Vulture predation ???

Brutus

Brutus

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
115   0   1
Location
West of most places....and in Alberta
I have a farmer friend who keeps livestock.including cattle. He is experiencing some kind of attack on four of his mature cows. Is four clean cookie cutter type boring through the hide at fairly precious distance apart.
Could it be turkey vultures.
 
Never seen a turkey vulture bother anything that wasn't already dead. Almost would think there were none here, until something gets road killed, or someone dumps a box of salmon guts off the side of the road, then there are dozens around.

Clean precise holes? He should get a vet to have a look. May have bot fly larvae that have recently left, leaving behind the divots.
The flies lay eggs a distance apart, the larvae burrow in, develop and grow. When they leave, it can leave a nasty hole that looks like someone used a leather punch.
 
Butcherbill said:
Magpies will peck and dig holes in livestock from what I hear.
Click to expand...
Never seen it or heard of it, till now.

Figure for the thousands of times I have seen magpies picking bugs on cattle and horses, if there was gonna be a problem, I would know about it by now.
The tuxedo clad bandits have an awful lot of blame to carry when it comes to putting the hits down on songbird nests, but I seriously doubt they deserve any credit for that line.
 
Down South they are having issues with both the Turkey Vulture and the black Vulture both of which are Protected by an International Treaty.
Seems that the winters are milder and the birds dont wanna fly home.
But, with mild winters in the North (of their home range) they decide to stay, but there isnt enough dead wildlife to feed the flocks, so they resort to killing healthy animals or new borne for that matter.
http://https://www.drovers.com/article/living-and-dead-black-vultures-expand-farmers-pay-cost
Nasty way to go having the flesh torn from your bones while still cognizant ....
Rob
 
Magpies need thinning. Find someone with a magpie trap and set it out with red meat in it. 22 em in the trap.
I took out 23 one year after they killed a big bull. They pecked a hole and drank the blood. Bull died from stress and shock.
attachment.php
 
I think you are talking about what we called "warbles" on the ranch here. I don't know what type of fly lays the eggs but these warbles live just inside the hide on a cows back and grow until they are almost 3/8 of an inch in dia. and an inch to 1nch and a half long. When they "hatch" from the carrier cow they leave a perfect round hole in the hide up to 3/8 in dia. Some cows, even whole herds of them, can have hundreds of these hole if the cow isn't treated with Ruleene at an early stage of warble development . The "bumps that form under the hide are very easily seen on a cow with short summer hair. We treated our herd every year in early summer with a Ruleene pour from head to tail.

And yes magpies have been known to use the open hole for an easy route to a fresh flesh meal. Once started they keep at that hole, enlarging it and it usually become an "infected mass" that needs a magpie cull and then another medical treatment.
 
tigrr said:
Magpies need thinning. Find someone with a magpie trap and set it out with red meat in it. 22 em in the trap.
I took out 23 one year after they killed a big bull. They pecked a hole and drank the blood. Bull died from stress and shock.
attachment.php
Click to expand...

Now what you gonna do ? :):)

Grizz
 
fingers284 said:
I think you are talking about what we called "warbles" on the ranch here. I don't know what type of fly lays the eggs but these warbles live just inside the hide on a cows back and grow until they are almost 3/8 of an inch in dia. and an inch to 1nch and a half long. When they "hatch" from the carrier cow they leave a perfect round hole in the hide up to 3/8 in dia. Some cows, even whole herds of them, can have hundreds of these hole if the cow isn't treated with Ruleene at an early stage of warble development . The "bumps that form under the hide are very easily seen on a cow with short summer hair. We treated our herd every year in early summer with a Ruleene pour from head to tail.

And yes magpies have been known to use the open hole for an easy route to a fresh flesh meal. Once started they keep at that hole, enlarging it and it usually become an "infected mass" that needs a magpie cull and then another medical treatment.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I could see them picking at a wound.

But they are not the ones that made the wound in the first place, merely taking advantage of an opportunity.
 
Have had to put down stock that magpies opened huge holes in. It’s actually one of the biggest causes of depredation payouts here in Sk. Glueing a canvass patch over the hole filled with pine tar will sometimes work. Also had ravens take eyeballs out of newborns.
These scavengers take a big toll on wildlife when their numbers are high. Wolf or coyote will only get one belly full per kill because the birds clean it up so fast.
 
fingers284 said:
I think you are talking about what we called "warbles" on the ranch here. I don't know what type of fly lays the eggs but these warbles live just inside the hide on a cows back and grow until they are almost 3/8 of an inch in dia. and an inch to 1nch and a half long. When they "hatch" from the carrier cow they leave a perfect round hole in the hide up to 3/8 in dia. Some cows, even whole herds of them, can have hundreds of these hole if the cow isn't treated with Ruleene at an early stage of warble development . The "bumps that form under the hide are very easily seen on a cow with short summer hair. We treated our herd every year in early summer with a Ruleene pour from head to tail.

And yes magpies have been known to use the open hole for an easy route to a fresh flesh meal. Once started they keep at that hole, enlarging it and it usually become an "infected mass" that needs a magpie cull and then another medical treatment.
Click to expand...

My neighbor had to put down a bull a few years ago. Exactly what you are describing, Warbles made the hole and magpies enlarged it until the backbone was exposed. Nasty way to go.
 
powdermaker said:
My neighbor had to put down a bull a few years ago. Exactly what you are describing, Warbles made the hole and magpies enlarged it until the backbone was exposed. Nasty way to go.
Click to expand...

Magpies are nasty, I've heard of them picking the eyes out of crippled animals. Intelligent unfortunately, makes them tough to control.

Grizz
 
trevj said:
Kill all but one, leave the last one in the trap, screaming bloody blue murder, to attract even more than just the bait will.

Handsome and smart. Too bad about the rest of their habits!
Click to expand...

Was wondering how you're gonna go about that, shotgun blast sounds good, but might be hard on the trap. :)

Grizz
 
Grizzly Adams said:
Was wondering how you're gonna go about that, shotgun blast sounds good, but might be hard on the trap. :)

Grizz
Click to expand...

Fish landing net, a 5 gallon pail with a lid, and a can of starting Ether.

Or, a .22. Or a pellet gun.

Or, if you are not the squeamish type, each gets beat to death on a chunk of firewood, by smacking their heads against it, or you pop their necks like finishing off a duck or grouse.
 
Common ravens have exploded in numbers across the west and are becoming quite the predator towards some wildlife. Never heard or have seen buzzards eating anything other than roadkill and such.
 
M12shooter said:
Common ravens have exploded in numbers across the west and are becoming quite the predator towards some wildlife. Never heard or have seen buzzards eating anything other than roadkill and such.
Click to expand...

Ravens are legal to shoot now, on private property, in Alberta.

Grizz
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom