Buzzards and Vultures

[slick4591]

About a half an hour ago I was taking care of the chickens in breeding pens and I look up and see this:

 

[Taurus]

Had a bald eagle chased down the cows to scare them off to grab afterbirth two years ago. We do have lot of turkey vultures here, never had a problem with them.

 

[inyati13]

Here is the Black Vulture we have that is the problem.

 

[jedstivers]

That's not the new ones I'm seeing.

 

[ga.prime]

You can't see it in Inyati's pic because it's hidden when they're not flying but black vultures have white on their wing tips. Turkey vultures do not have any white.

 

[polledbull]

here in NC the black headed buzzards (as we call them ) are terrible and getting aggressive . they will sit all around on buildings,bins and trees all around my farm. it looks like something from a horror movie at times . it is almost impossible to get more than one shot of at them and they are gone ,

 

[JSCATTLE]

I have never had a problem out of the red headed buzzards . But I have had cows stomp their new calf to death trying to kill the Mexican buzzards . I have a big dead pine tree we use as a gut pile . The buzzards roost in it now . About 100 yards from the barn . My 22-250 has been getting a work out .

 

[Nite Hawk]

We never had turkey vultures before, but back in about the 1980s they started moving into southern B.C. and have continued moving north and now from time to time we see them once in a while here in the Cariboo area, and they are definately turkey vultures for those who would question we were seeing correctly.
Some ranchers have had some problems in our area ( thankfully not too often) with extremely large ravens killing calves, by driving their large beak into the eye sockets of newborn calves. Some of the ravens around here can get very large, not sure what specie it is, but they are BIG.
We have a decent amount of bald eagles, but only ever heard of them picking up fawns and rumors of lambs, but they can get very very large, so wouldn't put it past them going after very small calves.
Most of our predator problems are of the 4 legged kind, bears, cougars, wolves, coyotes.
Sounds like you guys have your hands full with the volume of vultures. Is it legal to poison the birds??
Nite Hawk

 

[ga.prime]

Is it legal to poison the birds??

No, it's not legal. It's black vultures that kill live animals, not turkey vultures. Both black and turkey vultures eat dead animals.

 

[greybeard]

As I understand it (could be wrong) it is illegal to kill any "non-game" bird. I was told even crows are protected (with exceptions when they are causing damage to food crops).

 

[ga.prime]

There's a crow season in Ga. November, 6- February,28.

 

[colleen]

here in NC the black headed buzzards (as we call them ) are terrible and getting aggressive . they will sit all around on buildings,bins and trees all around my farm. it looks like something from a horror movie at times . it is almost impossible to get more than one shot of at them and they are gone ,

Could you poison them? Set out something dead with a little something extra inside, up high so dogs or other animals can't get to it. Kind a controlled kill type of thing. Or do vultures have iron stomachs, so to speak?

 

[ga.prime]

Could you poison them? Set out something dead with a little something extra inside, up high so dogs or other animals can't get to it.

Sure, you could do that and as soon as a piece falls on the ground and somebody's pet dog eats it and dies and tests positive for temik there'll be a federal investigation.

 

[colleen]

And it probably wouldn't kill the buzzard!

 

[greybeard]

You could always trap them during calving season I guess--just as many states allow for the trapping of crows just before and during harvest time. Down side is, you gotta feed the stinkin things, and if you've never been up close to one, believe me--they stink. Build a trap like an Australian crow trap but make the opening in the "vee ladder" a little wider. (google Aussie crow trap)

Poison? No recommended. A dead buzzard just brings more buzzards.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Dig deep hole first.
Second make buzzard trap.
Third shoot buzzards.
Fourth bury buzzards.
Fifth Keep your mouth shut as they are protected.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Had not really noticed until reading this, but there are more around here than normal to.

 

[dun]

Had not really noticed until reading this, but there are more around here than normal to.

We've only had a coule of generic turkey vultures haning around. Tonight on the news they had a stroy about thousands of them roosting at Table Rock dam and the damage their droppings are doing.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Had not really noticed until reading this, but there are more around here than normal to.

We've only had a coule of generic turkey vultures haning around. Tonight on the news they had a stroy about thousands of them roosting at Table Rock dam and the damage their droppings are doing.

I saw that too, they're trying to scare the things off and might put spikes on the dam so they can't roost??? I'll be taking CB's advise if they bother me or my cattle.

 

[angie1]

We've only had a coule of generic turkey vultures haning around. Tonight on the news they had a stroy about thousands of them roosting at Table Rock dam and the damage their droppings are doing.

I saw that too, they're trying to scare the things off and might put spikes on the dam so they can't roost??? I'll be taking CB's advise if they bother me or my cattle.

I know the buzzards down south will harass/maim/kill calves, but turkey vultures play an important role as clean up crew and are harmless to your cattle.