For those who live in rural areas and are so inclined, barn owls provide a safe and highly effective method of rodent control. The average barn owl can consume 53 lbs of gophers per year (yes, I realize few Model A’s are damaged by gophers…) and during a typical 4-month breeding cycle, a barn owl family will consume up to 3000 rodents (such as mice, rats, voles and moles).
Additionally, the use of barn owls avoids secondary kill of other predators that contribute to rodent control such as hawks, foxes, bobcats, coyotes and snakes, which - in addition to owls - can be killed by consuming poisoned rodents.
Barn owls can be encouraged to nest and hunt in your area by providing perches and nesting boxes. Perches (which encourage hunting in the perch area) should be 10-12 feet high and nesting boxes should be positioned 12-15 feet high. A good size for barn owl nesting boxes is about 32” long x 16” wide x 14” tall. Simple plans and directions for hanging are provided by the US Department of Agriculture and are available on-line (Google “barn owl box plans” or go to – for example -
ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CA/news/Publications/wild_habitat/owl_nest.pdf).
This, plus the rotating peanut butter-coated soft-drink bottle suspended over a 5-gallon water-filled bucket, aluminum foil under each wheel, dryer sheets, rat terriers, cats, glue boards and strings of Christmas tree lights, should provide some protection against your favorite Model A becoming a rodent hotel.
Personally, I would forego the chicken-snake-in-the-work-shop option...