Infested ... and helpless. Ideas?

[Bald Rick]

Unbelievable. 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, more??

(Photo taken at 7.45am this morning)

Never seen this number before & totally helpless. Running bird scare alarm, laser and bangers but they don't care anymore and frankly I have run out of ideas other than to feed towards dusk but I am doubting this will have any effect either other than to upset the cows' routine further (cf blood testing etc)

Any ideas (very carefully received)?

 

[The Devonshire Bloke!]

[emoji379][emoji379][emoji379][emoji91][emoji211][emoji211]

 

[Will Wilson]

Netting the sides of the shed?

 

[Lucy @ Farm Marketplace]

Could you use spikes without getting in the way of the livestock to stop them landing ?

Click Here

 

[Bald Rick]

Netting the sides of the shed?

Unfortunately not practical as we feed on the outside plus there are 3 sheds,. the smallest of which is 200' long

 

[Lucy @ Farm Marketplace]

or sparrow net ? HERE

 

[Lucy @ Farm Marketplace]

Might be pee'ing in the wind but how about trapping them ?

https://www.marketplace.farm/farm-a...-control/pest-control/sparrow-trap-door-trap/

 

[curlietailz]

I reckon a massive net keeping the birds out is the solution. Perhaps over your feed passage?
Drive through hanging plastic things so you can get in and out with vehicles safely.

Sorry it’s a nightmare for you

Will they move on ? Is it short lived ? Will cold temperatures mean they migrate ?

 

[Boysground]

Most success we have is with a laser. Did get a posh 1 but I guess any will do. On a cloudy day it will move them off trees 200m from the buildings. It lives in the loader and when anybody drives past the cubicles they point it at the starlings and they move on. You do need to be persistent.

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[farmerm]

what bird is it?

 

[Adam@Rumen]

Avianex? We've supplied a fair bit of it over the last fortnight. Won't work if you're feeding caustic though.

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

The threat call worked for us
Two days moved them on

 

[Beef farmer]

Drone

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

What about hanging a line of CDs along the opening?

Or bird netting?

I'd be concerned about salmonella risk, with all that sh!t going into the cow feed.

 

[westwards]

Get someone with an owl, or a sparrrow hawk, failing that catch 2 or 3 and dip them in a pail of bright red or yellow paint,then let them go and they will scare the rest away.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

A plastic hawk and keep moving it around?

 

[Bald Rick]

TBH we have tried everything and they are immune so all we can do is try and mitigate where we can.

Example - Heifer water trough before:

and after:

Hopefully it will stop the barstewards shitting in there

I would really like someone from RSPB to answer why they are an amber listed species

 

[vantage]

@Bald Rick ,amber because no one sees them in their gardens,as they are all in our cattle sheds!

 

[Dry Rot]

Lots of people advertising for 'vermin control', so surely they could be put to work?

I'd have jumped at the chance of some cheap hawk food when I kept birds, but I don't any longer and probaby too far away anyway..

Just be careful of the law. I think it's legal to shoot bird pests if there is no other effective way of clearing them, but you don't have to look far to find a jobs worth these days!

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

To be inside the law on a General Licence which includes Starlings, you would need to prove that all non-lethal options had been fully exhausted first.

Page 25 on this one:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalasset...---a-plain-guide-to-bird-protection-today.pdf

"Farmer in court for murdering 14,000 starlings" would not look good in the 'papers.

This prosecution was over 15 years ago:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1360210/Shooter-of-starlings-loses-pest-control-case.html