A question on crows.

[mirecipes]

From what I've heard, the crows keep the hawks away..
We had one hawk attack over a year ago..(I patched the hen up and she now lays lots of eggs

We now have crows..Whenever I do see a hawk, they don't stick around long

 

[Over Easy in Adna]

Washington State:

Crow
Statewide
Oct. 1, 2008 - Jan. 31, 2009
(Crows in the act of depredation may be taken at any time.)
no limit

Taken from Washington Fish and Wildlife page.

 

[bluey]

Do NOT kill crows!!!

Sure, they'll eat some chicken feed, but they are WONDERFUL at harrassing chicken eating birds of prey away from your property!

I love crows and treat them like gold! I find them to be one of the few legal methods of keeping my birds safe from an aerial attack!

 

[Gazinga]

Crows are beneficial! Dont kill them, welcome them! Ill let teh crows eat all teh feed they want! they have never been anything but beneficial to me and my flock. And like others here have stated, my chooks have learn to live together with the crows, htey are freindly neighbors as we should be with them.

 

[KattyKillFish]

if they are larger black birds they may not be crows, they might be Ravens which are a bit tougher to deter. although crows are smart, ravens ar smarter by far and alot stronger too. i would put some netting over the fence just to be sure. whatever they are i hope they leave your birds alone! also, don't kill them werther they are ravens or crows they are very good for the environment and such. i feed the ravens good and they stay away from the chickens. i will scare them away if i find them near to coop so i think they know they won't get leftover pizza or fresh oatmeal if they touch the birds. they are excellent learners too.

 

[Judy]

Around here, the crows chase the hawks away. It has been discussed at length on BYC that obtaining a permit to kill hawks or owls is difficult and expensive.

Some people have had success with deterring hawks with shiny objects that reflect the light back at them: old CD's mounted flat so they can move in the breeze, aluminum pie plates, plastic shiny whirly things, etc., even a blow-up owl. Of course a covered run is more secure but not feasible for many. Some string strings or fishing line from post to post to make a swoop type of kill difficult.

 

[KattyKillFish]

i think that's funny because it would attract ravens crows magpies and jays. but it works in keeping the hawks away.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

 

[Aero]

ravens work with other species and will call out to wolves when they spot prey for the pack. Then they sit around and wait for leftovers. Might work with cyotes too though havent heard of that.

 

[silkiechicken]

Be careful with crows and chicks. At least in the Seattle area, a brooder with chicks or a wire dog crate with chicks can be a "fun" game to crows who chase them back and fourth and pull them out to eat if they get too close to the edge. But city "wildlife" is often much different than rural wildlife.