After investing in a custom designed barn, naturally you'll want to keep it as clean and secure as possible. After all, if there will regularly be animals occupying the space for cleaning and feeding, it's important to ensure they're in a sanitary environment. Keeping pests out of your barn should be at the forefront of your goals as a farmer, in order to protect your livestock and keep them as healthy and happy as possible.
One of the most common pests seen in these spaces is the stable fly, which affects horses, cattle and pigs and leaves painful bites on the lower legs, underbelly and neck of the animal. These are all vulnerable areas, which makes prevention the best approach to eliminating the problem.
The best way to avoid these problems is to keep your barn as clean as possible, removing rubbish and other potential nesting areas from the space to prevent the birth of these pests in the first place. Furthermore, ensuring there is proper drainage in the barn to get rid of excess moisture is essential, as flies are attracted to built up dampness in confined spaces.
If you're having trouble with birds coming into the barn, it's possible to purchase specific netting that can cover open entrances that will prevent these animals from entering, while allowing ventilation to continue through the mesh.
Rodents are arguably the worst pest that can afflict a barn. It's typical to see them during the cooler winter months and these pests can be difficult to keep out of the barn completely. The most effective way to avoid them is to reduce the attracting features of a barn by limiting the amount of water and food they can have easy access to.
Furthermore, setting up mouse traps in the darker corners of your shed can be effective in slowly removing them if they've already made a home in your barn.
