With the emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) in dairy cattle, wild birds are more than just a nuisance on dairies and calf facilities now.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that mammals can be infected with H5N1 bird flu viruses when they eat infected birds, poultry, or other animals and/or if they are exposed to environments contaminated with the virus.
In addition to the added layer of HPAI risk, birds can spread other diseases via their droppings, according to University of Kentucky Wildlife Specialist Matthew Springer, and Dairy Extension Specialist Donna Amaral-Phillips. The duo said birds also can introduce unwelcome E. coli and Salmonella to dairy facilities.
Additionally, the damage and waste caused by birds can be significant. One starling can eat about 0.0625 pounds of feed per day. But starlings tend to show up on dairies in massive flocks. A flock of 10,000 starlings could potentially consume 500 pounds of feed per day.
Amaral-Phillips pointed out that not only does this problem represent lost feed, but the feed that remains does not contain the correct mixture of ingredients intended and balanced for the cows. Birds tend to eat high-nutrient feeds and leave the less nutritious components behind. Plus, the bird droppings that accumulate from overnight roosting create a daily mess in facilities and even on the cows themselves.
Currently there are no perfect solutions for ridding dairies of birds. “Loud noises or plastic owls are minimally effective and often the birds become accustomed to the noise or fake owl and continue to roost in barns,” said Amaral-Phillips. “To be somewhat effective, birds must be driven away for 7 to 10 days and not allowed to enter barns. This disruption can potentially scare cows within the barn -- not a good cattle management practice.”
Predatory birds, such as hawks, living in a barn can be effective, but are not often used. Toxicants that were available two decades ago are no longer available for use. Amaral-Phillips said exclusion seems to be the most effective, but costly method. “The use of netting in areas birds can roost prevents this behavior. Ideally, this exclusion netting should be in place prior to birds attempting to roost in barns,” she advised.
At Washington State University, researchers were asked a few years ago to find a solution to deal with pest birds. Along with feed losses, producers were noticing that birds were crowding bunk space, causing cows to become more aggressive with each other as they competed for smaller spaces to feed.
Amber Adams-Progar, Associate Professor in Dairy Management, and her colleagues at the University’s Knott Dairy Center found two solutions to the problem. First, they introduced a predator species – American kestrels – to scare away the European starlings.
Second, they installed lasers that turn on right before dusk to deter the starlings from settling into their night roosts in barns.
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