Rats can be a serious problem in raising pigs and cause considerable economic damage to the farm. These animals are able to carry various infections, destroy food supplies, damage the walls and floor of the pigsty. And since the barn is dry, warm and there is enough food, rodents are able to live in it for years. Of course, the easiest way in this case is to use the services of specialists. But in the absence of such an opportunity, you can try to get rid of the rats in the pigsty and on your own.
Rat in a pigsty
Ways to get rid of rats
There are many effective ways to deal with domestic rodents that have passed the test of time. All of them have advantages and disadvantages. It is worth noting that the sooner you apply each of these methods, the more effective it will be.
Chemical
The chemical method of dealing with rats is most in demand. It involves the use of various poisonous compounds for baiting rodents. Depending on the form, such drugs are available in the form of:
- grain;
- granules;
- powder;
- tablets;
- drops (liquid solutions in ampoules).
The poisonous composition is mixed with a tasty food for the pest and the bait is left in places inaccessible to pigs and other domestic animals. As a food component in such baits can be:
- bread;
- cereals from grains of cereals;
- minced fish or meat;
- mashed potatoes;
- flour;
- bran wheat.
rat poison
The drug is applied to products in the manner indicated on the package. In the case of using powders, they are poured into porridge, mashed potatoes or bread crumbs, mixing thoroughly. Also, a special paste is prepared from individual preparations, which is applied to whole pieces of bread. Liquid poison is also mixed with food prepared for rodents.
As for the drugs themselves, they are of several types. Coagulant poisons have gained particular popularity. Such a poison disrupts the process of blood clotting in animals, which, in turn, leads to deterioration and death of rats. These drugs include:
- difenacin;
- ratindan;
- zookumarin;
- penolacin.
The drugs of the brands Ratid and Goliath are faster acting. Poisons monofluorine, glyfter, acetamide already 12 hours after ingestion cause death in rats.
For effective use, the bait is prepared following the dosages and recommendations indicated in the instructions for use. You can enhance the taste of the bait and hide the smell of the drug by adding vegetable oil to the prepared food with poison. In this case, the bait with zoocoumarin is prepared in the following proportion:
- 20 g of the preparation;
- 960 g of combined or other food;
- 20 g of sunflower oil.
The whole composition is carefully mixed and distributed into small portions, which are placed in places where pets cannot reach.
Attention! Work with such drugs should only be in protective gloves, as well as in masks.
Mechanical
This method of rodent control involves the use of traps and traps. Such mechanical devices exist in various forms. They are aimed at killing or catching rats.
rat trap
The most popular versions of such devices include glue traps, rat traps, trap traps, and others. A wide variety of such products are offered by various stores. A simpler trap can be made with your own hands.
Folk remedies
When trying to get rid of rats, you should not bypass folk methods of struggle. Many of them have been successfully used for decades and may well serve today.
Of course, the most popular solution would be the acquisition of a cat. This animal is the original enemy of rodents. But today, most felines have already lost their natural hunter instinct and may be useless in the fight against a rat.
You can fight pests in other folk ways:
- Scatter bread crumbs mixed with finely chopped corks from wine bottles on the paths of rodents. If they are poured with vegetable oil, the rat will not notice the catch. But such a simple method quickly leads to the death of the animal.
- Mix gypsum and wheat flour, placing such a composition next to the rodent hole. Place a container of water nearby. When the gypsum inside the stomach comes into contact with water, it hardens, and this leads to the death of the pest.
- Fill all the passages and holes made by rats with concrete. This will help not only block the access of animals to the pigsty, but also kill those rodents that are inside the holes.
Various field plants have proven themselves to be an effective method of rodent control. The most requested among them are:
- black root;
- sagebrush;
- tansy;
- field mint;
- bagulnik.
Ledum
Rats perceive the smell of such plants extremely negatively. Moreover, for a person it can be absolutely imperceptible. To repel rodents, fresh and dry herbs, as well as alcohol tinctures based on them, can be used.
