# Black vultures



## fols (Nov 5, 2008)

One of my cows calved yesterday in a wooded area. I heard her bawling and went to check. Calf was about 1 hour old and there were approx 30 black vultures in the trees surrounding them. We normally have turkey vultures but I had never seen black vultures in our area (SW Ohio). They definitely were black and not turkey. I had just read an article about them and how they will kill newborn calves.
I was able to get the cow and calf in an area next to the barn so they _should_ be protected.
For those of you live in areas where you have dealt with these creatures, can you give me any tips? If the calf is healthy, how old of a calf will the vultures attack?
I now know I need to keep my still-preggers closer to the barn so I can watch out for this new enemy!


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## ramiller5675 (Mar 31, 2009)

The vultures I've seen go after stuff that's already dead (that's their job). 

But, I've seen them cleaning up any afterbirth the cow leaves behind. If by some off-chance I happen to see anything like afterbirth, I usually try to move it out of the calving area to keep the vultures and coyotes away.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

I agree. They didn't want the calf, just any "leftovers " they could get.
I've never heard of vultures attacking calves, as long as they are alive. We have about 30 or so that roost here at the back of our property every night. 
They do a good job of keeping the highway clean! Lol!:teehee:


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## fols (Nov 5, 2008)

If you search on black vultures and calves, there are many articles on live kills by these guys. I agree that turkey (red headed) are non-threatening and are good road kill cleanup. 
But blacks are more aggressive and will go after live animals. Yup - sounds like something out of a Hitchcock movie, but apparently true!!


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

I've read about black vultures killing too. Depending on your circumstances, I'd probably use a more traditional method of pest control that absolutely didn't involve anyone else by deed or word.


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## Sir Loin (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm a biologist with USDA- Wildlife Services and we do get a few calls every year here in Maryland where black vultures like you described kill or injure newborn calves. They will always go for the eyes it seems first. As described turkey vultures only eat carrion but the black vultures which expand their range northward every year do go after newborn or injured wildlife and livestock. If damage has occured and you want to be legal in your response(yes even if they eat your calf they are still protected under the migratory bird treaty act), you can obtain a federal migratory bird depradation permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home. Its a long process but better than court fees and a $10,000 fine...


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Vultures are a protected species, either by state law or under federal laws regarding migratory birds. It would be hard not to take action, though, if one were to see a groupo of vultures attacking a cow giving birth or a new calf.


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## Dreamfarm (Dec 10, 2011)

Unless you have an extra 15k around somewhere, in which case you could get dozens of new calves.


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## KYfarmer (May 8, 2011)

I have heard a couple farmers in this area say they have seen the black headed vultures lure the cow away and then others go after the calf. Our county extension has asked for pictures of this happening. Have not seen them as bad this year.


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## fitz (Jan 7, 2010)

We call them Mexican Blacks here. Yes, they will peck a new born's eyes out then they have him. I've had them wear a cow out trying to protect her calf.
These bastards don't just wait for something to die, they hunt.

fitz


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

Our Great Pyrenees keeps the black buzzards away from our animals fairly successfully. While they ARE protected under federal law, you can get a nuisance permit issued for harassment purposes (You are allowed to harass the birds, but cannot kill them). The idea is that you will irritate them enough that they will leave the immediate area. From what I hear from local farmers, it's not very effective.

We've had the black buzzards here where we live in SW Ohio (Adams County) for as long as I can remember.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

fitz said:


> We call them Mexican Blacks here. Yes, they will peck a new born's eyes out then they have him. I've had them wear a cow out trying to protect her calf.
> These bastards don't just wait for something to die, they hunt.
> 
> fitz


 I honestly have never heard this. I need to go do a bit more reading apparently. I know they are nasty things, but actually hunting eh? Wow.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

The black buzzards will peck the eyes from a new born calf or pigs. Once the eyes are gone they will linger around waiting for the easy meal in a few days. With baby pigs the buzzards don't have to wait too long since they can peck the pigs to death by tearing a hole in the belly of the tender pigs.


