Starlings and Dairy

Starlings and Dairy

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Brad Felger owns a falcon business in Northwest Washington and says he can offer a solution to dairy farmers who are plagued by starlings. “I have been to some dairies where the dairy men tell me that they lose half of their feed, lots of their grain and stuff like that, that they put out for the cattle goes to the birds. I used to think that was terrible. It costs you twice as much to feed your cattle because you lose half of it to these large flocks of birds. Actually it is worse than that because the birds aren't just coming in and eating the grain, they are eating the choice part of the grain. They are eating the protein parts of the grain so what is left is some of the filler and less of the protein so the cattle get the half that is not the better half. It is a big problem for dairy men and I know they go to great lengths to resolve their bird problem the best they can. A lot of trapping and other methods that they have been doing. There are some who have actually pursued falconry during certain times of the year when the flocks get just huge to push the birds off and send them somewhere else. I have done a lot of trapping of starlings at dairies but I have not gone the distance where they have wanted me to fly the birds.
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