Ultrasonic repeller
Ultrasonic repellers are the most modern method of getting rid of rodents. Such devices produce high-frequency sound waves that are not perceived by humans, pets and birds, but have an extremely negative effect on rats. Due to the special structure of the hearing aid, small pests feel severe discomfort under the influence of ultrasound. Gradually, they begin to panic, and the animals tend to leave the room in which the repeller works as quickly as possible.
The advantages of this method of rodent control are the high efficiency of the device over a fairly large area and safety for other inhabitants of the pigsty. However, these devices also have disadvantages. The operation of the device is limited to a certain territory, which means that several such repellers may be needed for a large barn. In addition, if the ultrasound generator is turned off, then after some time the rats may return.
How to effectively use rat traps?
When making and using rat traps, it is important to follow a number of rules that will help to significantly increase the effectiveness of the devices. These include:
- The trap is best made of metal. Plastic and other materials can be quickly chewed through by a rat.
- It is necessary to set traps and traps near pest burrows and on the intended routes of their movement.
- As bait, you need to use fish, sausage or meat. Bread or cheese is too soft, and the animal can leave unharmed, calmly eating part of such a product. Also, they don’t smell strong enough to attract a rat from afar.
- To enhance the smell of the main bait, it can be poured with vegetable oil.
Vegetable oil to enhance the effect of the rat trap
What happens if you don’t drive out the rats?
Rats breed extremely fast. In 4-5 weeks, the individual reaches maturity and every 1,5 months brings offspring. At the same time, one large brood can cause serious damage to the farm. The consequences of living rats in a pigsty and neighboring outbuildings can be:
- destruction of fodder stocks and harvested agricultural products;
- damage to the structural elements of the pigsty and electrical wiring, which can cause a fire;
- infection of domestic animals with diseases when bitten by rats, which can act as carriers of various viruses and bacteria;
- stress for pigs and cows that are afraid of small rodents.
Attention! Numerous broods in the absence of food can even attack humans and young livestock, so you need to deal with rodents as soon as their presence is detected in the pigsty.
Making a rat trap
Sometimes, in order to catch a rat, prompt measures are required, and it is urgently not possible to purchase a factory rat trap. In this case, you can make a simple but effective device yourself. The most popular are designs from a plastic bottle or bucket.
From a plastic bottle
For the manufacture of such a device does not need special skills. The whole structure is assembled according to this plan:
- The neck is cut off from the plastic bottle in the part where it turns into a conical shape. In this case, the cone is turned over and inserted into the rest of the bottle. The upper edges of the resulting container are fastened together.
- A bait (sausage or fish) is thrown at the bottom of the bottle, and the walls of the cone are lubricated with oil for greater glide.
- A couple of recesses are dug around the pigsty and the trap is set so that only its edge remains slightly above the ground.
Rat trap from a plastic bottle
Once in such a trap, the rodent will no longer be able to get out on its own.
From a bucket
It is even easier to make a rat trap from a regular bucket. This is done as follows:
- A regular bucket of 10 liters or 15 liters is installed in a selected area in or near the barn. Water is poured inside the container, in which a large amount of salt is diluted. It is desirable that the liquid level does not reach the middle of the container.
- A thin layer of sawdust is poured on top of the water to mask the liquid. Since salt water has a high buoyancy force, the sawdust will swell and float on top.
- An odorous bait is laid out in the center of the sawdust layer.
- An approach is established to one of the edges of a bucket of bricks or boards.
Having smelled the bait, the rat will rise along the approach to the edge of the bucket and jump inside. Under its weight, a layer of sawdust will disperse, and the rodent will be in the water.
If desired, this design can be upgraded. To do this, a metal rod or stick is laid across the opening of the bucket. A plank is fixed perpendicular to it so that one of its edges lies at the end of the approach, and the second does not reach the edge of the bucket by 1-2 cm. The bait in this case is not placed inside the bucket, but on the unfixed edge of the plank.
Having smelled a delicacy, the animal on the approach moves to the plank. When a rat gets too close to the bait, the board flips over under the weight of the pest’s body, and it ends up in the water.
It is worth remembering that a condescending attitude towards rats in a pigsty can cause serious damage to the farm. The rodent population is growing very fast, and getting rid of them is quite difficult. Therefore, pest control measures should be taken as soon as possible. And the methods listed in the article will help in this.
