August 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 25 have even gone to the extent of putting a ceiling in so that the rafters are not exposed for roosting. When discussing operations that include confinement buildings for livestock, placing netting in the rafters coupled with hanging plastic in doorways can be helpful. If you are looking to the environment around feedlots, cedar windbreaks may reduce the negative impacts of winter storms but may also serve as starling roosts. “They are not going to go into these plastic coverings because it’s a random movement,” DiCostanzo explains. “It’s not like a steady, rhythmic type movement. Starlings are pretty sharp. If you’ve ever hunted them, they figure out any movement from the shooter quickly, and you have to be far away to get them.” There are many automated options that people use to try to scare birds away such as recordings of gunshots or frightening devices, but they can become less effective over time because birds learn to anticipate the disturbance. “I have heard that laser beams are actually effective,” DiCostanzo says. “What helps with laser beams is that they can be set up for random movement and a random appearance so that if birds start getting used to the movement, it appears from a different direction at different times, making it difficult for them to predict.” Other methods of control include pyrotechnics, which deliver a loud noise and concussions, coupled with a visual cue directly into the flock of birds. Live trapping can be very effective where smaller populations of starlings are concerned, keeping a few decoy birds in the entrapment can allow for more than 100 starlings to be caught in a day per trap, which can then be euthanized. Habitat modification to eliminate roosts and reducing the bird’s accessibility to food and water, which may mean keeping water tanks at a lower level and changing feeding schedules, have also been useful. If these measures do not reduce damage from birds, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services technicians can come to the facility and apply toxicants, such as DRC-1339 concentrate, which is a pesticide that is highly toxic to starlings, blackbirds and pigeons, but is less toxic to other birds and mammals. “It’s a challenging process, and again, it’s unlikely you’re going to have 100 percent success once and be done with it; it’s not an easy problem,” Lee says. “Each problem might have a slightly different solution or things to try. I wish I could tell you there was one surefire solution, but there isn’t.” It is important to note that, unlike starlings, blackbirds have some protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Migratory Bird Depredation Permits must also be acquired in certain circumstances before actions are taken to remove birds, their nests or their eggs. If you are facing a bird infestation in your feedlot and would like more information on management practices and regulations, contact the Nebraska Office of Wildlife Service at (402) 434-2340 or visit the Wildlife Services page on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website. ~NC~ 1/2 page horizontal Nebraska Cattleman Serving nebraSka Cattlemen SinCe attlemen SinCe 2010 Holdrege Equipment provides sales, service and product parts to livestock producers throughout Nebraska. Our shop offers complete service and repairs for all brands of mixers, spreaders, trucks and trailers. Years of experience and a broad understanding of the cattle industry’s equipment needs set Holdrege Equipment apart from other suppliers. We have recently added additional product lines to give our customers even more choices for their livestock equipment and service needs. From truck-mounted and pull-type TMR mixers to manure spreaders, dump and forage trailers, and utility vehicles, Holdrege Equipment is the go-to source for your livestock operation’s equipment solutions. Commercial Spreaders TMR Mixers and Spreaders TMR Mixers and Spreaders Spreaders and Forage Trailers 4x4 Utility Vehicles Side Dump Semi and Ag Trailers Holdrege Equipment • 1009 W US Hwy 6 • Holdrege, NE 68949 • 308-995-9565 www.holdregeequipment.com
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