Starlings in farm sheds

[stripee]

For anyone that knows about cattle sheds, how would you keep flocks of starlings from coming into a shed and eating from the cattle troughs? The shed has access through slats or similar. What methods would you use? I am very interested to hear!

[Kayleigh]

On a farm I would suggest getting a cat..Or jack russell. Don't know what else to suggest..

[stripee]

Thanks Kayleigh. It's a thought It's not my shed, but a neighbours. But I want to put some suggestions to him

[Oscar2006]

Why would we want to discourage the starlings?
They have found a decent supermarket to shop in, so go and enjoy the spectacle and let your neighbour get professional help from Defra or FWAG.

[stripee]

Originally Posted by Oscar2006

Why would we want to discourage the starlings?
They have found a decent supermarket to shop in, so go and enjoy the spectacle and let your neighbour get professional help from Defra or FWAG.

I don't want to discourage them, no! However, this young farmer is beside himself about them. I haven't even seen one this year. Unfortunately, since before Christmas he has been using an automatic bird scarer (I had a previous thread about it) but I never thought that he would still be using it after 2 months....so the whole valley is busy with the council logging the noise for an environmental health complaint, but he is ignoring the council letters, and pleas of neighbours (some of whom are severely affected, much worse than us) and getting round it by varying the explosive retorts....I don't understand why he can't put netting up over the shed, and wonder if anyone else has had the bird "problem" and how they dealt with it....I'm sure there must be a better way!

[Kayleigh]

He sounds a bit of a prat. I don't think the cows would worry and apart from the noise from the scarer which seems the council is monitoring. Its not your problem..

[stripee]

I wish it wasn't Kayleigh, but the thing going off all the time does somewhat spoil the birdsong on this nice sunny day And I am very tempted to phone him up to give him some alternative ideas soon!

[Kayleigh]

you could shoot him..

[stripee]

I have very very nasty thoughts! If it hadnt been going off solidly for so long, it wouldn't be such a pain! I do wonder if in fact there are any starlings

[muldonach]

You might find that he is obliged to exclude them from his sheds under the terms of a farm assurance scheme.

A gas gun however is not normally used in and around sheds - not a good way of keeping cattle happy and feeding so sounds very strange

Regards
mac