crows and hawks

[sourland]

Birds even learn to speak "crow." If the crows are just talking back and forth, my pigeons are visibly relaxed out in their aviaries and settling cages. Let a crow yell "hawk" and they all rush back into the loft. Since my resident pair and their 2 or 3 year old juveniles were wiped out by WestNile virus, the only crows that I have are visitors. I feed them, but they do not nest in the pines on the back of my property. I miss that original family.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yep, my chickens know exactly what the crows are talking about. Most of the time the crows are ignored, but let them yell hawk and you won't find a single chicken out of hiding.

 

[shesaredroan]

It's so fun to learn from the birds!!!

I live in the country in northern central Texas and in the spring/summer have mockingbirds nesting in the rose bushes and trees around my house. The mockingbirds (when nesting) will chase the crows away from the yard/house area.

Then, when the crows are nesting in the pecan & oak trees out in the pastures, they will chase the hawks away. I've seen crows and mockingbirds join forces to harass and chase off the hawks that have come around. Boy they make a noisy fuss!!!

When my chickens were young they didn't understand the difference between the fussy mockingbirds, an upset crow and a hunting hawk, but through time my flock has come to know the difference and come to trust the mockingbirds and crows and listen to their warnings. Yes chickens can learn to understand crow and mockingbird language.

The crows around here seem to migrate in the fall. About 2 weeks ago they started to return, landing and marching about in my coastal hay fields. Every year I have been lucky enough to have them choose to nest in my area. I think the open hay fields, surrounded by the oak and pecan trees, gives them an environment they feel comfortable in. The crows do love pecans!!! I've seen them take a ripe pecan to a fence post, beat it on the top of the post, to break the shell and then pick the nut meat out and leave a pile of shells at the base of a favorite post. I've had neighbors tell me I needed to get rid of those crows....."they're eating up your pecans". I figure I've got enough pecans to share......my crows help me protect my flock.......so I'm happy to share my pecans with them.

The mockingbirds are excellent bug catchers!!! They will not visit a birdseed feeder, they're strictly insect eaters.......they can have all the grasshoppers and bugs they want!!!! A few years ago, as I was sitting on my backporch swing one evening, I saw a mockingbird, sitting on the fence between my house and my barn, become VERY upset!!! It was flying about 5 ft off the ground and fussing at something on the ground.......I went to see what the commotion was about and discovered a chicken snake heading towards my barn.

The mockingbirds and crows help me......so I help them. I believe in the barter system.

 

[sab]

This all is just fascinating! Thank you all for sharing your stories. I can't tell you how many times my hubby has said he'd like to "shoot those darn crows" as they are raiding our bird feeders in the winter -- he doesn't because we live in the city limits. But now I have a new appreciation for those black varmints. Are 'crackles' the same as crows? I always thought that was interchangeable for the same bird, but maybe not....

 

[hallerlake]

No, grackles are different.

 

[WillieBoy]

sab....i think crows are a good thing mostly, they certainly are oppurtunist.I've been feeding my crows food scrapes for yrs. To me they are allies.They chase the redtail hawks away from my hens on a regular basis. Some folk who garden and raise small livestock don't like crows.They will steal chicks and eggs if they can, and damage your garden. I've never had a problem with crows stealing my hens eggs, feed or bothering the girls.I like having them around, the come pretty quickly when i call them, they know i'm putting some food scrapes on there feeding platform....

 

[BWSY]

PBS had a show about crows on Nature.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-murder-of-crows/full-episode/5977/

Are there more hawks during colder months or is the perception of more hawks because of the lack of leaves on trees? My girls were cautious last summer but are more so this fall and winter. They are around 1 1/2 years old.

I want to use anything I can to protect my girls. I feel like they are my chickren.

 

[Susan Mc]

Wow, this perspective of crows is so different from the way I view them, purely as pests that gobble up my chicken feed. Mind you, Ireland isn't exactly a hotspot for birds of prey, but I've begun using treadle feeders to keep the chicken feed for the chickens only. Now if the crows would just learn to haze foxes and minks away from the hens...

 

[blefky]

oops wrong quote!

 

[blefky]

Quote:

Thanks for the link, very cool!