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## downsized (Aug 28, 2012)

Sir Loin said:


> I'm a biologist with USDA- Wildlife Services


I have had some group of birds over my farm this summer. There are about 20-30 of them and they circle as a group overhead and have followed me on the ground. (E.g. I'm working on the back side of the farm and notice them. I head to the house and the circle 'follows' me up to the house. One day, I wanted to test if they were actually following me and they followed me in a triangle shaped pattern (each leg of the patter was 1/4 mile or more) as I moved around the property.

My sister says that they're vultures, but they are all black and look like crows to me. My sister says that crows will not waste energy circling like these birds do and that they are vultures.

Can you settle this? I'd never heard of black vultures till this thread. If they do exist, then are these most likely vultures?

For those who think they don't hunt. I have no idea of why these birds would follow like this. Their following pattern is one reason that I thought they might be crows who 'recognize' me and are following out of curiosity. Now, I'm wondering if I need to be more worried. I let my cow calf out in pasture, now I'm worried that I might have to pull her inside for more safety. (the goats and sheep are already pulled in because of their size)

ETA: I'm near Youngstown, Ohio


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## fols (Nov 5, 2008)

I wasn't planning on killing the vultures, so no worries there. Possibly this group was migrating through since I've never seen them in 15 yrs of having livestock here. I'll have to keep my eye out and network with other local farmers to ask if they've seen them around the area.


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

Sir Loin said:


> I'm a biologist with USDA- Wildlife Services and we do get a few calls every year here in Maryland where black vultures like you described kill or injure newborn calves. They will always go for the eyes it seems first. As described turkey vultures only eat carrion but the black vultures which expand their range northward every year do go after newborn or injured wildlife and livestock. If damage has occured and you want to be legal in your response(yes even if they eat your calf they are still protected under the migratory bird treaty act), you can obtain a federal migratory bird depradation permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home. Its a long process but better than court fees and a $10,000 fine...


Would they be considered the same as geese? The conservation department in my area has told farmers that we can kill all of the geese we want to if they are damaging our crops.


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## Sir Loin (Mar 30, 2012)

downsized said:


> I have had some group of birds over my farm this summer. There are about 20-30 of them and they circle as a group overhead and have followed me on the ground. (E.g. I'm working on the back side of the farm and notice them. I head to the house and the circle 'follows' me up to the house. One day, I wanted to test if they were actually following me and they followed me in a triangle shaped pattern (each leg of the patter was 1/4 mile or more) as I moved around the property.
> 
> My sister says that they're vultures, but they are all black and look like crows to me. My sister says that crows will not waste energy circling like these birds do and that they are vultures.
> 
> ...


Well if it was crows you would be hearing them because they usually make a lot of noise. If they a larger and all black including the head than they are black vultures. A photo would help though. Now black vultures attacks on new born livestock do happen but a not "common". You shouldnt be concerned if you just see a few flying over the farm. Now if you have 50 sitting on the fence with a newborn calf in the pasture you should harrass them and/or move the calf. Federal law allows harrassment of MBTA protected birds with out a permit (other than eagles). State laws may differ on that though as some states do require harrasment permits. In MD, DE, DC you do not need a permit for harrasment.


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## Sir Loin (Mar 30, 2012)

FarmerDavid said:


> Would they be considered the same as geese? The conservation department in my area has told farmers that we can kill all of the geese we want to if they are damaging our crops.


There is a federal depradation order on resident canada geese so that they can be taken out of regulated hunting season if causing damage at ag facilities. States may differ again on regulations under this. In MD it is regulated and farmers looking to control geese from May to Sept. need to get a permit from MD DNR through us (USDA). Sept. to May you may have migratory canadas coming in so you than would need a federal depredation permit just like for the vultures since migratory canada geese are protected under MBTA. So check with your local game warden or call you states USDA Wildlife Services office before you want to kill any birds and they should get you striaght.


