encouraging crows???

[Nambroth]

Nambroth, this is an excellent post! I live in a very isolated and rural setting and have used the crows as indicators of of raptor activity for years. I have even seen the crows diving at a bear that was too close to their nest. They can be loud, but in my opinion, that is a good thing. If the crows are screeching there's a very good chance there's something out there you might not want around. I have never had problems with crows in my gardens, bears, moose and deer, never crows.

I have never had crows mess around in my gardens either. Deer, rabbits, and bears are far worse. The only bird that does any damage in my garden are the ones that eat the sunflowers (seeds) that I grow for my chickens, but I don't mind it that much. Other birds in my garden tend to do far more pest control than harm.
I am not suggesting that crows aren't capable of causing garden damage-- they probably do, in some areas, but I just haven't ever experienced it.

Here is a good link to help us understand the relationships between crows and hawks, and crows and falcons.

About the first minute of this video shows a hawk being harassed by just two crows, notice the wing shape, wing diminutions, and the body size difference between the hawk and the falcon. Also look at how hawks want to stay close to the trees and hug the cover, this is because hawks can maneuver through and between branches and trees by virtue of their broad wings with large control surfaces. A hawks' wings generate a lot of lift at relatively slow speeds. In other words, by comparison to the falcon the hawk flies about as well as a hot air balloon. The two crows easily sends the hawk packing. The falcon on the other hand uses a fighter pilot tactic called trading altitude for speed, and speed for altitude.

The final part of the video shows a peregrine falcon harassing about 30 oops... better make that 29 crows.

This is a good point! Crows are not a good deterrent for falcons. Fortunately, falcon predation of chickens is very uncommon unless you live up north where gyrfalcons dwell.

 

[Haunted55]

I have never had crows mess around in my gardens either. Deer, rabbits, and bears are far worse. The only bird that does any damage in my garden are the ones that eat the sunflowers (seeds) that I grow for my chickens, but I don't mind it that much. Other birds in my garden tend to do far more pest control than harm.
I am not suggesting that crows aren't capable of causing garden damage-- they probably do, in some areas, but I just haven't ever experienced it.


This is a good point! Crows are not a good deterrent for falcons. Fortunately, falcon predation of chickens is very uncommon unless you live up north where gyrfalcons dwell.

Welcome to my world, lol. I've only seen them twice in the 27 years I've lived here. I hope I don't start seeing them more. The owls are bad enough.

 

[canesisters]

WOW! Lots of GREAT info.

I know that the flock in my area will harass hawks, I've seen them do it. So IF I decide to try and encourage them, that will be a plus.
Also, I don't know what sort of traveling habits they would normally have within their range, but if I'm outside, I often see them around the pastures just before noon and again late in the afternoon.

Also, as I was working on the coop last summer, I got much more familiar with the sights and sounds than I had been before. Unfortunately, much of my outdoor time HAD been spent with small engines of one sort or another going. But this past summer, with the arrival of the chooks, I've had incentive to get all that done as early as possible so that I could just sit and enjoy.
My crow flock is usually pretty quiet. A few caw-caw's as they fly over or as they wait for the rest of the flock to catch up. A ruckus that is long and loud is almost always a sign that something's up.

As a group, they see them congregate in 2 areas. One is on the far side of the north pasture - where the creek bends and there are a couple of large dead hardwoods. The other is the edge of the south pasture - where there is a small clearing at the top of a hill surrounded on 3 sides by pine / holly and ceder trees. As it works out, my coop/run is just about center between these two. I guess that one of these 2 sites would be the best place to occasionally leave food for them and it sounds like I could leave them any kitchen scraps that I would give to the chickens.

My dogs have a thing against birds soaring over the yard and will bark and chase the buzzards shadows. The coop and the garden (when it gets going) are both inside the yard. It's certainly not fool proof - and only useful when they're outside - but I'm hoping for just a bit of help from the dogs against anything unfriendly inside the yard fence.

I wish that I could cover my run - and maybe one day that will be an option. But for now it's got a crazy web of fishing line and dangling CD's. With that, the dogs, and maybe the volunteer help of the local crows - perhaps my chickens will remain hawk-free.

My neighborhood hawk.....


The crazy web over my run... LOL

 

[haemony]

I like crows. I have flocks of crows in my area who consistently harass and drive away hawks. Although I do not depend on crows as the only line of defense, they are helpful. I encourage them to stick around by leaving out corn, seeds, scraps, and suet cakes. They go crazy for suet cakes. I don't mind the noise of the crows. I'd rather listen to crows than barking dogs or screaming hawks. I find it amusing that it sounds like they are yelling "hawk hawk hawk" when they see one.

 

[Diannastarr]

O GOLLY YES Nambroth THIS IS AN EXCELLENT POST..

.THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR YOUR GREAT ADVICE ,

i cant leave my chicks & eggs unprotected , from not only birds but also snakes i feel Could & do, eat them if given half a chance , ive never had that problem thank goodness, but have never left my chicks and eggs were they can become a target for any predators either, so yes its very important to learn about how nature can actually be of help to us, Ive learned to let nature help me early on and do use nature to help , we have AZ king snakes & wild cats for mice , keeping the skunks away they are both such a help , and my AZ king snakes are worth their weight in gold..! as they have KILLED OFF ALL RATTLE SNAKES WHO EVEN DARE TO COME ON TO OUR LAND, rattlers are sooo dangerous to both people & animals alike , but i also guard my peeps & eggs from both and all other predictors , since you never know...? ive never had a problem but dont want any, sooo I do what feel i should to PROTECT my peeps at any age, but god bless the AZ king snakes , because on both sides of my land my elderly neighbors tell me they see rattlers under their cars in the morning , and we have never seen not even one rattler in 15 YEARS since we bought this place, its soooo much easier to use nature as a helper rather then trying to fend it off all the time , and studying just how nature can actually help us , if we can see big picture for what it really is , we should work with what we have , nature can be a great help , i love crows, and love to hear them, and as a child i use to talk to them and they would talked back.....lol.. they are very inelegant birds, sooo here is one for the helper birds , cat birds jays & magpies and yes crows....!!! they can come here , and i will feed them gladly if they will work & help me for their food...!

plus i also indorse well trained dogs as flock keepers ...!! have a blessed day Dianna

 

[Diannastarr]

great post...! thank you

I love crows to...

have a wonderful blessed day take care Dianna

 

[Phyll'sFarmFamily]

Thanx for all the great suggestions!
The best sight is to see a crow chasing a hawk.

I have had too many of my girls fall prey to hawks.

If you don't want your crows....Please send them my way for a feast of scraps, corn, and suet cakes.