Dairy farm nuisance fowl prevention and management

“Dashing through the snow” is a phrase from the track “Jingle Bells” that usually brings enjoyable joyful reminiscences this time of yr.

Snow brings birds dashing into your dairy barns. These nuisance birds, largely starlings, eat cow grain and go away disease-ridden droppings which might be expensive and creates a smelly unpleasant mess.

Ohio has one of many highest breeding densities of European starlings within the US. Flocks can vary from a couple of hundred to over 10,000 on a single farm.

Starlings are recognized to fly 15 to 30 miles from roosting websites to a fascinating feed supply, like your dairy cows’ TMR ration. On dairy farms, starlings eat grain and go away droppings, which ends up in feed and milk manufacturing losses.

Starlings unfold illness by means of droppings and pose well being dangers to livestock and people. Humane and efficient fowl prevention measures can cut back and sometimes eradicate expensive, unpleasant and disease-causing droppings that may have an effect on the dairy herd.

Feed loss

Starlings eat the grain and protein elements in dairy cow diets and cut back the nutrient content material of the remaining TMR.  A small flock of 1200 starlings can eat as much as one ton of protein and grain per thirty days from a 200-cow dairy farm. Various research have proven the financial cost of fowl infestation in extra of $8,000/yr. Health losses and illness threat can enhance this loss.

Health and illness loss

Ohio State analysis from 2008 has proven that fowl droppings transmit E. Coli, salmonella, crypto coccidia and histoplamosis. These illnesses cut back cow well being and intestinal well being and enhance the chance of mastitis. Several strains of salmonella exist and enhance the chance of calf dying and illness.

Nuisance fowl prevention and management

Prevention strategies of fowl infestation should begin earlier than snowfall and heavy infestations of birds. Prevention contains netting, visible scare units, misery calls, roosting diversifications and well being modifiers. Check with state wildlife divisions for laws concerning management of nuisance birds earlier than implementing management measures.

Nets won’t entangle birds. Netting could also be draped throughout the entrance of buildings; fasten it tightly from above home windows to beneath the ledge to discourage perching. Visual scare units and misery calls have to be modified often all year long to be efficient.

Commercial sources of prevention instruments could be evaluated on the web sites birdbgone.com, birdgard.com and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/.

Roosting diversifications embrace modifying the roosting surfaces with an angle of 60 levels or better. Birds choose to perch on flat surfaces and angled surfaces cut back perching. Wood or steel sheathing reduce at an angle will also be added to the issue space. Installation of porcupine wire on ledges and rails the place birds roost will cut back roosting.

Thinning tree branches round buildings can take away perch websites and cut back a supply of wind safety, which can power the birds to maneuver to a different website. Combinations of noise (AM/FM radio, wind chimes, firecrackers, banging pots and pans, and so on.) and visible stimuli (coloured flags, reflective tape, rotating clean CD’s, revolving lights, balloons, replicas of hawks and owls, and so on.) used persistently can evict birds. Control measures ought to be initiated and modified at varied instances all year long.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife gives an inventory of commercially authorised nuisance wild animal management operators in your respective Ohio county. The Ohio checklist has over 400 business nuisance animal management operators, a few of which can be licensed to handle fowl management on business livestock farms. The division additionally has info on choices for prevention of nuisance birds.

Thanks to our dairy farmers who present a clear, low-stress surroundings for his or her cows. Because they supply such excellent care to their cows, we are able to every take pleasure in scrumptious and nutritious dairy merchandise like eggnog, cheese, cream latte and ice cream on this Christmas season. Cheers to our devoted dairy farmers for conserving cows proud of a clear, dry and cozy surroundings.