What is it with rats and baler twine

old · Sep 27, 2016

So I hooked up the NH271 to my WD45 to get it ready to bale some hay tomorrow. Was checking it out and found one side of the twine was not feed out of the twine box. Opened up the twine box and found one twine roll had been messed with by rats. So about a 1/3 of a roll is no good. Been at least a year since I last used this NH271. Greased every thing up and oiled the chains up real well. Worked well last time I used it so hope it will this time. Well I guess I'll know if it will work as it should tomorrow. WD45 is a little bit lighter tractor then I like to use but it is the one that is not hooked up to any thing so I guess it will be worked tomorrow

Brendon Warren · Sep 27, 2016

That's why I switched to poly. Re tying bales in the barn is not fun.

ArleninOr · Sep 27, 2016

Brendon, rats will even chew thru poly. Had about 200 bales of wheat straw that we had to rebale one year because of rats. Now we put rat bait under and around our straw and hay.

Geo-TH,In · Sep 27, 2016

Old, does a dark cloud follow you? I don't know anyone who has so many things going wrong. The Gods must be angry with you.
geo

old · Sep 27, 2016

It is the poly type twine but it is still in the roll and the rat made a nest in the center of it and in turn ate the twine into small pieces

old · Sep 27, 2016

Well it that is your thinking my dad was a preacher so the sin of the father pass onto the son as per the good book.

But god only lets Satan do the bad stuff he doesn't do it him self. LOL

But all in all it is just life and I bet you have as many little problem get in your way. At least the rats left the 2 full rolls of twine alone. Oh by the way the baler also had a flat tire on it

notjustair · Sep 27, 2016

I've gotten to where I take the twine out of both balers and store it in a steel rodent-proof box. They NEVER pick one that was just about gone. Never.

old · Sep 27, 2016

The 2 full or almost full rolls they did not bother but the one that may have been 1/3 full is the one they got

Traditional Farmer · Sep 28, 2016

Looks twine box would be a good place for a rat bait station

Geo-TH,In · Sep 28, 2016

Old,
I have mice get in sheds next to woods. I would feed them mice bait by the pounds. I finally put a bowl of antifreeze next to the bait. Mice eat very little bait. They like to drink. Make a container for this to keep pets away. Try it, it works.

George

Bret4207 · Sep 28, 2016

I've never had mice, rats, chipmunks or anything else bother plastic twine. Sisal, you either store it high and dry (as in suspended from a wire off a rafter in the mow) or it's history. Never had them bother plastic twine in the mow either, but I've uncovered lots of nests made from sisal between the bales.

I've given up on sisal entirely.

Bret4207 · Sep 28, 2016

(quoted from post at 21:21:17 09/27/16) Old, does a dark cloud follow you? I don't know anyone who has so many things going wrong. The Gods must be angry with you.
geo

Naw, the gods aren't angry with Old. He's just reporting in on the stuff that actually happens to farmers everyday. If I reported in every irritating, irrational, illogical, unfortunate, impossible to believe thing that happened to me on a daily basis I'd be here typing for hours every day!. Stuff that you would think could possibly happen occurs every day. Wheels fall off things a hour after you checked them, set screws loosen, wires break or corrode, gauges fail, tools pick themselves up and move to different places, animals apparently levitate across a 5 wire fence with a top and bottom hot wire that will burn the hair out of your ears and you suddenly suddenly find them in the middle of the road. Day in, day out, it happens to all of us on the farm.

RayP(MI) · Sep 28, 2016

I like to store my unused twine in 5gallon buckets with gasketed snap-on lids. Keeps clean, dry and rodent free.

Jason S. · Sep 28, 2016

(quoted from post at 23:53:54 09/27/16) So I hooked up the NH271 to my WD45 to get it ready to bale some hay tomorrow. Was checking it out and found one side of the twine was not feed out of the twine box. Opened up the twine box and found one twine roll had been messed with by rats. So about a 1/3 of a roll is no good. Been at least a year since I last used this NH271. Greased every thing up and oiled the chains up real well. Worked well last time I used it so hope it will this time. Well I guess I'll know if it will work as it should tomorrow. WD45 is a little bit lighter tractor then I like to use but it is the one that is not hooked up to any thing so I guess it will be worked tomorrow

I had the same problem for a couple of years and last year I put dryer sheets and moth balls down in the center of the twine and around in the twine box. I had no problem at all with them this past year.

Geo-TH,In · Sep 28, 2016

Bret4207,
Sounds to me like the gods may be angry with you too.
Ha, Ha
geo.

Alloldfan · Sep 28, 2016

We have had that problem before and use old fertilizer bags and tie a millers knot around the top . Works great and doesn't hinder twine feeding . Maybe the ammonia smell or taste but no rat holes since started using them .

What is it with rats and baler twine

old

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Brendon Warren

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ArleninOr

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old

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old

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