How to terminate rodents in your loft

Many of us are having problem with rodents or rats in our loft area. If you have drop through floors that go directly to the outside, then you have rodents.  I have had a painful experience or two with these pests.  Any time one puts out feed, mice will come around and take up residence. Consider the fact that rodents carry diseases that can transfer to our birds.  It is a constant battle against rodents.  I hesitate to use poisons for fear of endangering other animals especially our birds.

Here is an article from Audubon magazine:

Mix vitamin D and peanut butter to control rodents. 

The vitamin D causes hypocalcaemia in rodents that causes them to have heart attacks or strokes.  The mixture is harmless to humans and animals.  This is what I do:  I crush 10 or 12 Vitamin D tablets and knead the powder into a couple of spoons of peanut butter.  Then I put the mixture into a clean, used tuna can and hide the can under structures in the barn or in the sheds.

Prevention is the mother of all cures.  If you are building a loft or can modify your existing loft and you want drop through floors, consider putting "false" wire floors or slatted false floors over a solid wood floor.  This keeps the birds up off their droppings, keeps the floor that the birds walk on dry, and allows the droppings to be easily removed once a month or so from the floor below.  The false floor (wire or wood) should be a minimum of 9" off the floor below so that there can be no build up of droppings for the birds to get into. 

Best wishes,
John Froelich
Founder
PigeonTV.com