Horse operations attract a lot of visitors, many of them welcome. People come to admire the horses and the beautiful barns and paddocks where they are kept. Then there are the biting insects and the wild things, winged or legged, that come uninvited, and all too often bring along disease.

Stable hygiene is the first line of defense in keeping unwanted visitors out of a barn. Another place to exercise good stable hygiene is in the feed room. The storage of feed can either deter or attract rodents and other critters that don't belong in the barn.

"Good sanitation goes a long ways," said Dr. Tom Barnes, a University of Kentucky extension agent specializing in wildlife control in barns and pastures. Barnes' expertise is in controlling field critters such as raccoons and opossums, as well as rodents, bats, and birds. 

For feed storage, Barnes recommends using receptacles with firmly attaching lids. Commercially manufactured feed bins are made exclusively for this purpose. Another solution is to buy an ordinary large, heavy duty plastic trash can that has a lid that snaps into place. Under no circumstances is it recommended to leave sacks of feed out on the floor. Exposed feed lures rodents and prowling wildlife that venture into the barn