RATS IN THE BARN
That Sneaky Rat!
Never underestimate the intelligence of rats! Once they are discovered in the barn, they usually have been there for a while and have figured out the barn layout and escape routes. Unlike mice, rats do not create the musky smell in the barn, which means they have more time to take up residency and start having their babies.
Disclaimer: As I work to keep rats in check around my barn, it must be noted that there are many more conversations about these tricky rats! What works to catch the young rats may not work on the older, more experienced adults. So expect this article to be revised!
Rats only need a ½”-1” opening to get into your barn. Personally, I have no idea how a 1/2lb -1lb rat can squeeze through a narrow ½” opening, but the experts say it’s possible and by looking at this trapped rat, see how tight the jaws are? That is an indication of how “Flat” the rat can become. As for climbing, I do know from experience that rats are great climbers and trapeze artists! Rain gutters or fencing create a perfect highway to enter your barn and eat your feed. They usually live within 300 feet of their nest and food source and they require ½-1 ounce of water each day. Rats are very cautious and do not like new things in their path. Traps will need to be placed to let the rat get used to it. Rats eat both grain and meat. They will attack and eat mice.

TYPES OF RATS
Two common rats are the Norway rat and the Roof rat. The Norway rat is light brown with a white chest and belly. They look more like large mice and live in lower ground areas and can reach 1 lb. in size.
The Roof rat is the classic black rat with a pointed nose and ears. Their fur is rough looking and they are smaller than the Norway rat, but are great climbers as their name implies. They tend to stay in higher places.



CATCHING RATS
For some of you, the whole idea of trapping rats may be too much to deal with, or just plain gross. But keep in mind the potential health risk to your barn animals and loss of contaminated feed. So if you are not up to the task, please get someone to help you. It’s too great a price to let them live in your barn.
I always say “Rat’s have I.Q.s, so what will work for one will not work for the second”. I’m not sure if they take notes or have little community rat meetings…but they figure things out and change their patterns to avoid traps. This makes catching them a challenge. Tradition says to place traps in the path of the rat, locate where they may be nesting & their food source. Many times their food source is the grain leftovers from your goat, lamb, pig or poultry. Always pull grain leftovers out of your pen at night. This will help direct them to your trap. It also teaches your livestock to eat when it’s time to eat. Also when setting traps, sprinkle extra grain pieces around the area to encourage eating. This can help catch them.
Trapping Options
BARN CAT
If you are fortunate enough to have a good rat catching barn cat, you don’t need to read much further! Barn cats who are hunters are worth their weight in gold and they are willing to do the dirty work of catching rats!
SELECTING TRAPS
There are a variety of traps and I’d advise to buy one of each. “Different traps for different rats!” There is the traditional snap rat trap in both wood and plastic. Always attach twine or string to your traps. The goal is to catch & kill them quickly, but sometimes a leg is caught and they will drag your trap away. Place the traps where you think they are nesting. The trap may have to be in place for 3-4 days before the rat will check it out. Place a variety of baits such as peanut butter, grains or cracked corn. Corn can be hot glued to the trap to help catch the smart rats.





WATER BUCKET
A standard 5-gallon bucket filled 2/3rd full of water with a bit of peanut butter placed 3 inches down on the inside. Theory: Rats attempt to lick the peanut butter and fall in and drown.
ELECTRIC TRAP
They work off batteries and electrocute any rodent that enters into the hole.
LIVE TRAP CAGE
captures rats and rodents for relocation. The problem here is that rats do not relocate well and die within a few days. They are lost without their known water, shelter or food source. And it would be unkind to dump rats off to infest another home or property.
POISON
When traps are not working, another strategy is rat poison. I only recommend poison if you can get to the rat once it has died…otherwise the smell of the decaying body will make for weeks’ worth of stinky odors! I say this, because I once had a 3-4 rats living in my barn. I used poison which was successful…except I was forced to move 13 bales of hay to ensure that I found all of the dead rats. What a workout!



SELECTING BAIT
At your local farm or feed store, there is a wide variety of poisons in different formats such as blocks, cubes or pellets. My preference is the bait blocks or cubes. Simply, it’s easier to handle and I am less worried about dropping pellets that may be eaten by my other animals. Side note: Rats will sometimes take portions of the bait back to their nest. This is a sure sign that rats are in the barn. Mice will slowly nibble on the bait.


