Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Anniebee]

A big

to Poppets Pekins .... and best of good luck with your breeding programme.

Cheers -

Anniebee.

 

[V1cky]

Got two more girls today (I know I shouldn't have lol)
First I thought they were polish but I'm thinking houdan now because they have 5 toes.
Does anyone know how else to tell the breeds apart other than their toes count?

 

[appps]

Hey appps yep, that is my worse nightmare!  I am concerned that they are thinking of nesting and then not only will I have to put up with their noise, I will have to put up with them protecting their babies and of course, the subsequent increase in numbers who think here is a good place to live 

Good thinking, even though they are not being scared off, I will continue with the CD in the hopes it might make them think twice about raising little ones.

I went to pick my son up from the train station (5 mins away) yesterday and as I was sitting in the car waiting, there was a house across the road with plastic bags tied to numerous branches of their trees and large numbers of CD’s and other reflective material … I couldn’t help but think, welcome to my world!  I also felt a sense of companionship in that at least I am not the only one they appear to be driving insane! 

Lol. Suspect you are having more luck than them. Got a photo of a magpie sitting next to the plastic bag I tied to my clothesline to stop them pooping on it. They didn't bother them in the slightest

Or maybe that's where your crows moved to.......lol

 

[Teila]

Good morning friends

Hey Fancy .. I hear ya! If you remember, I was woken at 3am by hubby’s cat howling in the hallway when hubby was away. We should have a written rule that if you go away you take your obsessed pet with you!!

Congrats to your daughter, that is great news and I bet, being in her element, does not even feel like work. How nice to be getting paid for doing something you love so much; wish I could say the same for IT

Thanks everyone for the suggestions on the Bambrook Crow Invasion

The CD appears to have worked again and I am back to just the determined two, one of which woke me up this morning and is now sitting in the front tree cawing, interestingly it is not being answered.

I will continue to play the CD today.

I have thought about the plastic owls, hawks etc but with these guys I am not sure they will work. I have tried Chinese lanterns, windmills, CD’s hanging around the place but they get used to them within minutes; even the whirly wind with large eyes that I hung from their favourite branch only kept them away for 30mins or so.

Anniebee I do believe that it is the fish ponds (water source) and chance of stealing the gals’ feed that is keeping them here. I do not leave any food where they can easily steal it but they grab any opportunity they can, when the run door is open etc. It doesn’t help that the back neighbour throws honey covered bread to the Rosellas every afternoon and the Crows steal it. The other afternoon, one of the Crows was flapping against her kitchen window asking to be fed. But, I have not seen her feed them of late and she did mention that they are annoying her also so hopefully she has given up this habit.

I do not have a dog (now) and the cats and chickens would probably not be very happy if I thought about getting one. Also, with working, the existing pet demands etc I do not think it would be fair of me to get a dog as my time is pretty much taken up with existing demands and the dog would maybe not get the attention it deserves.

Anyways, I do appreciate all the help and advice and suggestions are definitely being given consideration.

Just wanted to share: there is a house just down the road from us that has two plastic owls on top of their TV antenna … it was funny to see two birds sitting on each of the owls head when I was walking past the other day

 

[Kleonaptra]

Have been most interested in your efforts with the crows Teila. 

Don't give up - crows are extraordinarily clever birds ... but they do have their limits.   A video I posted here previously, shows the ability of a crow to work out a complicated 8 step problem in order to gain the reward of food.   Will repeat that link here :  [COLOR=333333]  [/COLOR][COLOR=B42000]http://fb-192.dailymegabyte.com/wild-crow-shows-incredible-intelligence-during-complex-test/[/COLOR]   .... scroll down about half way, and the video will show up after some seconds.   

............

To go with the owl sounds on the new CD, you might like to dot 2 or 3 of those big plastic owls from Bunnings around the house.  That might put them off further.  They don't like owls.  Do not let the crows see you handling the owls --- place them around at night time, with much stealth and secrecy.   

