Experimental exclusion of rodent from breeding sheds in poultry farms of Exaltación de la Cruz, Argentina.

BUSCH, MARÍA; CAVIA, REGINO; GUIDOBONO, J.SANTIAGO; FRASCHINA, JIMENA

Mendoza

Congreso; X International Congress of Mammalogy; 2009

In order to evaluate the effect of enclosure breeding poultry sheds on the succes of prevent rodent reinfestation, two sheds of 60mx12m (one in each of two different farms) were enclosed to rodents with sheets of zinc buried 40 cm and 80 cm above ground. The remaining sheds in each farm were used as experimental controls. After the enclosured built and during five weeks, an intensive rodent extermination was performed in enclosure and not enclosure sheds using intensive poisoning and Sherman, cage and snap traps. Enclosured built expended 496 man/hours, U$S 3,115 of materials and U$S 1,200 of fuel. A total of 264 rodents were removed in both farms with an effort of 992 cage trap-nights, 2063 Sherman trap-nights and 2118 snap trap-nights. M. musculus was the dominant species follow by R. norvegicus and A. azarae. The rodent remotion was efective. Mice and rats relative abundances were evaluated in all sheds in five opportunities along eight months using a tunel track index calibrated with rodent capture data. Rodent relative abundances shows a similar pattern in the enclosured and not enclosured sheds. The relative abundance of mice and rats declined from the bigginig of the experience to the end of the rodent removal when reachs values of zero or near to zero. Following the rodent removal mice relative abundances increased to the initial values, while rats relative abundances continue low in both encloused and encloused sheds. According to our results enclosure with sheds of zinc buried 40 cm and 80 cm above ground is not effective to prevent rodent reinfestation of the breeding poultry sheds. Probably reinfestation occurred because encloused doors were not always keep closed by farmers and because the rodents could overcome the encloused using tree breanches.