turkey buzzards killing young healthy calves

My neighbor has lost two young calves to those turkey vulchers never heard of such a thing they peek the eyes out go after their naval and their rear ends and the number of them is increasing. The grandson was shooting at them a few days ago and that helped but when he is not there they reappear plus the weird thing the second one was killed almost in the same spot as the first one so he run an electric fence around that area. H e also did drop one yesterday but too late.

Think you'll find they're not Turkey Buzzards but the short tailed buzzards,they can be a real problem I have Livestock Guard Dogs in most of my fields to protect the calves and goats from Coyotes and they hate the buzzards too so they pretty keep them driven off.

I think Traditional Farmer is right. I don't know where you are, but we have had black headed buzzards here for a few years. They are very aggressive. They will kill new born calves. I have never seen a turkey vulture bother anything that was still breathing. I have a great pyrenees dog and nothing bothers my calves.

I to think it is something else than what you are thinking. The turkey buzzards will not touch anything untill it has been dead for several days. I do not know what is causing your problem but it is not a turkey buzzard.

The black headed buzzards are bad here also.They will peck the eyes & eat the tongues of calves while being born.

Around here (North Central Texas) the problem is not the turkey buzzards. A black looking vulture is the one that will attack newborn calves. It is locally called the Mexican Vulture; but I don't know if that name is the correct one. Tom

I just looked it up on Wikipedia. I think it the Black Vulture. Tom

I have seen a few Black headed ones here in Ohio, and have heard the same story, but have not had them kill any thing here near me..that I know of...there are red headed ones here that we call Turkey Buzzards,,

get you a couple of female donkeys

Be very careful if it is a turkey buzzard, around here they are a protected species, and cost you your gun, hunting liscence, and a bunch of money. Go figure.

(quoted from post at 12:53:21 07/15/15)
The black headed buzzards are bad here also.They will peck the eyes & eat the tongues of calves while being born.

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Had a problem with the black headed ones a couple of years ago killing calves in our country (Fairfield, OH). Haven't heard of any issues lately. Be careful killing them and bragging about it, they are a protected bird. Do it privately and quietly dispose of them.

I've heard this myth too. Buzzards just clean up after the fact.

Even if they were attacking what kind of indifferent mama cow lets something attack her calf???

I have personally witnessed, on several occasions, my cows chase off buzzards that were a ways away eating a dead possum/racoon etc. that I had shot and thrown in the field.

I have seen buzzards land and try to check out afterbirth when they were calving and same thing: the cows ran the birds off!

(quoted from post at 08:09:55 07/15/15) I've heard this myth too. Buzzards just clean up after the fact.

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Not a myth but a FACT.
Cows in final stages of labor have a difficult time getting up quick enough to chase the black headed buzzards off.

That sounds like a cow problem. The last one of mine I caught in the act of calving was up in about 30 seconds and immediately started licking the calf.

Turkey vultures are the ones with the red head. No feathers on it. I have never heard of them bothering a living animal. They are carrion eaters and only go for the dead stuff. I have heard of magpies pecking the eyes of newborn calves but have never seen it happen on my farm. The magpies did peck a hole in the back of one of my bulls a few years ago but he had other health problems too.

Its not Myth I've seen the buzzards attack calves and goats while being born and after they were born with my own eyes,way too may times.

I don't think the turkey buzzards are the problem but probably is the black buzzards. We've had problems with them around here. I caught them before they killed a calf but they had chewed it's ears off and pecked out 1 eye. There were about 15 of them. When the cow chased 1 off 2 more would show up. I suspect they caused cows to trample a couple more calves trying to chase them away. They are more of a problem than coyotes. BTW it's NOT a myth. We didn't have them until a few years ago and they may be in a "flock?" of up to 30 or more. I've never seen more that 3-4 turkey buzzards together.

Your problem isn't turkey buzzards, but th black headed vulture. In the air, they appear to have a white stripe on their wings. They peck the eyes out, then the calf won't move, and they actually start eating them alive. We shoot them anytime we can....

we have had turkey buzzards nesting here for 26 + years. they never bother anything alive, just being born etc. They have had plenty of chances. got to be a different bird causing your problems.

