Rodents in the feed--thoughts on cats--

[FenDruadin]

We are careful about food storage, but nevertheless have an increasing rodent issue in our feed room and duck runs. I don't mind a small population--as long as they're not causing problems. But they are growing in numbers and I'm starting to get worried that they will start gnawing holes in the feed bins (plastic) or contaminate the goat hay.

We do tend to have a good snake population in summer, so I have some hope that the snakes will help bring the population down.

But I'm also considering getting a couple of barn cats to live outside and help with the problem. Does anyone have thoughts/experience with this? There are SO many "free" kittens listed on craigslist every day, and I figure they could do worse than to have a home in a warm feed shed with all the outdoors to explore. Of course I'd neuter them and get them their basic shots and make sure they had a warm place to sleep in winter, and we'd give them plenty of attention if they wanted it, but they'd have a job to do and would not be pampered pets.

Thoughts? Anyone done this? How effective is it likely to be? Problems to consider? Besides the cost of shots & neuter, emergency vet care when needed, and supplemental feed when necessary (such as while they adjust and perhaps in winter), are there likely to be other costs I haven't considered?

Anyone have better ideas? Just for reference--I know I could trap them but dh and I both despise doing the "dirty work" of emptying mouse traps, and I am not willing to put poison out with my three children running loose in the yard and one of them putting everything he finds in his mouth.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts--

 

[suburbanminifarm]

Sounds like a great idea to me. I believe you still have to give them free choice cat food all year--- you want mouse killers not eaters, and they should do the job (hopefully) not because they HAVE to for their daily food, but because it is their instinct and their pleasure to hunt. How you will know which kittens will develop in to talented mousers- I have no idea!

 

[teach1rusl]

I took in two barn kittens when I was helping a neighbor trap, spay and neuter her feral cat colony. One turned out to be a pretty good mouser, while the other does well to catch crickets. They're both indoor/outdoor cats in my home. My other, older cat came from my mom's house. She spends almost no time in the house during spring, summer, or fall, but camps out and gets fat all winter...lol. At 9 yrs. old, she is an A+ mouser. Of course there's also the occasional bird, chipmunk, baby rabbit, etc. that I cringe at and have to try to rescue if I can.
So first off, there are no guarantees that a cat will end up being a good mouser. In my opinion, your best bet for a mouser is to find a young cat (not kitten) or adult who someone KNOWS catches mice. If you know someone who has barn cats and has seen them bring things in, that would be great.
Also, you can always go to a metal trash can for food storage rather the plastic (I'm hoping they still MAKE metal trash cans??? lol).

 

[katharinad]

We have a no kill cat rescue shelter in town. I've adopted a cat there in the past and they do have some rules that are interesting. One of the rules is that you do feed the cat at least once per day. This is to keep them healthy and strong. Plus the food contains vitamins and minerals necessary for the cat's health. They also make it clear that not all cats are good at catching mice. In nature only the good ones will survive, so it is your responsibility to help those that are just not good at it. They were nice to help us selecting one that seems to be good at it. They also pointed out that usually the females are better at is too. We had her for a long while, until she had thyroid cancer. We used medication until it got to the point that she would not be happy anymore. Her health was just doing down, so we took her to the vet to have her put down. She had a good life. Later we were going to get another cat from the same shelter, but noticed a stray one running on our property. Our neighbor was feeding strays to keep them around his farm, and they of course multiplied to the point that they did not know what do to with them. I told them that the same shelter offers free neutering with the requirement that you take them back home and let them live out their natural life there. They did that. We think the young cat on our property was an offspring from their herd of cats. LOL Well we did trap her, had her fixed, and she now takes care of our mouse population. So in the long run I would suggest to get a cat or two for your property. See if there is a no kill cat shelter in your area besides craigs list.

 

[FenDruadin]

Thanks for the replies!! Metal trash cans are probably a really good idea. But how do you keep the rodents out of the duck feed trays? And what about hay storage? Also, do you sweep out your feed area daily to prevent crumbs & minor spills (I'm talking a few grains at a time) from attracting rodents?

I kind of want to get a couple kittens from the same litter, but you're probably right that it's more practical to get two grown cats who are known mousers. I do want them to be pals, though. Also, I'm considering getting kitties from the local feral cat rescue--I figure if they're raised by a mom who has had to hunt for a living, maybe she will have trained them?

Anyway--thanks so much for the feedback. I'm going to keep thinking on this--

 

[miniwhipkey]

We had a mouse problem in our barn. We got one barn cat and she cleaned it up in one month. I have not see a mouse since. It is a great idea. So many cats need good homes. Plus she is a joy to have around.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Quote:
I agree, 100% from experience
My cat eats free choice, but prefers fresh kill

 

[Wynette]

I don't have ducks, but for my chooks, I suggest hanging the feeders - can you do that for duck feed? If you hang them, the mice cannot gain access to the feeders.

 

[FenDruadin]

Hanging is an excellent idea--I'll have to give some thought to how I would do that with my set-up and without spending a lot of money on new feeders. I'll bet I can do it though. Does it work to hang the feeder from a wall or fence, or does it have to be strung from above to prevent access?

I am glad to hear so many people have had success with the cat method. I feel really encouraged about it, and now I know to offer them food all year. Of course, they'll probably steal food from neighbor's feed dishes too, lol, so my feed costs will probably be minimal.

Thanks again!

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
You need to get 'bait stations' that are strong enough that your kids can not get into them. Locked & Nailed down so the kids can't pick them up and shake the bait out. USE BAIT BLOCKS ONLY! those bright colored pellets look too much like candy, and some rodents will remove them and stash them closer to their dens where kids and pets can find them. Bait blocks usually consist of poision and grains (sometimes attractive scents) Mixed with Wax and molded into blocks. Rodents can chew there way into the blocks but it is hard for others to do so. I ran Pest Control for a pet food plant for 13 years and these were the only measures we would make outside of the secure buildings and we never lost a bait block during that tiime. Leave blocks in the bait stations and check them weekly, any new sigh of chewing shows you have a rodent problem.
The other half of Pest control is sanitation. Don't overfeed your birds, leave them a little bit hungry so they clean up their feed, if not, pick up their dish when they are finished, and secure the feed don't leave it out for rodents If you must use an multi-day feeder get a hanging one that will tend to keep rodentsout of it.
Of course we weren't allowed to use cats at the plant. I used barn cats on the farm. You have to get new cats that are at least half grown up under another rodent catching mother so she has taught them how to hunt rodents. instincts are not enough or they will play with the rodents until they get away. On our farm only mothers while big with kittens and those nursing a litter got fed normally. If they started to look skinny they would get fed if the rodents were down. Need I say that you can't trust these hunters around chicks, ducklings or goslings that are so much easier to catch than rodents