Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

A cooperative program to control European starling damage in feedlots in California has been developed among the CA Department of Agriculture, the county agricultural commissioners, the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, and the University of California. Pilot starling control programs using avicides began in winter 1963-64. A description of a developing bait program is given, using DRC-1339-treated grain or raisin baits, exposed in V-troughs mounted on cages containing live starling decoys or on the ground adjacent to a pond. When cold nights limited decoy survival, baits were exposed near mangers, positioned so that starlings were exposed to baits as they first entered the feed bunkers. Baiting strategies and starling behavior in relation to baits are described and discussed. At one feed lot, calculations estimated that well over 5 million starlings were killed by baiting operations.