Do  you have a dog ? .... they are put off by dogs ( until they work out how to get to what they want - usually food - around a dog ).  We, and most of our neighbours have dogs, and we don't have crow problems.  Although am not saying for certain, that is the reason.   

Is there anything in your garden, surrounds - that is of great interest to crows in particular.   You would have to look up some info. specifically on that.   I have been reading a bit about them, and they will hang around if there is something in or around your home that is of super importance to them.   e.g. ( just a thought ) do you have open spreadable compost ?   

Have a friend who talks to crows - AND they listen to him.   ... They will imprint on anyone who is kind to them.   They also will learn to obey ( would you believe ) .. ... and I think I might try talking to them, telling them hush, or shut the whats'its up, or whatever you think they might respond to.  
NO - I AM NOT MAD !  ( but probably getting there somewhat !!  ).  

I do think you need to learn a lot about what you are dealing with.   ... study them if you can ( internet, and their behaviour ).   The cawing ( apparently ) is quite distinctive and is their way of communicating with one another on ' things wot matter'.   I would definitely look for what is attracting them to quite specifically your trees / home.  

You might not like to do it, but cutting down their 'special ' tree, is another solution - or at least lopping it considerably.

We have a pair of mynahs who sit and talk incessantly ( to my chickens ) during the day, but come the time I am out giving the girls scratch mix, or vegetables / rice mix etc., they are there - along with the family flock of rosellas' all just waiting to eat with my chickens.    The mynahs hop into the coop to feed from the chicken pellets when I am not outside !!!    Then the cockies turn up - 30 > 40 of them - which frightens my chooks.   So I sprinkle some BOSS around out the front, or on the pavers at the back.   Everyone then is happy.   It's party time !!   The chickens come back out to finish their scratch or whatever, the rosellas party with Mindy, and the mynahs do their thing.  A pair of lace-neck doves also join in.  If too many turn up to party, Mindy chases the mynahs away.   

Not that all that has anything to do with crows.   Just an example of how birds seem to ' know '  somehow, when there's food around / what time it is fed, and if THEY know, then for sure the crows KNOW and are after something that is very very attractive to them at your place.  

Finally, a pest controller ( although they are prohibited from damaging these birds ) might have some weird and wonderful ways of dis-attracting them.  ....

Good suggestion too, from Fancy - about the strips of plastic .... anything that moves with the wind, might be a deterrent, especially in their 'special' trees.  ??  



Good luck.... and cheers - 

Lovely post. Brightened my morning! Sounds like my place. I have suggested training them.. I know its easy for me because I love them, but they are very trainable

 

[Teila]

Just wanted to add .. I also appreciate the suggestions on feeding and training them but to be brutally honest and maybe obsessed, I do not want them here. I may be stubborn but I am not going to give into their demands and I would not be feeding them because I wanted to but because I had to, no fun in that.

I guess it could be likened to trying to convince someone who does not like or want to own a cat that they need to feed and keep a cat that has wandered onto their property.

Or trying to talk someone who does not like snakes into getting one as a pet.

As I have suggested in the past; I believe encouraging them is just going to increase numbers and unless I can train them to caw softly, not going to happen.

I also used to have a bird feeder in the tree for the Rosellas and 6 or 7 would come down every afternoon … 6 or 7 Rosellas then turned into 6 or 7 Rosellas with 30 odd accompanying Turtle Doves!

Having experienced a mite infestation from a visiting bush turkey, I am not going to encourage high numbers of parasite and disease carrying wild birds into close proximity of the gals; I only live on a small, residential block.

I actually love birds of the non cawing type and enjoy watching them splash around in the upper pond etc. Any birds that visit per chance are welcome and definitely would not be harmed but I am not going to send out an open invitation to the masses.

There is a house a short way from here that feeds the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos every afternoon and around 4pm 100-150 cockatoos fly over on their way to be fed .. I have seen them feeding on the front lawn of this house and have wondered just how much it is costing the homeowner to feed them all every afternoon…while I am sure they get enjoyment out of it, it must be draining on the purse strings and again, might get to the point where you are feeding them because you have to, not because you want to.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Just wanted to add .. I also appreciate the suggestions on feeding and training them but to be brutally honest and maybe obsessed, I do not want them here.  I may be stubborn but I am not going to give into their demands and I would not be feeding them because I wanted to but because I had to, no fun in that.

