Mice eating twine

sandel

Member
We have a real mess in one hay barn due to mice eating twine on maybe 1/2 the bales. These are alfalfa stacked flat since we use accumulator grapple to put in barn. Never had much problem before except with straw. Have been told there may be twine treated somehow to discourage this. Any knowledge of such a product or ideas on how to deal with mice eating twine? Thanks.
 
When putting our straw in the barn we throw a few packs of Just One Bite mouse pellets on each layer. We do not open the packs but by spring they are always empty and we never see any mice dead or alive but see enough tunneling to know they were there.We use sisal twine and stack our bales flat. Tom
 
But Cottontail rabbits sharpen their teeth on poly twine. I had to rebale over 800 bales because they clipped the twine.
 
May be squirrels or something else. Seems like they used to treat the twine with linseed oil to prevent rodent damage. Build a wooden box similar to a bird house and put rat poison in it.
 
I had the same problem until I found two good cats. I went thru a few to find a pair that are good hunters, but these two will dig up a mole in the yard. Also nice because they keep all the birds out.
 
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I bought some poly today-$52. Will start trying some rebaling tomorrow if weather stays good. Will find out if JD baler really handles plastic like it does sisal as I am told it should.
 
(quoted from post at 00:19:41 01/28/16) Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I bought some poly today-$52. Will start trying some rebaling tomorrow if weather stays good. Will find out if JD baler really handles plastic like it does sisal as I am told it should.

Shop around. You're paying a lot for that twine. Last couple years with high oil prices it's been high, but $52.00 is robbery. This year with low oil prices it should drop like a rock. Probably won't be back the $18-19.00 a bundle we paid a few years back, but $25.00 wouldn't surprise me at all.
 
I thought the same thing. This came from JD since no one else seemed to have any this time of year. But I think sisal is nearly $40 now at TSC and I think that's too much also.

We tried the plastic today and it works very well. Hadn't used any plastic square twine for maybe 30 years. This stuff seems much better than what I remembered from the old days. Bigger diameter and seems
to handle more like sisal. Still would have the issue of keeping track of it once you feed since it will be there for ever I presume.

This whole mouse/twine problem came from sowing some rye for cover crop in new alfalfa seeding. Last spring was wet for so long the rye started going to seed before we baled it. It's the rye that draws the
mice. Should have round baled that first cutting. Goes to show that we still pay tuition no matter how old we get.
 

Sisal was up over $50. here last year.

You don't "feed" poly twine. I don't know if I'm strange or weird or what, but I've never intentionally left twine of any kind laying around. Yes, some does get missed and it lasts forever, but I cannot imagine purposely leaving twine of any type in the hay when I was feeding.
 
Of course you wouldn't intend to leave twine on
when feeding. My reference is to the residual aspect
of plastic twine after removing it to feed. Sorry to
confuse you.
 
(quoted from post at 01:31:30 01/30/16) Of course you wouldn't intend to leave twine on
when feeding. My reference is to the residual aspect
of plastic twine after removing it to feed. Sorry to
confuse you.

Not you, but others have stated they throw whole bales with the twine on to feed. Never heard of such a thing, but apparently some have been doing it forever.
 
Guy raised horses on our place for years before we bought it.
First time around the pastures with a plow and I had piles of old plastic twine stacked up on the edges.
I still pull up a wad now and then.
Neighbor bought an acre that was split off this place and he would get his tiller so balled up with the stuff it would choke out the tractor.
 
Howdy,I enjoyed your post and all the different replies...many good suggestions. I can't say the advice of my Great Uncle Ax would apply to your situation or not? His remedy mainly concerned rats around the barn and grain bins. He told us to paint the baseboards with lye. Since rats feet sweat it pick up the lye residue and starts to burn their feet. rats lick their feet to ease the burning and ingest the lye which kills them. A turn of the century cure I'm sure but one I always remembered.
 

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