Pests are vectors (either living or nonliving carriers of disease) because they may be a point of entry for disease or other nuisances in the poultry house. They are also an aspect of waste management that should not be overlooked. Especially troublesome on the poultry farm are house flies, rats, and darkling beetles. Wildlife, especially feral dogs and coyotes, must also be controlled. Having proper waste management facilities and maintenance procedures on the farm will contribute to productivity, nutrient management, and environmental safety. A cost-effective and safe pest control system is essential.
Uncontrolled pests cause irritation to birds and workers, carry poultry disease pathogens, in crease mortality, lower carcass grades and production, damage building materials, and interfere with feed conversion. In addition, and if they did nothing else, poultry pests must be carefully con- trolled because they can migrate from litter to nearby residences, where they may become a serious nuisance among the neighbors.
Voles, field mice, and cotton rats are not usually the source of problems for poultry growers. Norway rats and roof rats, however, are two non-native species of rats that can be troublesome — and they proliferate rapidly. A pair of rats will produce six to 12 young in 21 days — and each of these becomes sexually mature in three months. A single pair of rats, if they find food, water, and shelter, can produce a colony of 640 rats in a year.
Poultry houses provide everything the rats need: food, water, and shelter. Norway or wharf rats usually nest under buildings and concrete slabs and in garbage dumps. They are great burrowers and may have an extensive system of burrows under the poultry house, with several escape routes. They eat anything but prefer nuts, grains, meats, and some fruits. They can easily find meats and grains in the poultry house.
Roof or black rats are more aerial than Norway rats. They enter buildings from the roof or utility lines. They usually live in trees, so access to the poultry house is easy: up the walls, across vines, along pipes. Exterior walls should be hard, flat surfaces, and all entrance holes should be plugged. Rats can make themselves “paper thin” to come in under doors and through holes as small as one-half inch in diameter.
Controlling Rodents
The best rat control program is proper resource management, maintenance, and sanitation; but the food supply in the poultry house makes rat occupation probable. Some chemical controls or rodenticides may, and probably should be, added to your control program. To administer rodenticides effectively, first know how many rats you are dealing with; then, establish bait stations near the walls in areas of rodent activity.
To determine how many rats are in the poultry house, observe the area at night as well as in the daylight. Rats are nocturnal; if you see no rats in the day or at night, there probably are not many around. If you see old droppings or gnawed areas, no rats during the day, and only a few at night, rats are probably present in medium numbers only. Finally, if you see fresh droppings and tracks, some rats during the day, and three or more at night, large numbers are probably present.
To control the infestation, use single or multiple doses of a rodenticide in the bait stations. Avoid making the rats sick; if they get sick and do not die, they will become bait-shy and not eat the poison. Place the bait stations appropriately and protect them from moisture, dust, and weather to encourage the rats to eat from these stations. Rats, like many animals, prefer fresh food.
Because rats are colorblind and have poor eyesight, rodenticides can be marked for safety. If other conditions make poisons inadvisable, rats can be trapped with common snap traps, glue boards, or in live traps.
Reference
Armstrong, J.B. 1990. Rat Control in Poultry Houses. DTP Circular 12/90-016. Cooperative Extension Service, Auburn University, Auburn, AL.