SETTING OUT BAIT
My preference is a hamster or bird cage with the poison blocks safely inside. This ensures that I can control and protect the poison from other pets eating the poison. This cage can be tied to the fence for extra security. There are also tubes that can be purchased to hold the bait.

A WORD ABOUT BAIT
No Second Kill – Rat and mouse poisons manufactured today state that their poison will not kill any secondary animal that eats a rodent that has consumed poison. They call this “No second kill”. The old poisons were so potent that they killed anything that ingested the poison first or second. This was terrible for the barn cats, dogs, owls, & hawks. Caution should always be taken with anything labeled poison. Today’s poison will take 3 days of nibbling before the rat dies. Here the poison is placed in a cage tethered to the fence. This ensures that only rats or mice can gain access to the poison.
Veterinarians have said that if a dog eats a rat who has just eaten poison and it is still in the stomach, that the dog could get sick from it. A good rule of thumb is to never let your pets eat rodents no matter how they are killed.
PREVENTION OF RODENTS
Rats Cause Problems By:
- Contaminating water & feed with their feces and urine.
- Transmit diseases and spread fleas that also spread diseases.
- Gnawing causes damage to barns, equipment, wiring and any non-metal item.
Rat Prevention Steps:
- Barn Management – Rat control in a barn or livestock area requires diligent management all year long.
- Clutter – Don’t stack fence boards, lumber or firewood near the barn, as this offers shelter to rats.
- Weeds – Keep weeds and grass mowed around the barn and pens.
- Secure Gaps – Block all holes or gaps larger than ½ inch. Rust proof wire mesh is a good choice.
- Containers – Keep blankets or other fabric items and feed in tightly-sealed containers.
- Pull Feed – Each evening pull leftover grain and store in a metal can. Rats are most active at night and will search high and low for food and water sources.
- Collect Eggs – If you have a chicken coop, pull eggs each night and all feed. The birds will be roosting and not eating, so they will be just fine until the morning feeding.
- Close Gaps and Holes in walls and doorways. Below is an easy way to seal up a doorway using ½” x 3”trim. The boards over hang the door jamb to close up the gap between the sliding door and trim.

- Hay Storage – built a wood platform to stack and store your hay. This keeps it clean and is easy to sweep up. Here the platform was built using plywood sheets attached to 4×4 posts (Even 2×4 boards could be used as a base).Careful attention was taken to make it as tight as possible to keep the little mouse varmints out! The white boards were to close any gaps. In 8+ years, there has not been any mice or rats under this flooring, which reduced the places they could hide! Installation Note: Place the rough side up on the plywood to make it more slip resistant. The smooth side is really slick with loose hay on top!
- Pallets – may provide good ventilation under the hay bales, but they also allow mice and rats to build nests! Loose hay also falls between the slats and gets gross and moldy. The plywood sheets are worth the extra dollars for the cleanup factor.

DID YOU KNOW?
Norway rats are ready to start breeding at 6-12 weeks old and can breed year-round with 4-6 litters of 4-11 babies in each litter! One rat pair can possibly produce 70 babies! With their babies producing at 6-12 weeks, a pair of rats and their babies can produce hundreds of rats in one year if left un-managed.
Fortunately, there are other predators that help keep their numbers in check. But we have to do our part to manage their numbers around the barn! Rats live between 12-18 months. Roof rats have smaller litters of 6-8 babies.
SHOPPING LIST
- Rat Traps $2-$7
- 5 Gallon Bucket $2-$4
- Rat Poison / Bait $16-$20
- Cage $24-$38
- Electric Trap $60-$80
- Bait: Peanut Butter
- Bait: Grain
- Bait: Bacon
Rats can be a big problem if they are not managed. Because they aren’t easily visible during the day, they can reproduce to large numbers and spread disease to your family and animals. It’s one thing to have rodents in the barn…but to have them multiply and possibly end up in your house is quite another problem. It’s also a good neighborly step to take..manage rats so that they do not infect your neighbors barn and home.
