Rodents infestations on poultry farms in Central Argentina: habitat associations

GÓMEZ VILLAFAÑE, ISABEL; CAVIA, REGINO; MIÑO, MARIELA; CITTADINO, ALEJANDRO; BUSCH, MARÍA

BRITISH POULTRY SCIENCE

Taylor & Francis

Lugar: Edinburg; Año: 2001 vol. 42 p. 300 - 307

0007-1668

We studied the seasonal variations in rodent infestations at poultry farms of Central Argentina as well as the environmental factors associated with rodent infestations at poultry farms. During the summer and winter of 1998 we monitored rodent infestation at 10 poultry farms by means of tracking stations, and we selected 21 environmental variables that a priori could be related with its level of rodent infestation. There was a higher rodent infestation in winter than in summer (P= 0.028). Species detected by rodent sightings included Akodon azarae, Calomys laucha, C. musculinus and Mus musculus. In summer, rodent infestation was positively associated with the perimeter and the number of chickens being raised at the farm, whereas there was an inverse relationship with the maintenance conditions of the sheds (P<0.05). In winter, rodent infestation was positively associated with the percentage of the borders of the farm covered by vegetation and with the amount of plant cover. There was not any significant relationship between rodent infestation and the time lag since the last application of the rodenticide at the farms, suggesting that strategies for controlling rodents based solely on chemical methods may not be good enough for an efficient rodent control.