What is going on?!

[Carrosaur]

I walked outside this morning and my entire yard was INFESTED with vultures. We get a few here and there but I sat out there and counted 42 of those ugly things. I sent Moose out to scare them away, and when they left I found Berry, my oldest Pomeranian, dead on the ground. None of the vultures were even near him, everywhere but him, actually. It looked like he was just sleeping but when I walked over to him I realized he was dead. That's two geese in the last month I walked outside and they were just laying there dead like they were sleeping.

I have this really gross, gnawing feeling that the vultures are eating the goose's food I put out every day and starving my birds.

Does anyone have a solution to vultures? I think they know what the food looks like and whenever I go inside they swarm it, I don't think my geese have been eating at all. I solved my predator problem, but now scavengers? It's like a whole different game.


**Title edited by Staff**

 

[torilovessmiles]

So sorry about your goose!
I don't have geese, but did your goose feel skinny? If not, it probably didn't starve to death. Have you actually seen the vultures eat the food? It could just be that your yard and your yard's trees are their roosting spot. Those things sometimes roost together by the hundreds!
Is it possible to do a necropsy to determine the cause of death? The vultures may be unrelated, or they could even be carrying disease. There's no telling for sure until the animal's body is examined..

 

[Carrosaur]

So sorry about your goose!
I don't have geese, but did your goose feel skinny? If not, it probably didn't starve to death. Have you actually seen the vultures eat the food? It could just be that your yard and your yard's trees are their roosting spot. Those things sometimes roost together by the hundreds!
Is it possible to do a necropsy to determine the cause of death? The vultures may be unrelated, or they could even be carrying disease. There's no telling for sure until the animal's body is examined..

I've seen them eat it before, yes, they always knock it over, too. I have a reallllly old post of when the vultures first came into my yard. They only started coming after I got geese and always had food and fresh water out.

The goose definitely did not feel "right". I don't really know what a skinny goose would feel like.

I brought food out today after cleaning up the body and since I was standing out there the vultures didn't come down and my geese devoured as much as they could. I'm beyond mad.

 

[torilovessmiles]

I've seen them eat it before, yes, they always knock it over, too. I have a reallllly old post of when the vultures first came into my yard. They only started coming after I got geese and always had food and fresh water out.

The goose definitely did not feel "right". I don't really know what a skinny goose would feel like.

I brought food out today after cleaning up the body and since I was standing out there the vultures didn't come down and my geese devoured as much as they could. I'm beyond mad.

If necropsy is an option, by any chance, I think I would have one done. I would be more worried about the possible diseases that the vultures could be carriers of. Either way, they've gotta go!
I'm pretty sure vultures are illegal to kill pretty much everywhere, them being so vital to our ecosystem. I assume Moose is your dog? Can Moose stay out while the geese are eating? Maybe you could find a way to make the food unappealing to vultures, like feeding the geese in a lean-to or maybe even in a covered pen. If you remove the food source, and have a predator on your property (your dog) then the vultures may find your property less vulture-friendly and find something else to bother!

 

[EvenLater]

Is there anything vultures are scared of? Like I know for hawks, you can put up fake owls and that helps detour them, or shiny things, because they don't like the reflections. I wonder if vultures fear anything like that? I'm so sorry about your Pom

Hopefully he went peacefully.

 

[Carrosaur]

If necropsy is an option, by any chance, I think I would have one done. I would be more worried about the possible diseases that the vultures could be carriers of. Either way, they've gotta go!
I'm pretty sure vultures are illegal to kill pretty much everywhere, them being so vital to our ecosystem. I assume Moose is your dog? Can Moose stay out while the geese are eating? Maybe you could find a way to make the food unappealing to vultures, like feeding the geese in a lean-to or maybe even in a covered pen. If you remove the food source, and have a predator on your property (your dog) then the vultures may find your property less vulture-friendly and find something else to bother!

Yes Moose is my dog. He could stay out with him but he's eight months old, so I don't fully trust his guarding instinct/ability to differentiate between vultures and geese.

The geese sleep up on the covered deck at night but I don't know if they could climb up the stairs by themselves to get their food, I could make a cover for them out in the yard I guess, 3 walls and one open side probably.

I don't know where I would get a necropsy done around here, a college?

 

[Carrosaur]

Is there anything vultures are scared of? Like I know for hawks, you can put up fake owls and that helps detour them, or shiny things, because they don't like the reflections. I wonder if vultures fear anything like that? I'm so sorry about your Pom

Hopefully he went peacefully.

I didn't think about that, and ill look into it!

He was such a beautiful bird, he looked just like he was sleeping, hopefully it happened last night while they were asleep.

 

[torilovessmiles]

Yes Moose is my dog. He could stay out with him but he's eight months old, so I don't fully trust his guarding instinct/ability to differentiate between vultures and geese.

The geese sleep up on the covered deck at night but I don't know if they could climb up the stairs by themselves to get their food, I could make a cover for them out in the yard I guess, 3 walls and one open side probably.

I don't know where I would get a necropsy done around here, a college?

Perhaps, but a vet could also do it. You may have to pay for it, but if there's a possibility that the vultures gave the birds in your flock a disease, it may be worth it. However, you could wait to see if it happens again once the vultures are gone.
I think a three-walls open side shelter would work, since they won't be able to see it from the air. Maybe some aluminum pie plates and plastic bags tied around your yard could also deter them from entering your yard! For some reason, birds really don't like plastic bags.

 

[Carrosaur]

Perhaps, but a vet could also do it. You may have to pay for it, but if there's a possibility that the vultures gave the birds in your flock a disease, it may be worth it. However, you could wait to see if it happens again once the vultures are gone.
I think a three-walls open side shelter would work, since they won't be able to see it from the air. Maybe some aluminum pie plates and plastic bags tied around your yard could also deter them from entering your yard! For some reason, birds really don't like plastic bags.

My geese hate plastic bags! So funny, will have to try all of this.

 

[313759]

Well it kind of depends on how you are feeding the geese. Are you just scattering the feed or putting it in a designated place suck as a feeder? Also if you want to keep the vultures away from the feed take a plastic barrel and turn it on its side without a top. Put the feeder inside the barrel so the vultures won't be able to find it as easily. But the geese could eat happily, and plus you could leave the feed out when it's raining because it won't get wet thanks to the barrel.