They are as others have stated below,black headed turkey vultures,or buzzards.They are a protected species and you are not allowed to shoot them.In Kentucky,our extension office sent a paper to producers to register livestock deaths due to them.I am not sure about shooting them in the act,but I think you can(I would).Mark

Cattleman in my county in NW N.C. lost calves to Black Buzzards a few years ago. Found info below from Ohio.
Buzzard kills

We seldom saw a buzzard years ago. When we did it was a Turkey buzzard....the ones with a head and neck that is red and the texture of a turkey's....hence the name and they are NOT predators. They have a keen sense of smell, even at the altitudes where they soar. They sense the gasses emanating from a decaying carcass.

As of late, last few years, we have been invaded with the Black Buzzard, characterized by a gurgling noise....no larnyx so they can't "speak" just gurgle, gray bald head and neck, stubby square tipped wings with a white stripe on the top out toward the outer end. When flying they flap 4 or 5 times in quick succession and coast, etc, etc, etc. The roam in "wolf packs" and a lot of the time will team up with a turkey (unbeknown to it....since they are usually much higher in altitude) since they can't smell, but have a keen eye.

The turkey senses the prey and comes in for a look doing the usual circling and dropping lower and lower in altitude. When sure it's on the right track, it lights in close proximity to the corpse and proceeds toward it.

The "Mexican" (trade name around here) buzzard soars almost out of human sight in it's pack, but watches the turkey. As the turkey does what I said above, they soar in, land, and overpower the turkey for it's prey; odds are many to one.

When pickins are thin, the Black Buzzard will assume the offensive and WILL kill a newborn calf and if possible render the mother useless if you know what I am referring to. I had a cow freshening in a 30x40 pen and went to town. When I got home about an hour later, i counted 21 black buzzards present. 4 were in the pen on the ground chasing the mother and the rest were sitting on the rails. The idea is for the mother to get excited with the heckling from those on the ground and stomp on the calf, killing it. The buzzards then continue to assault the cow till she, knowing her calf is dead, leaves and the buzzards have their free for all. I quit raising calves because I got tired of having to babysit my calves from birth to two weeks old. I guarantee you these suckers will and do kill calves. Yes they will land out in the pasture near a young calf (while mama is out grazing) and approach it head on. The calf is naturally curious and is easy prey for the pecking of the eyes mentioned in this post elsewhere. Once the eyes are gone the calf becomes disoriented and is easy prey. I have had it happen to me several times.

Yes they are in the vulture family and per the 1917 "tree hugger of the day" edict they are Federally protected. To shoot one in Texas you need to go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife office and obtain a permit......guess how much trouble that is and how long it takes........you guessed it.

They hibernate. Don't know which way they go....maybe South but they disappear for about 6 months then one day back they come whereas the Turkey stays here year round and is a loner usually.

The other bad thing about buzzards is they are the perfect "stealt aircraft". They can be no where in sight, without a sound and next thing you know you have half a dozen homing in on next year's profits!

Sad, Sad, Sad.

Mark

Well, I will have to stand corrected on myth vs. vulture attacks and consider myself more learn-ed! If you guys have seen it then you've seen it.

We must have primarily the turkey vultures in this area although after studying the Google pictures I could almost swear I've seen the black ones before. I'll pay more attention next time I see them around.

If you have any small livestock would be a wise investment in your time. Oh, and they are essentially tailless where the turkey has a very visible tail with long, curved tip wings.

(quoted from post at 06:14:02 07/15/15) Be very careful if it is a turkey buzzard, around here they are a protected species, and cost you your gun, hunting liscence, and a bunch of money. Go figure.

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Yep - 'Shoot, Shovel & Shut up'

Was out mowing pasture this morning around 10 AM. Had a nice Southerly breeze at 10-15. Felt real good. Off in the West I noticed 17 black buzzards in a circle that I estimate was 75 feet in diameter and ranged from 150 to 250' in altitude. All going around lazily in a circle, somewhat semi-evenly divided across the altitude, letting the wind blow then North as they circled. You can take it to the bank that their eyes were peeled for something to eat.

This is one of their real life wolf packs and I guarantee you a lone cow and young calf out in the open don't have any defense against them. Just too many. Course they apparently know that. That's why they hunt in a pack.