Farm pest checklist: 30-minute risk audit for barns, yards & feed stores

⚠️ Guidance only: this checklist is general farm pest-control information—always follow UK law and site safety rules, and keep any control measures well away from children, pets and livestock.

Farm pest checklist: this 30-minute risk audit helps you spot early signs of rats, mice and pest birds around barns, yards and feed stores—then prioritise the fixes that reduce repeat problems. Most issues build quietly: a bit of spill that never gets cleared, a door that doesn’t shut tight, a warm void above a ceiling, or a stack of pallets left untouched for months.

Use this farm pest checklist as a fast, practical walkthrough you can repeat regularly. It’s designed to help you catch early warning signs, reduce return pressure, and decide what to fix first.

What you need before you start

• Torch or headlamp
• Gloves (and a dust mask if you’re checking roof voids)
• Phone camera (photograph problem spots)
• Notes app or notepad

Tip: Walk the site the same way every time. Consistency makes patterns obvious.

The 3 things you’re checking in every zone

This farm pest inspection checklist focuses on attractants, access and harbourage across the whole site. In each area below, look for:

1. Attractants – food, water, warmth
2. Access – holes, gaps, broken cladding, roofline entry, open doors
3. Harbourage – undisturbed hiding/nesting/roosting spaces

If you only improve one thing, improve access. It’s the difference between occasional pressure and constant pressure.

Zone 1: Feed stores, grain sheds & meal bins

This is where small problems become expensive quickly.

What to look for

• Spill trails around bag stacks, augers, mixers and bin bases
• Gnaw marks on bags, plastic, timber edges, insulation and cables
• Droppings
  • Small, dark, rice-like droppings can indicate mice
  • Larger, thicker droppings often indicate rats
• Grease/rub marks along wall edges and corners (rodent travel routes)
• Runs and burrows close to walls, under slabs, near drains
• Bird access: open roller doors, roof gaps, broken sheets, ledges above feed

Quick wins

• Clear spillage daily for a week and see if signs reduce
• Store bags off the floor and away from walls so you can inspect behind
• Close obvious gaps around services and door corners
• Repair brush strips on doors that never fully seal

Red flags

• Droppings returning quickly after cleaning
• Burrows close to feed storage or under slabs
• Any gnawing near electrics, control panels, or cables
• Bird fouling above feed or water points

Zone 2: Barns, livestock buildings & roof voids

Warmth, cover and routine food sources make these high-pressure areas.

Treat this as a barn pest control checklist: check rooflines, door gaps and wall edges first.

What to look for

• Bird roost points on beams, ledges, trusses, lights and rafters
• Fouling patterns directly under a perch line (typical roost signature)
• Nesting material (straw clumps where they shouldn’t be, feathers, twigs)
• Entry points: broken cladding, lifted sheets, open eaves, ridge gaps
• Rodent signs: droppings along wall lines, behind stored items, under trough lines
• Smell: strong urine odour can indicate established rodent presence

Quick wins

• Reduce obvious perching opportunities where practical
• Keep stored items off the floor and away from walls
• Fix that “one gap” at the corner of a sliding door or cladding join

Red flags

• Birds roosting above feed passages, bedding storage, or working areas
• Rodent activity near feed lines or medication storage
• Signs of activity in roof voids (droppings, nesting, scratching sounds)

Zone 3: Yards, waste areas & silage zones

This is often where you create pressure without realising it.

What to look for

• Open waste, fallen feed, uncovered skips
• Stacked materials creating harbourage (pallets, timbers, IBCs, scrap)
• Water sources: leaky taps, trough overflow, standing water
• Overgrown edges, unmanaged margins near buildings
• Compost/manure piles close to structures

Quick wins

• Move “harbourage stacks” away from buildings (even a few metres helps)
• Rotate and raise pallet storage so nothing stays undisturbed for weeks
• Cover waste and manage spill zones aggressively for 7–14 days

Red flags

• Burrows along hedge lines leading into buildings
• Regular bird congregation in waste areas (fouling and disease risk)
• Multiple cluttered “quiet corners” that never get moved

Zone 4: Store rooms, workshops & plant rooms

Hidden hotspots, because they’re warm and undisturbed.

What to look for

• Droppings behind fridges, cabinets, tool chests, storage units
• Chewed rags, insulation, packaging (common nest material)
• Gaps around conduits, pipes, air bricks and ducting
• Doors that don’t seal and are left propped open

Quick wins

• Clear the floor line so you can inspect edges quickly
• Seal gaps around services where practical
• Reduce “nesting-friendly” clutter (rags, foam, loose insulation)

Red flags

• Any gnawing near cables, alarms, controls, or plant equipment
• Evidence of activity even if you never see pests (they’re often nocturnal)

Zone 5: Perimeter walk (the most valuable 10 minutes)

Do a full walk around the outside of main buildings.

What to look for

• Gaps at the base of cladding, corners, door thresholds
• Broken vents, damaged mesh, compromised air bricks
• Burrows near walls, under steps, around drains
• Overhanging trees touching rooflines (easy access routes)
• Roof damage, lifted sheets, missing ridge pieces

Quick wins

• Cut back branches off roofs and gutters
• Repair obvious broken mesh/vents
• Keep the first 1–2 metres around buildings clearer where possible

Red flags

• Burrows within a few metres of buildings
• Repeated entry points you’ve “fixed before” (pressure drivers weren’t reduced)
• Heavy fouling on ledges and rooflines

What pests this checklist helps you detect

This audit is designed to pick up early activity from common farm pest pressures:

• Rats and mice (contamination, damage, disease risk)
• Pest birds (fouling, contamination, nuisance pressure)
• Squirrels (gnawing, roof access, insulation damage)

A simple rule: if the site is feeding them, sheltering them, and letting them in — they’ll keep returning.

A simple scoring method (so you know what to fix first)

Use this simple farm pest risk assessment scoring to prioritise fixes.

As you walk each zone, score each category from 0–3:

• Attractants: 0 none | 1 minor | 2 consistent | 3 heavy
• Access: 0 sealed | 1 small gaps | 2 multiple entry points | 3 obvious/active entry
• Harbourage: 0 tidy | 1 some cover | 2 lots of cover | 3 major undisturbed cover

Then total each zone. The highest score is your priority zone to address first.

FAQ: Farm pest inspections