Controlling starlings

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
work on the theory they have to eat their 70 grams a day, every day.

make it near impossible to do that, from your TMR, they have no option but to move to where they can, simple as that.

give them a week, so they know they cannot get their ration from your TMR, they move on, they don't really have an option. They are not completely feather brained.

but you have to keep them moving, not just a couple times, each time you move them, they use/need extra energy, which works in your favour.

if the figure of £30,000 per big unit, quoted in the farming press, is correct,, you could pay someone to keep walking, and shifting the buggers, all through the winter, we reckon takes about a week. You are quids in pocket, even paying someone for a month to just keep them moving, you are so far ahead, its a no brainer.
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Doesn’t work though … well not when you’re the only farm doing a proper job of feeding the cows (rather than a spring herd bunged a bit of bale silage) for miles around.

Like any deterrent, they work for a few days then the starlings get habituated
Sounds like you need a spring herd, some tracks and a round baler for the silage ;) :cool:
 

jerseycowsman

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cornwall
Doesn’t work though … well not when you’re the only farm doing a proper job of feeding the cows (rather than a spring herd bunged a bit of bale silage) for miles around.

Like any deterrent, they work for a few days then the starlings get habituated
You doing a proper job of loosing money and adding to the oversupply situation meaning they keep cutting our prices
 
Location
West Wales
In a blind rage yesterday after putting my hand into a big pile of bird sh!t I went out and bought a gas gun and netting for the maize pit. Im pleasantly surprised so far. Next job is mount bird scarer to juno so it moves up and down the shed as to not get it in one place
 

Bella_vista

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
West Yorkshire
Green laser pen has been very effective so far, and I have a hawk kite flying too. Thought I'd start with them as I didn't want to spend hundreds on a sonic bird scarer just yet. They are still flying around but far fewer and they aren't dropping in the sheds. So far so good!
 

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