SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Black vultures are ruffling the feathers of cattle farmers across south and central Missouri.
Farmers in the Ozarks say the vultures are killing newborn calves and other small cattle. Brian Nimmo has had this farm in his family for more than 100 years. He says it’s more than his livelihood.
“I’m speaking for all producers about you take this personally because you’ve raised these,” said Nimmo. “Like all these heifers were home-raised, they go back to my grandparents, and I got my first cow in 1982. And some of that lineage goes back to them.”
One day Brian noticed one of his cows crying out for its baby. He found that it had been ripped apart by black vultures.
“The calf was still alive, we’re able to bring it home, we had to euthanize it,” said Nimmo. “So that cows lost her production for the year. So at that point, you either keep her on and carry her through, even though she’s not producing and or seller, and take your hit that way.”
Nimmo and cattle producers around the areas of south and central Missouri are taking steps to scare off the birds to protect their calves, the experts at the USDA say you’ll want to take as many of those steps as you possibly can.
“You know, having early calving season is one time having a herd mentality during calving,” said Dan McMurtry, district supervisor for USDA Wildlife Services. “Another thing, pull your bull have short calving season, harass them with pyrotechnics. So we have products called pyrotechnics.”
After his calf was killed he was reimbursed up to $200 for the vet bills and necropsy and has the cows much closer to the home. It’s important to note that farmers *must take their animal to the vet — within 24 hours to get that re-imbursement. The money is capped at 200 dollars for each positive result for the test showing the animal’s death was caused by a black vulture.
He says he’ll monitor dead trees on his property, monitor any newborn calves closely and move the herd closer to the man-made structures taking the threat very seriously.
“If you just be proactive as much as you can be, you know, you monitor your herd and monitor the flight pattern of the birds see where they’re staying at,” said Nimmo. The one that we had it hit about eight o’clock in the morning, we got there at 10. So we were just about two hours behind it, but you can always be there.
According to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, some ways to help keep the birds off your farm are:
- Pen birthing livestock near human activity to enable closer observation and a quicker response to problem situations, or keep expectant animals in pastures nearest to people.
- Condense birthing time frame, so animals can be monitored closely.
- Place black vulture effigies (replicas) around calving areas to scare away live vultures. Hang them by their feet and suspend in the air, so they can be seen from a distance.
- Harass and scare black vultures away from your herds or flocks. Examples: create loud noises (horns, starter pistols, shell crackers, propane cannons), spray water, and point lasers at the roost.
- Use a guard dog to frighten and chase away black vultures.
“Black vultures are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. This means the birds, their nests and eggs cannot be killed or destroyed unless a permit is obtained from the Missouri Farm Bureau. Permits are free and producers can obtain up to 10 annually. Apply for a permit by contacting Julie Waldrop at Julie.Waldrop@mofb.org or (573) 893-1417. Find further permit information at mofb.org.” said the Department of Agriculture on its website.
For more information on how farmers can fight back check out the Dept. of Agriculture’s page on black vultures. Also, the University of Missouri’s extension office information can be accessed here.
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