Crow stealing eggs!

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Agnes the Wonder Chicken

Agnes the Wonder Chicken

In the Brooder
8 Years
Jun 2, 2011
23
1
22
Mims, Florida
All of my chickens roam the yard freely. They are never enclosed however they do have a coop that they lay their eggs in, in their nest boxes. Problem... I have 2 pairs of crows that all work together to steal eggs. I have caught them on the game camera carrying the eggs off in their beaks. They now know the sound of my truck so they fly away as soon as I pull around the corner. I should be getting at least 12 eggs a day and the crows are taking that same amount almost daily. I can't catch the little buggers, they are really smart. Traps won't work because we have an enormous squirrel population. Does anyone have ANY ideas as to how to make the crows go away?
 
I'll be watching this thread because I've got a problem with Blue Jays right now. I even have a indoor outdoor carpet 'curtain' over the chickens little access door.
 
A rubber snake sometimes works for Jays and Mockingbirds. However, you need to put it off of the ground or the chickens will try to tear it up, at least mine do, they hate snakes and kill everyone they see.
 
Crows are very intelligent. My suggestion is an enclosed run to keep the crows out. It's possible you can get a pop door for the coop and train the chickens how to use it but the crows might figure it out also.
 
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I agree. I had to re-do my entire chicken house to keep them out. My turkeys also ran them away with a good karate kid kick and Mike Tyson slap in the face. The last time I saw the egg stealing crows was the last fight that they lost with my renegade turkeys.
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If I lived closer to you, I could let you borrow my turkeys for few days.
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Sounds like you may have to redesign the coop entrance and your laying boxes.
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Love the kung fu turkey idea!
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Maybe design a very soft opening door that your chickens can push thru with a different exit point, with another one way operating soft door? Or maybe something similar to a fishtrap design with wire fingers to prevent going thru the wrong way?

If the one way door works and stops the crows great, if not let them figure it out and go back to stealing eggs, then block off the exit and trap them in the coop.

Or you may have to set out some poisoned eggs in a easy irresistable spot where the chickens cannot get to them, if thats legal in your area, and let them steal and eat those.

Or be sneekier than them and have someone leave on schedule from the house in your truck and you ambush them (SSS)
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Just some random ideas. Just keep in mind, those birds are not going to stop and a opposible thumb must win! Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the ideas. From my research it is legal to kill crows in Florida, not so in many other states so beware in places like New Mexico and on migration routes. I just read another idea on a farm forum. For those of you who also suffer from this, a farmer said that to avoid crows from stealing seed while planting, they do the following: soak corn kernels overnight in water, while swollen, poke a hole in the kernel, thread horse hair through the hole, let dry. Lock the chickens in the coop for a few days, throw out the hairy corn and let the crows eat it. The crows cannot swallow the horse hair and it gets stuck in their crop. Apparently, crows cannot fly while they are trying to swallow. Net them (or whatever) to get rid of them. I think I might try this. Pretty ingenious, leave it to the old ways to solve problems. I will try it this weekend and post the results. Thanks again for the input.
 
Quote:
Wonder if running a fishook thru the corn kernel would work and simply tie off the other end of the string. if the hair would ground them, then the hook would hold them and the fishline would anchor them. Seen a lot of seagulls hung up that way (my wife rescued the last one, wouldn't let me shoot it, and when released, it took off, swung around and crapped all over the tent. Some grateful bird!)
 

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