's resource for rotating baits.
Rodenticides can be very harmful, and sometimes fatal, to pets like cats and dogs. Be sure to put all baits and bait stations out of reach of your pets. Even with bait stations designed to be tamper and pet proof, it is possible that a persistent pet could chew through a station to get to the bait. It helps to keep the packaging from the bait used. If your pet gets into the bait your vet will be able to know what kind it is and how to treat it.
A little bit of prevention goes a long way in keeping rodent populations down. Keep your farm and buildings clean, set traps and rotate baits.
Hog producers around the globe are on high alert following the recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China. Here in the United States, you need to know how this disease affects you and your pigs.
Take action now to educate yourself on African Swine Fever. Here is everything you need to know about ASF.
Feeding a quality calf milk replacer offers many benefits to your calves. It can result in higher growth rates among other advantages.
However, to maximize these benefits you need to make sure you are correctly mixing the milk replacer. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your milk replacer.
Producers that fail to remove the net wrap from their round bales could be causing serious problems for themselves and their herd in the future.
Net wrap refers to the wrapping or string that binds hay together. Round bales are commonly fed to cattle and the net wrap that keeps them together comes in different materials.
It doesn't matter what type of wrap is used or whether the hay bales are fed whole or after grinding, many producers leave the wrap on.
Caitlyn Andrews
Author