I guess it could be likened to trying to convince someone who does not like or want to own a cat that they need to feed and keep a cat that has wandered onto their property.

Or trying to talk someone who does not like snakes into getting one as a pet.

As I have suggested in the past; I believe encouraging them is just going to increase numbers and unless I can train them to caw softly, not going to happen. 

I also used to have a bird feeder in the tree for the Rosellas and 6 or 7 would come down every afternoon … 6 or 7 Rosellas then turned into 6 or 7 Rosellas with 30 odd accompanying Turtle Doves!

Having experienced a mite infestation from a visiting bush turkey, I am not going to encourage high numbers of parasite and disease carrying wild birds into close proximity of the gals; I only live on a small, residential block.

I actually love birds of the non cawing type and enjoy watching them splash around in the upper pond etc.  Any birds that visit per chance are welcome and definitely would not be harmed but I am not going to send out an open invitation to the masses.

There is a house a short way from here that feeds the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos every afternoon and around 4pm 100-150 cockatoos fly over on their way to be fed .. I have seen them feeding on the front lawn of this house and have wondered just how much it is costing the homeowner to feed them all every afternoon…while I am sure they get enjoyment out of it, it must be draining on the purse strings and again, might get to the point where you are feeding them because you have to, not because you want to.

Healthy wild birds will not have lice or diseases. If you have encountered one, you were very unlucky. I've been in animal rescue for years, the only birds I've picked up that had lice died within days. The lice infestation is usually signal of a deeper problem.

I know you don't want them there. I get that. I'm just saying if you have no choice, controlling their behaviour is better than being victim to it. They can be taught not to caw at all, unless its feed time, at the feeding spot. I only have one now who does the 'collections' for the larger group and we are on very good terms.

Fyi, they like shiny things. I imagine they just look at themselves in the cds?

If you really don't want to interact, at least observe. You will be able to control their behaviour if you understand their needs.

 

[Teila]

Hey Kleonaptra for the sake of others in the thread, we should probably agree to disagree

If I can though, I will close with some research I have done (as I mentioned, I have spent countless hours researching these unwanted visitors) and I have encountered similar reports to the below on many, many expert blogs/threads etc:

Crows & Shiny Objects: This is an extremely common myth, but it’s just that, a myth. (And I’ve seen way too many “official” websites state this myth like it’s fact, so don’t feel bad for believing it!) The thing is, stories about crows collecting shiny things are anecdotal, and not observed by people who watch crows constantly and study them.
There’s a couple of reasons why people might think crows like and collect shiny objects and continue to pass along the myth. First, young crows are very curious about everything. They play with all sorts of objects they find in nature, and chances are if something is glinting they may me more likely to explore that object (just like how you might notice something glinting in the grass and investigate it), than something that blends in to the background. As I talked about in a previous post, juvenile crows are the same size and, to the untrained eye, look just like adult crows, therefore people may be attributing a juvenile play behavior to all age groups, accidentally. Are they particularly attracted to shiny objects, or obsessed with them? Highly unlikely, they may just be more likely to find them because they are easier to see/attract attention easier (welcome to why advertisers use shiny and bright things on other humans to attract their attention). Honestly, adult crows are more likely to be terrified of brightly colored or shiny objects unless heavily associated with food on multiple occasions. The reflecting light when they are flying in to roost etc can spook them. If they do take something shiny, like your car keys etc; chances are they are just taking them somewhere more secure to explore if they have any food benefits.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I would also like to add that wild birds healhy or not , do carry lice. When a bird is sick or dying, if it has lice , they will come to the surface and leave the host as the body temperature drops.

 

[IamSamSam]

Three happy baby Maran and one fighting.
It hatched too early and quick zipped.