In Carignan, on the South Shore, the owners of a horse farm with several stables and farm buildings, near the border with Chambly, sought our expertise following the appearance of raccoons and Norway rats in the hay and horse feed storage areas. The old agricultural buildings, of mixed wood and metal construction, had dozens of untreated breaches. Our team has developed a complete animal caulking and exclusion plan specifically adapted to the constraints of an active agricultural environment, taking into account the ventilation needs essential to animal welfare.
Specific challenges of farm buildings
Agricultural stables and barns are among the most difficult buildings to waterproof: their construction is often heterogeneous, with various materials (wood, corrugated metal, concrete), many functional openings necessary for the ventilation of animals, and structures sometimes modified over the decades without concern for waterproofing. The inspection revealed breaches typical of this type of building: gaps between the disjointed siding boards, holes in the concrete block walls around the water pipes, unprotected hayloft ventilation soffits, sliding doors with lower rails leaving significant side gaps, and bird passages under the roof ridges.
A survey of animal activity identified the most frequented areas: the hayloft, where raccoons entered through a breach in the tin roof, and the feeding room, where Norway rats had dug galleries under the concrete slab to enter. These two areas have been classified as priorities for the start of closure work.
Exclusion solutions for the agricultural sector
For the hayloft, the breach in the metal roof was repaired with a piece of galvanized sheet metal riveted and sealed with polyurethane roofing. The ventilation soffits were equipped with 13-millimeter mesh stainless steel mesh, allowing air to pass through while blocking raccoons and squirrels. The gaps between the cladding boards were filled according to their size: gaps of less than one centimetre were treated with elastomeric caulking, and the wider spaces received inserts of steel wool before caulking to block any access to small rodents.
For the food room, the galleries under the slab were located by inspection and filled with fast-setting concrete reinforced with crushed gravel to discourage new excavations. The pipe passages were closed with hydraulic mortar. The sliding doors have been fitted with strips of dense PVC at the bottom and sides to reduce gaps while preserving normal operation. For the farm buildings, our team also inspected the manholes and exterior drains and recommended the implementation of a program for closing the entry points adapted to the agricultural calendar, with an annual review in early spring before the active season.
Preventive management and responsible cohabitation
In an agricultural environment, the objective is not to eliminate all forms of wildlife but to prevent infiltration into the feed storage and handling areas, and to protect the health of horses and personnel. The preventive plan includes a biannual inspection of the buildings, the systematic replacement of caulking materials damaged by freezing or the passage of animals, and the management of the surroundings (brush clearing, storage of hay at height, use of airtight containers for concentrated feed). Our extermination team in Carignan knows the realities of the rural and agricultural environment of the South Shore. To learn more about our other achievements, see our case study in agricultural building caulking and our realization on smoke testing. Trusting our extermination services certified in Quebec to protect your facilities guarantees a professional approach that respects your agricultural workplace.