Does anyone know vultures?

[suburban farm girl]

Oh my goodness. That was waaaaay more info than I needed about vultures. (The thought of one throwing up on me is almost enough to make ME throw up !)

Yesterday was cold - well, for our area - as well as overcast. It makes sense that they were soaking up what heat they could - and airing themselves out in the process (ugh).

Good to know they will kill chickens. We don't let ours free range unless we're out with them, but it's good to know who to keep an eye out for. (Does anyone remember the name of that Dr. Seuss book that has the boy looking up, down and sideways for creatures that wanted to get him? Anyway, I feel kinda like that. Imagine how the chickens must feel !)

Thank you all for sharing what you know !

 

[suburban farm girl]

posted same message twice. Oops !

 

[vfem]

Vultures creep me out, I've seen a LOT recently around here. They however are carcus feeders and were going to town on dead deer and squirrel on the side of the road. These birds are too bulky and akward to preform a good kill of there own. BUT they will go after an animal that is sick or wounded that you may have. They only bother if they know they have a fighting chance.

They still gross me out... but they do have amazing immunities to most diseases because they feed on rotten stuff.

 

[Bex]

I think Vultures are cute..

 

[greyfields]

We have a vast number of vultures here. They only eat things which are already dead. They also live/hunt in family packs and some of the 'pods' have 12 or more vultures. They generally are way up in teh air riding the thermals, but they do fly down and land on the fence posts when there is a meal for them. They're my first sign that something's wrong down in my pastures.

They're immense birds up close. I had some mating in my yard last year. It was amazing to watch.

 

[the1much]

i would like to have a couple,,, but MAN dont they STINK

 

[deerman]

Thats one bird I dont want. they do a good job cleaning up road kill. Will not go near a live animal(turkey vultures)

 

[yardbird tx]

My grand mouther new a laddy in East Texas that found one as a chick and raised it up. She said it spent every day in the garden with her. And also walked to the mail box every day with her. She said she had it for years.

 

[ivan3]

Yes, one of our members here rehabbed an injured turkey vulture (actually kept it indoors for a while). Someone might be able to hunt down the thread. They'd put down towels for the puke.

Like to watch them work (they are quick). Three of them finished off a big skunk, half squashed on the double yellows in the space of thirty minutes (nothing left but some black and white fur on the road).

The chooks and turks used to alert to them when they'd fly over the tree tops, now they just look and go on about their business.

 

[pdpatch]

If a turkey vulture can't find any dead animals to feed on they will go after live ones. The will start with small ones and work there way up. With live animals they do start with the eyes usually to stun the animals.

Around here they have gone south, and shortly the Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles will start to show up to take over the main scavaging chores.

The best way to discribe the smell of a nest inside an enclosed area. Go butcher some chickens and put everything left over in a bucket and put that bucket in your living room for a month.

Tom