painting silage bales/keeping crows off bale

Muckit

I remember there was great go on drawing big X's on bales here years ago. Don't do it now.

Does anyone still do it?

Viewtodiefor

Muckit wrote: »

I remember there was great go on drawing big X's on bales here years ago. Don't do it now.

Does anyone still do it?

The crows copped on to the stationary drawings so doesn't work anymore! Clever feckers :-)

Greengrass1

Friend puts grease on his says it works well

simx

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Friend puts grease on his says it works well

used to paint them years ago and was waste of paint, started using grease then and never looked back, is a great job IMO

Reggie.

simx wrote: »

used to paint them years ago and was waste of paint, started using grease then and never looked back, is a great job IMO

What does that do. Pass off the crows

RightTurnClyde

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Friend puts grease on his says it works well

Was at a Volac talk one day, and the subject of grease came up. The tech guy said no way to grease thing. His thinking was that the grease would soften the plastic making it permimable to air. Grease and plastic are both petrochemicals so they would react with each other. He gave the example of using diesel to dissolve grease, he said grease has the same effect on plastic.

Greengrass1

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

Was at a Volac talk one day, and the subject of grease came up. The tech guy said no way to grease thing. His thinking was that the grease would soften the plastic making it permimable to air. Grease and plastic are both petrochemicals so they would react with each other. He gave the example of using diesel to dissolve grease, he said grease has the same effect on plastic.

Did he reckomend any thing you could do?

_Brian

We do nothing and have seen no increase in damaged bales..
The only time I find bales vournable is in the field after baling, crows will land on them there.. But once in the yard they don't bother..

Panch18

Muckit wrote: »

I remember there was great go on drawing big X's on bales here years ago. Don't do it now.

Does anyone still do it?

Yep do X's and O's on all the outside bales here

Defo works for us as 2 years ago it hammered rain straight after the paint washin it off and the bales were riddled by the crows

Pacoa

Painting is the old way of protecting bales.

This is the new method

NSFW

Deepsouthwest

Pacoa wrote: »

Painting is the old way of protecting bales.

This is the new method

NSFW

U must've misread the ops first post, he's trying to keep "birds" off his bales!!!

Zr105

Think it makes no difference to be honest, didnt bother painting at home last year and very few holes, painted ones in work over the road and bales were riddled the only thing we did paint at home was to mark 2 different batches of bales so we'd know what was what!

I said

Always paint them never touched didn't do one field last year had a pain in me hole putting tape on them.So yeah it does make a difference,when there stacked birds seem to leave them alone for whatever reason

A cow called Daisy

Pacoa wrote: »

Painting is the old way of protecting bales.

This is the new method

NSFW

They seem to be well made bales:)

And it doesn't look like any of tbem have sagged yet:D

milkprofit

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

U must've misread the ops first post, he's trying to keep "birds" off his bales!!!

A bird in the bush is worth 2 on the bale

solorpower

Any one have a good tip to keep crows off baled?
i personally think white paint is a waste of time..
would greese do the trick?

ganmo

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=400

This worked for us last year. needs a bit of a breeze though

Damo810

solorpower

ganmo wrote: »

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=400

This worked for us last year. needs a bit of a breeze though

Did you order it online

Damo810

Quite a few lads I know just stick some tires over the top of the bales and then put a net over them, keeps the crows off the bales and is relatively cheap.

ganmo

Think I picked it up at the ploughing €15

Farmer

Paint eyes on them. They think it's a predator. I think teagasc did some research on it a few years ago and it was somewhat more successful than Xs or even "f*** off crows"

http://m.independent.ie/business/farming/baled-silage-and-an-exercise-in-damage-limitation-26115863.html

mf240

Contrator puts one roll of white and one roll of black in the fusion and it gives stiped bales. Crows dont go near them.

KatyMac

keeps the bloody cats off as well!

Farrell

KatyMac wrote: »

keeps the bloody cats off as well!

Agree

Muckit

ganmo wrote: »

http://www.brinsea.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=400

This worked for us last year. needs a bit of a breeze though

There's another one that's a kite that looks like a bird of prey. It soars around on a string. Seen it in a co-op near here set up beside the feed store.

Mad4simmental

Contractor used a green wrap here this year. He said the baileys don't heat as much and are better quality. No birds yet (touch wood)

Kovu

Always painted eyes on ours, recently some cassette tape around t to make the whistlng noise.

Rats are kept away by the cats, usually clip the nails slightly at this time of year on them too.

A cow called Daisy

.Kovu. wrote: »

Always painted eyes on ours, recently some cassette tape around t to make the whistlng noise.

Rats are kept away by the cats, usually clip the nails slightly at this time of year on them too.

Never saw any need to clip the rats nails here:)

Seriously though, how is your ankle

_Brian

.Kovu. wrote: »

Always painted eyes on ours, recently some cassette tape around t to make the whistlng noise.

Rats are kept away by the cats, usually clip the nails slightly at this time of year on them too.

The tape from old VHS tapes is good as it makes noise and reflects light too. Funny that CD's are also effective.

Sam Kade

A cow called Daisy wrote: »

They seem to be well made bales:)

And it doesn't look like any of tbem have sagged yet:D

What bales

ganmo

Muckit wrote: »

There's another one that's a kite that looks like a bird of prey. It soars around on a string. Seen it in a co-op near here set up beside the feed store.

They're about €300

Sam Kade

A few years ago I was drawing wrapped bales and had about 20 left in the field. I went in for tea and by the time I got back to the field the crows had them ripped :mad: I taped them up and that job turned out to be a waste of time as they never seem to seal properly with tape. Only job in that situation is to rewrap them. I tried grease last year but it didn't deter them.

Mad4simmental

Boss man allways said you have to get them in off the field b4 the crows get them of they'll be fcked. Got the last bale in as the wraper dropped it this year as there wer a few of us drawing in. Not a pick yet. (Touch wood)

Sam Kade

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Boss man allways said you have to get them in off the field b4 the crows get them of they'll be fcked. Got the last bale in as the wraper dropped it this year as there wer a few of us drawing in. Not a pick yet. (Touch wood)

Yeah the only way to do it I only wrap what I can draw this year. Even when I am loading the crows are lying in wait to attack.

Green farmer

Any update about how to keep the crows away from round silage bales ? Just after patching bales. Was thinking of making up a bit of scaffolding abit higher then bales, so they might land there instead of bales ?

Username John

Green farmer wrote: »

Any update about how to keep the crows away from round silage bales ? Just after patching bales. Was thinking of making up a bit of scaffolding abit higher then bales, so they might land there instead of bales ?

When we were young (years ago) to keep the crows away from spuds, we used to catch one, kill it and hang it up visible for the others.
Anyone else do this?
(I imagine its not illegal, as long as the crow is killed humanely?)

Now - I dunno how you feel about that, or how visible your farmyard is (some people might not like the look of a dead crow hanging up)

Birdnuts

Username John wrote: »

When we were young (years ago) to keep the crows away from spuds, we used to catch one, kill it and hang it up visible for the others.
Anyone else do this?
(I imagine its not illegal, as long as the crow is killed humanely?)

Crows can be legally shot or cage trapped at any time of year if they are causing damage. I hang up shot crows in my own sheds and it works reasonably well.

Green farmer

Might try something like that . Would the tear marks from a crows claws destroy a bale ?

Genghis Cant

Green farmer wrote: »

. Would the tear marks from a crows claws destroy a bale ?

If they break the plastic and allow air in either by tearing with their beak or feet, the bale will suffer. Sometimes you'll see the crows muddy footprints on the bales but just footprints. If there are tears you may mend them and try to keep the crows away.