are crows a threat?

[missychicky]

I just moved and I have noticed there are a lot of crows in my new area. Is that bad? Are crows a threat to chickens?

 

[Kedreeva]

They shouldn't be, crows are typically scavengers not hunters. They may come down if you leave newborns unattended, but who doesn't like a chicken nugget snack? They might also want to snack on what you're feeding the chickens. If you notice them getting too friendly with your birds and you don't like it, you can always invest in a BB gun and make sure it's not a problem. They have a nice long hunting season.

 

[WV_Hillbilly70]

I love having them around...they keep the hawks at bay and I have never had a crow bother my chooks...

 

[kelar]

I agree that a crow might attack a chick since they are scavengers, but we encourage our crows because they drive off hawks and other raptors. They've never bothered our adult birds. Since hawks and crows are natural enemies, they tend to act as a great early warning system. They will also alarm (very loudly I may add) when other predators are near.

 

[Renee']

They don't bother my chickens but they were stealing eggs. I ended up rigging the coop door "closed" to where the chickens had to jump up on a bucket and squeeze through to get into the coop to lay their eggs. The crows were too "chicken" to hop on the bucket and squeeze through the opening to go in and steal eggs.