Development of cereal baits and comparative field efficacy of some additives as bait carrier for zinc phosphide and coumatetralyl against rodent pests of poultry farms in Rawalpindi–Islamabad, Pakistan

•Four palatable grains viz. millet (whole), wheat (cracked), maize (cracked) and rice (broken) were tested for their preference to rodents.•Results of no-choice and multiple choice feeding tests indicated that millet was the most preferred food.•Similarly the locally available taste additives peanut cracked (5%), yeast (2%), fish meal (5%), egg shell powder (5%), carbon disulphide (CS2) 30 ppm and jaggery (gur/sugar 5%) were offered in a 50:50 by wt mix of millet and wheat.•The results of paired choice and multiple choice feeding tests revealed that consumption of bait with added egg shell was significantly higher (p > 0.05) than that of bait with the other five additives.•The reduction in rodent activity after zinc phosphide and coumatetralyl treatment was 70% and 82%, respectively.

Locally available and palatable food grains viz. millet (whole), wheat (cracked), maize (cracked) and rice (broken) were tested for their preference to rodents. Results of no-choice and multiple choice feeding tests indicated that millet was the most preferred food. Similarly locally available taste additives namely peanut cracked (5%), yeast (2%), fish meal (5%), egg shell powder (5%), carbon disulphide (CS2) 30 ppm and jaggery (gur/sugar 5%) were offered mixed in millet-wheat (50:50 by wt.) bait. The results of paired choice and multiple choice feeding tests revealed that consumption of bait with added egg shell was significantly higher (p > 0.05) than bait with the other five additives. Grain bait with egg shell was then tested for its effectiveness as a carrier for the rodenticides zinc phosphide (2%) and coumatetralyl (0.0375%). The reduction in rodent activity after zinc phosphide and coumatetralyl treatment was 70% and 82%, respectively.