My home has become 'Crow Central' Why?

Anyone know anything about Crows? The black-feathered kind, not the noise made by rooster kind.

For a couple of years now, I have a small flock of 5 bantam girls, not much bigger than a Crow and in some cases, because of age, smaller.

I live in suburbia. There have always been a few Crows here and there but one or two, no trouble really except for the fact that they make noises that remind me of the movie Predator and I look up expecting to see a 'shimmering' figure lurking in the trees!

I have always been extra cautious with the chicks when they are tiny because I would not put it past a Crow to take one.

Anyway, the past couple of weeks, working away at my desk, I look out the window and have counted up to 15 Crows hanging around on my front lawn. No one else's lawn, just mine! They are in the trees out the front, in the back garden, drinking from the fish ponds .. they are noisy, annoying, damaging the trees and scaring my bantams!

My girls supervise free range every afternoon and longer on the weekends but their feeding is always done in the covered run so no food laying around attracting the Crows.

Why me? What am I doing to attract these noisy evil looking creatures? I am looking out the window now, getting the feeling I am soon to be the lead in the remake of Birds!!

Any thoughts on how I can get them to move on? Remembering that I live in suburbia and have neighbours to consider and local laws to comply with. Also, anything that I do to scare them is probably going to scare my girls also?

Anyone know if the numbers are just going to increase or maybe I am just a vacation spot and they might move on?

Crows should not hurt your girls. In fact, they are an awesome hawk/owl deterrent! We welcome them to hang near the chickens. They are a natural enemy of hawks. Crows are pretty efficient scavengers and are not equipped to hunt anything larger than maybe a rat/mouse or small snake (and even then it is rare). Your girls will get used to them soon enough!

Like Chickerdoodle, we get lots of visiting crows. They like the water, and the leftovers the chickens get. They never attack anybody, so we let them stick around.

In exchange, they occasionally chase off hawks (even eagles!) for us.

Thank you both for your thoughts

OK, maybe I am being a little harsh on my new house guests and I will try and be more accommodating. I have not seen any Hawks around here but if they are going to chase them off; I will learn to live with them.

I will add though, this morning, when I looked out the window there was something in the driveway and when I went to check it out, it was a meaty spinal disc of some large animal, maybe a cow or sheep. I believe they have stolen one of the neighbour's dogs bones!

Or, is it a warning?! lol Cue the 'Birds' soundtrack!

If I should 'disappear' hopefully someone will find this thread and it could be a starting point for the investigation

Only 7 of them in this shot; the rest were in the trees, planning the attack! lol

Maybe your crows truly are evil. There certainly are a lot, looks like, and that does sound like an ominous sign.
Ours seem to like flying up on top of the chicken house to eat the things they find... pretty sure there was a catfood can up there one time. We don't have cats.

*Chuckling*
Princess Amri, isn't a flock of Crows called a 'murder'; appropriate I am thinking!

Yep, I counted 16 this morning, one more than yesterday!

I have two inside cats who love to talk to the Doves through the screens; not so much the Crows! My little cat, Chimee, runs and hides when the Crows spot her.

I am thinking it is time to start boarding up the windows!

Why yes, I believe it is a "murder of crows". I wish you the best of luck, in your life.

You shouldn't put it past a crow to try and eat young chicks, ducklings, keets, etc. There is a youtube video to prove it. Two crows were trying to steal a mallard hens ducklings. I live in Ca. So I have lots of western scrub jays and a few crows. The crows do scare off the hawks, I have seen it many times but the hawks and kestrels just keep coming. The scrub jays are a nuisance for me. They try and break into my quail pen and even attempted to steal my guinea keets. Seriously, they lifted the keet up and off the ground about 2 feet before dropping him because he was too heavy.
I would suggest investing in a large tom cat. I have three cats and the scrub jays are very hesitant now to come. My cats are afraid of the poultry because my guinea cock chases them but they still go after the birds. My largest cat (big boned not fat) is 11 pounds and very long. He hunts the crows as well. My fattest cat is 15 pounds. He just has a giant belly but is rather small. He also hunts the birds. Your cat doesn't have to be indoors if you are worried he might bring fleas in to your two indoor cats. Just make sure he has shelter. If you do not want another cat I would get a medium sized dog. Trained dogs will leave your chickens alone but go after the crows. Of course if the crows are not bothering you you do not have to do any of that.
Good Luck.

Thank you for your thoughts GuineaFowling

Wow, your Scrub Jays sound determined and very lucky your keet was too heavy for them

I like your suggestions regarding the Tom Cat and dog. Unfortunately, we rent and I do not want to push my luck with the Landlord any more than I have in that they are happy for the cats to be inside cats and seem to love the chickens. I love dogs and still have not got over losing my beautiful companion of 13 years but we really could not afford another mouth to feed and more Vet's bills etc. As I said, good ideas and if I could, I would certainly be considering them.

I believe I am going to have to learn to live with my new feathered fiends (yep, fiends, not friends); maybe if I accept them they may back off on the intimidation tactics

Having said that, they are outside right now talking to each other. One in the tree has something recently deceased in it's beak but I cannot quite see what it is.

I do not think this tale is at an end just yet and will wait to see what the Murder of Crows has in store for me next!

With baby chicks around you really do have to be cautious. My dad had a young pigeon that he had hand fed due to it's parent's abandoning it at a young age. One day he had it in an exercise pen along with other young pigeons and crows flew down and killed it and started to feed on it.