It is not practicable to attempt to exclude rats from poultry houses,
but such buildings can easily be made proof against serious trouble
by the elimination of all places where the rodents can obtain safe
harborage. Most rat infestation around poultry plants is due to the
presence of numerous shelters and suitable breeding places. Three
things are particularly to be avoided: Wooden floors on or within a
few inches of the ground; double walls; and nest boxes, feed hoppers,
and other fixtures placed so as to provide shelter for rats under
or behind them. From a rat-proofing standpoint the floors as well
as the foundation should be made of concrete. (Fig. 13.) If this is
not considered practicable, wooden floors should be elevated so as
to insure a clear space of 2 or more feet between the floor and the
ground. Warmth can be provided, if necessary, by two thicknesses of
flooring with tar paper between. Hollow walls almost invariably furnish
harborage for rats. The inner stud covering therefore, should be
torn out, but if warmth is a factor to be considered, siding should
be put over sheathing on the outside of the studs with building paper
between.[2]
[2] The construction of poultry houses and fixtures is described in
Farmers' Bulletin 1554, Poultry Houses and Fixtures.
[Illustration: B4390M
Figure 11.--Rat proof pigpens and feeding troughs are easy to keep
clean and sanitary, and rats have little opportunity to steal the feed]
[Illustration: Figure 12.--A concrete curtain wall or apron under a
feeding floor prevents raveling of earth and consequent breaking of the
slab, as well as the harboring of rats]
Portable laying and brooder houses frequently become heavily infested
because they are usually built with wooden floors removed from the
ground only by the height of the runners on which they are constructed
and are seldom moved as frequently as originally intended. Feed,
sifting through the floors, attracts rats, which after finding
desirable shelter soon establish themselves in burrows beneath the
houses and multiply rapidly. Portable houses, therefore, should be
raised off the ground 2 or more feet.
Nests should be raised 2 or more feet above the floor, and feed and
grit hoppers at least 1 foot. Drinking vessels for water and skim milk
should supported on a platform 1 to 1½ feet above the floor, so as
to eliminate the possibility of rat shelters and keep the liquids in
a more sanitary condition. Other equipment should be given the same
consideration.
The premises around the poultry house should be cleared of all rat
harbors by elevating all objects under which a rat can find shelter.
(Fig. 14.) Near-by buildings particularly should be considered, for it
is frequently found that rats living exclusively on poultry feed occupy
harbors 50 or more feet away from the food source. For this, reason
it is desirable to build poultry plants at least 100 feet from any
possible rat harborage. The vast number of young chicks killed annually
by rats would be greatly reduced if these simple precautions were taken.
[Illustration: 13740C