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

We do sept through may. They can absolutely destroy a wheat field. If its right or not in MO i dont know, but had two seperate county wardens tell me shoot all you want, just let them lay.


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## Sir Loin (Mar 30, 2012)

Your talking about snow geese or canada geese? If your shooting canadas in the winter outside of regulated hunting seasons you are indeed in violation, just sayin... also a federal warden may think otherwise about what your county people are telling you so use caution


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I know a man who ran over some canada geese with a lawn mower.
Cost him quite a bit of money and time.


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

Sir Loin said:


> Your talking about snow geese or canada geese? If your shooting canadas in the winter outside of regulated hunting seasons you are indeed in violation, just sayin... also a federal warden may think otherwise about what your county people are telling you so use caution


We've been told that on both, but generally it's the snows that are the bigger nuisance.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

ramiller5675 said:


> The vultures I've seen go after stuff that's already dead (that's their job).
> 
> But, I've seen them cleaning up any afterbirth the cow leaves behind. If by some off-chance I happen to see anything like afterbirth, I usually try to move it out of the calving area to keep the vultures and coyotes away.


A friend lost a cow to vultures. It calved and prolapsed. The vultures picked at the cow and it bled to death. Calf was bottle fed.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Those vultchers were definatly going to kill that calf they start buy pecking out its eyes this happend to a friends calf here yesterday .several new calfs have been lost in our area of sw virginia .


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## cedarcreekranch (Nov 24, 2010)

The black buzzards moved into our area (border of OK-AR) a few years ago, there were even some articles in the local papers about them. We lost a calf out of a first calf heifer a couple years ago but that's the only one. Don't know if the cows have learned to protect the calves from the birds or what but so far, no more losses. The red headed buzzards only eat carrion so don't bother us at all. I don't know what the solution would be except to apply for the permit to shoot them but I doubt that would really solve anything as others would come to fill in the territory. I'm glad we've only lost the one calf and have no answers as to why no more since. Might have been something wrong with the calf that attracted the birds' attention?


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

I have never seen too many of the blacks here in eastern Oklahoma but yesterday literally hundreds came over the house. long looping strings of them that took over a half hour to pass. I hope they were just migrating in front of the cold front.


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## Cindy in KY (May 10, 2002)

Very, very creepy. 

I didn't know this before, so thanks for the posts and information. We have 30-40 buzzards around the area, so I am going to watch a lot closer from now on. I'm pretty sure these have red heads. Man, that is so terrible about the calves.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

My question is why are these birds federally protected to the point of overpopulation where they need to predate live animals to eat???


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

Why does the government do any of the stupid things they do?

We have black headed vultures in this area, and they are noted as the only vultures that will cross the line to kill a weak animal.

The only time we have had trouble here was when a cow calved out in the open. Normally the pastured cattle will find a secluded place, under the trees. But out in the open, the vultures will go after them. 

The most vulnerable time is immediately after birth. I was thinking the vultures went for the cow's eyes. It's been a few years. But it is during that period right after birth and before she delivers her afterbirth that the vultures are most likely to swoop in and kill a calf.

I would think you are safe once the calf is up on it's feet and the mother has recovered from delivery.


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## noeskimo (Mar 17, 2011)

We were given a pair of newborn boer doelings to bottle-raise.Their mother died at birth and when they found the twins an hour or so later, the buzzards had eaten of one of the kids tails and a little bit of glut muscle. The other one was minus a piece of ear and some flesh atop her head. Nasty infections. But "Buzzy and Izzy" are now almost 3 years, and a credit to my herd, but everyone asks" What happened to Buzzy's tail?" old


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## mariaricarto (Jul 1, 2010)

Hi Downsized,

I remember riding horseback and having a raven follow me. That might be the bird that followed you.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

If the government had a brain they'd offer a reward for killing the stupid things.


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