Not For The Birds

Photograph by Lyndee Yoder

It’s winter; days shorten, temperatures drop, and clouds of birds descend on feedlots and dairies.

Millions of birds, namely invasive species like starlings, steal feed from feedlots and dairies throughout late fall and winter. Effectively managing birds can be difficult and costly, meaning feedlot and dairy managers must practice careful stewardship to prevent birds from spreading pathogens among livestock.

“Any of the big-time diseases that affect cattle, I’m sure they transmit them,” said Adam Stone, former manager of Kuner Feedlot in Kersey, Colorado. “When they roost on the neck rails of the bunk, they spread their feces in the feed, which carries diseases around. If you’ve got tanks, they like to roost on the tank and crap in the water.”

Starlings are vectors of several pathogens, according to a 2017 report by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Starlings transmit Salmonella, West Nile Virus, Johne’s disease and several E. coli stereotypes, according to the report.

“It can be pretty bad stuff you don’t want flying around,” said Stone, who managed the 100,000 head feedlot for more than 13 years. “If you’ve got a bunch of calves with snotty noses eating out of a bunk, and the birds go hop around in there and then they go hop around in the next bunk, what do you think is going to happen?”

Large numbers of birds also cause financial loss to feedlots and dairies by eating or spoiling feed. A flock of 1,000 starlings can eat 1.5 tons of cattle feed over 60 days, creating a loss of 92 cents for every feedlot animal, according to the USDA APHIS report.

Bird Management Methods

Most feedlot or dairy managers try to scare birds away, Stone said. But, scare tactics quickly become ineffective as birds normalize to them.

“We tried hanging blank CD’s that flicker in the wind and create weird light patterns,” Stone said. “That seemed to work okay for about a week until the birds figured out there wasn’t anything to be afraid of.”

Timed propane explosions and trained falcons were similarly ineffective, Stone said. The best results came when bird control measures started early and tactics were diversified, he added.

“We tried to scare them as much as we could, especially early in the season to prevent a whole bunch of them from showing up,” Stone said. “I’m not going to say we had great success, but it took a lot longer for them to move in.”

Removing nearby roosts and cover is also an effective way to manage starlings. Feedlots look less attractive if birds don’t have comfortable roosts nearby.

“If they don’t have a place where they feel comfortable, it would be a lot easier to control them,” Stone said.

But removing obvious roosts and cover isn’t always feasible or successful. Adjacent land may not be owned by livestock operation managers or birds may roost in feedlot buildings, Stone added.

“Not having any cover around seems to help quite a bit, but if you have a feed mill or buildings around, they make a mess of all of that,” Stone said.

Using avicides such as Avitrol or Starlicide is the most effective way to control birds, Stone said, but then “you cause a bunch of other problems.”

“Chemical agents to kill them off are kind of a last resort,” Stone said. “Avitrol works very well on them, but you have to have a license and they are a mess to clean up, especially if they fly off the premises.”

Extension Tips on Managing Birds

Bird movements are nearly impossible to manage, but livestock operators can make their yards less attractive. North Dakota State University Extension Services dairy specialist J.W. Schroeder recommends the following:

• Feeding late in the afternoon or night after starlings roost

• Lowering water levels six inches below the edge of tanks to prevent birds from drinking

• Increase feed particle sizes to one-half inch or larger so birds can’t consume it

Birds are just another factor to consider in the stewardship of livestock, wildlife, natural habitats and livestock facilities. But stewardship is the constant goal of most feedlot and dairy managers, Stone said.

“They want to be good stewards. They try to do everything they can.”

Article as appeared in The Fence Post 2021 Breeders Connection. To see the article as published, click here.