Does anyone know anything about big white birds that hang around cattle? They look like some kind of egret or something. This is the first year we have had them this bad. They fly in early in the morning and they stay all day. They even get water out of the stock tanks. The thing I don't like is they are pecking at the cattle all the time. I had a new born calf that was still trying to get up and four of them were over pecking at him. I hurried over to shoo them off, but they had already gotten him pretty bad. His ear was bleeding and a couple places on his back. They were also trying to peck at his eyes. I am trying to scare them off, but every day more and more of them come. I had over fifty of them yesterday. Is it their nature to peck eyes out on newborn calves? Why do they hang around cattle so much?
Bird problems!
- Thread starter The CEO
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1982vett
Well-known member
Cattle egret.
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2001id.html
Bryan, TX had them bad a few years ago. Roosted in some thickets in some impovereshed neighborhoods and literally made quite a stink when the summer heat fired up and their food souces played out.
Migratory bird so protected.
They are insect eaters, they go after the insects that the cattle disturbe as they graze. Generally wouldn't expect them to attack a calf, if hungry enough I guess they might. Seen them sit on the back of cows and feast on the flies. Almost as good as a guinnie as far as grasshoppers are concerned.
I keep a watchful eye and make sure they do not roost here. If they start roosting and setup house you will have a mess. It is unlawfull to disturb them if they start nesting, so don't let them nest.
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2001id.html
Bryan, TX had them bad a few years ago. Roosted in some thickets in some impovereshed neighborhoods and literally made quite a stink when the summer heat fired up and their food souces played out.
Migratory bird so protected.
They are insect eaters, they go after the insects that the cattle disturbe as they graze. Generally wouldn't expect them to attack a calf, if hungry enough I guess they might. Seen them sit on the back of cows and feast on the flies. Almost as good as a guinnie as far as grasshoppers are concerned.
I keep a watchful eye and make sure they do not roost here. If they start roosting and setup house you will have a mess. It is unlawfull to disturb them if they start nesting, so don't let them nest.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
The CEO":2pxz6amf said:
Too funny Egrets or Cow birds ain't going to hurt cows. They are pecking flies off your cows.
fourstates
Well-known member
They are great birds, they eat flies. If you calf had some holes pecked in him, it was probably a crow...maybe a buzzard who got scared off. The "tick" birds (egrets) just came around to eat the flies. They are welcome in my pastures anytime. There is plenty of room around here to roost :welcome: tick birds!
Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
Had a pair here a few days ago wish there were fifty. If you spook them off send them my way. They are good birds.
grannysoo
Well-known member
"Cow Birds"
See them all the time. They follow the cows looking for everything that gets stirred up. They will sit on their backs and just make themselves at home.
See them when cutting hay. They follow the tractor looking for everything that I stir up. Best grasshopper eating bird ever invented.
They are also a great advance warning for army worms in the hay fields. If you see the flocks of cow birds coming to the hay field when you're not cutting, you probably have army worms.
They won't hurt anything...
See them all the time. They follow the cows looking for everything that gets stirred up. They will sit on their backs and just make themselves at home.
See them when cutting hay. They follow the tractor looking for everything that I stir up. Best grasshopper eating bird ever invented.
They are also a great advance warning for army worms in the hay fields. If you see the flocks of cow birds coming to the hay field when you're not cutting, you probably have army worms.
They won't hurt anything...
My cows don't see them often enough, they only come through my place a couple times a year. I like seeing them clean up the bugs.
However my cows had a different opinion last Sunday, I drove back in the pasture and all the cows were wadded up circling the calves, bellering their heads off . I didn't know what was wrong, then I noticed about 50 cattle egrets around them.
Every now and then one of the young cows would break out of the bunch bawling her head off and run at the birds, slinging her head and acting crazy. I wish they were that agressive toward stray dogs...
I've never seen them even notice those birds before. They don't pay attention to the little brown cowbirds that follow them around at all.
When the cows saw me, they came running like I was supposed to do something.
They were stirred up bawling and crapping all afternoon. I was glad when the birds finally left.
However my cows had a different opinion last Sunday, I drove back in the pasture and all the cows were wadded up circling the calves, bellering their heads off . I didn't know what was wrong, then I noticed about 50 cattle egrets around them.
Every now and then one of the young cows would break out of the bunch bawling her head off and run at the birds, slinging her head and acting crazy. I wish they were that agressive toward stray dogs...
I've never seen them even notice those birds before. They don't pay attention to the little brown cowbirds that follow them around at all.
When the cows saw me, they came running like I was supposed to do something.
They were stirred up bawling and crapping all afternoon. I was glad when the birds finally left.
popsjp
Well-known member
Cow birds and seems like when there are alot of them there are alot of ticks.
novatech
Well-known member
That's the biggest reason the birds are there. They eat the ticks that are so abundant this time of year. Along with the flies and any other insect they find. The cows seem to love them perched on their backs giving them a good cleaning. They would be invited to my place anytime.popsjp":3u9m3tke said:
1982vett
Well-known member
Not a problem when they are passing thru and foraging. Let them set up a nesting area and grow to numbers by the 1000's and other problems start to crop up.
I don't know what kind of birds you people get, but them dang ravens, turkey buzzards, white headed buzzards have pecked alot of my calves this year. I had to kill a calf the other day because they had pecked out his eyes, and ate the soft tissue around his anus. When I got to him, I thought he was dead until he started kicking and balling. Really frustrating when you have to kill your calves from the protected birds.
Pine Creek Ranch
Active member
Man I sure wouldn't put up with that jasranch. Was it the ravens that did it or something else? We have a lot of those ravens around here too. And some magpies. But so far they haven't ever messed with any of the calves. Protected or not, the day they peck the eyes out of one of my calves is the day that the birds start dying.
skyline
Well-known member
We've got more egrets here this year than usual. I've never had a problem with them.
