Barn owls provide highly effective natural rodent control, and supporting their populations through nest box provision and reduced rodenticide use creates mutual benefit for owls and farmers.
Barn owl welfare is directly impacted by the rodenticide choices of farmers and land managers. Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides cause prolonged, painful internal bleeding in barn owls that consume poisoned rodents. Transitioning to barn owl-friendly pest control — including nest boxes, reduced rodenticide use, and habitat management — benefits both owl welfare and farm pest control simultaneously. This coexistence approach represents one of the most elegant animal welfare win-wins available to farmers.