One of the wonderful things about farming is following the circle of life. It’s amazing how creation was planned out perfectly to live in harmony on a farm. Cattle need hay to eat and kindly drop several piles of fertilizer on a field each day. Nutritious grasses pop up after fields receive abundant rain and sunshine, ready for a hay harvest in the spring and summer. The cycle continues and MOST of the time, it all makes sense.
It’s calving season on our farm. We had moved our momma cows over to a hay field over the winter. We’d even planned to calve them all out there. It’s an easy drive from our house and convenient for daily cattle checks. Unfortunately, the field is also home to several hundred vultures. They have not been kind neighbors our new calves. These birds have been a devastating nuisance.
The first discovery we had was a pile of these birds over the carcass of what would’ve been one of our newborn calves. We had no way of knowing if the calf was stillborn or what had gone wrong. By the time my husband arrived on the scene these nasty birds had picked it clean. Then it happened again. These birds are sinister, creepy and vicious. Like something out of a Walt Disney movie set in the deep dark forest. I know it sounds dramatic, but it’s been ugly.
One day when we were over at the farm checking cattle and assessing the newborn calf situation, a neighboring rancher stopped by. He had noticed us checking out a dead calf. He generously offered us some advice and input. He told us of the troubles he’d had in this same area with black vultures killing his newborn calves (even as they were being delivered). His tales were gruesome and both of our hearts sank. Unfortunately, our federal government protects these birds with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. It didn’t make sense, but there was really nothing we could legally do.
I reached out to friends in the cattle industry in Missouri and Nebraska. I could tell they kind of thought it was a crazy question until I forwarded them the Youtube videos of these birds attacking baby calves in fields. In February, producers went to Nashville to attend the Cattle Industry and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention. One of the issues voiced by members from the state of Oklahoma and surrounding states was Black Vultures. Aha! We are not alone. Other producers were struggling and trying to find ways to take action against vultures too.
My husband and I discussed our options at length. We decided it would be in our best interest to move the cattle to another place to protect our calf crop. The cattle were loaded and after several trips they were safely delivered to a different field several miles away.
If this is something you are struggling with on your farm or ranch, please speak up. I urge you to contact our state legislators and ask them to give us some relief from these predators.
As I drove by the new field where our animals are located, I noticed a flock of vultures lurking on the neighbor’s hay barn. I believe they will continue to be a problem. I placed a call to the Washington County, Ark., Extension to learn more about what other producers in our area are doing to protect livestock. I have also contacted our state lawmakers. I believe in the circle of life in creation, but these birds need to learn their place, neighbor.
