Crows can be a good thing - listen to them!

[CAjerseychick]

Yup, last time a Hawk flew over my chicken yard, our resident crow pair flew up and headed it off...
They are very jealous of the scraps my dogs leave out (big raw marrow bones)....

- So sorry for your loss, my chickies range about in the yard during the day and I too am waiting to lose a couple eventually....

 

[lacrego]

Wow, i had no idea that crows were so good. I came on looking for some solutions to keep the hawks away (just watched one take a swipe at one of my girls while I drank my coffee outside). Just after that happened a crow flew by very vocal. hmm, now i'm thinking that i might leave a few eggs out for him. I hope just setting a few on top of the coop? Also grabbing my pellet gun and scaring that **** hawk away. Thanks for your post!

 

[Nambroth]

Wow, i had no idea that crows were so good. I came on looking for some solutions to keep the hawks away (just watched one take a swipe at one of my girls while I drank my coffee outside). Just after that happened a crow flew by very vocal. hmm, now i'm thinking that i might leave a few eggs out for him. I hope just setting a few on top of the coop? Also grabbing my pellet gun and scaring that **** hawk away. Thanks for your post!

You probably shouldn't actively encourage your local crows to seek your coop or your eggs, unless you have a Fort Coop, where there is no way for a crow to get in and help himself (mine is set up that way). You don't want to make your crow friends a nuisance to yourself!!

I recommend instead, if you want to encourage crows, to occasionally leave leftovers that are healthy for them out in a obvious spot, away from your home. For example, when I trim raw chicken of fat and tendons, etc... I don't like to give my chickens raw poultry to eat for biosecurity reasons. I can't compost meat and I hate to throw it away because I am a nut for sustainability, so I put it out for my crows on top of a log well away from my house. I always put it out in the morning so that the crows have a chance to find it and clean it up BEFORE other critters that I don't want coming around get to it (like coons, bears, etc). The crows have associated my property as a safe area to live where there are occasional food bonuses and they have started nesting in my pine trees. Nesting crows are immensely territorial against hawks and owls, and will go to great length to drive them away during the breeding season. They raise a fuss during the winter too, but aren't as active with driving away predators.

Crows alone won't protect your chickens, but they can be beneficial if we keep an open mind with how to work with them.

 

[lacrego]

Wow! See this is why I love this site! Thank you! Some awesome information!

 

[Ntsees]

Crows are not the only birds I pay attention to, I observe and listen to the reactions of other birds like starlings, killdeer, and mockingbirds. They are pretty good at giving me signs that a hawk is nearby. And how did I learn this? From my own birds. They are pretty good when it comes to reacting to the warning calls of other birds.

 

[Nambroth]

Crows are not the only birds I pay attention to, I observe and listen to the reactions of other birds like starlings, killdeer, and mockingbirds. They are pretty good at giving me signs that a hawk is nearby. And how did I learn this? From my own birds. They are pretty good when it comes to reacting to the warning calls of other birds.

Absolutely. The chickadees and the jays in my area also put up quite an alarm when something is wrong. Every time I hear them alarm calling, it's either been a hawk or another predator.

 

[gpwelding1]

i agree,crows will definatly alert you to predators,squirrels will too.

 

[Extra Java]

Thought I was doing everything right, nice solid coop and covered run, free range during the day on 1 1/2 acres inside 6" chain link fencing, tons of trees and brush for cover from hawks. Assumed I might loose a bird at some point to the hawks, but I lost 2 hens and a pullet yesterday. Absolutely no sign of them, they were there when I let them out in the morning then gone that afternoon. So I figured a couple of hawks must have taken them. The crows were sitting in a large tree just outside my fence throwing a fit yesterday mid day, so I suspect they saw what was happening (and I should have listened to them and investigated!!!). But when I checked that area during my search, turns out it wasn't a hawk. Something dug under my fence, and that is probably what they were seeing and complaining about. Based on the size of hole it dug I'm thinking ~60lb dog or coyote (yes, our local coyotes are very healthy critters).

Question - has anyone had a coyote attack like that in broad daylight? If it was a dog, I would expect some sign of carnage, but I scoured the area and didn't see anything, just some feathers by the fence. I have on rare occasions seen a coyote out and about during the daytime, just wasn't expecting this. For now, my very unhappy chickens will have to stay in their run while I figure out what to do. I'm thinking of running hot wire along the base of the fence, but that will take time...

YES! THIS MORNING!!!!

This is so strange, you just described the exact scene at my house this very morning....I even have the same fencing you do with added 2 ft barbed wire on top. Took me all morning burying the large hole it dug and lined it with hardware cloth, rocks and dirt. I followed the trail of feathers to my neighbors front yard where she feeds the coyotes scraps.

Found a bunch of old steak bones and other carcasses so, I hightailed it outa there as they can be really protective around feeding areas and all I had was my shovel.

I'm thinking it's the time of year as the seasons are changing...we've never had anything like this happen and now all of a sudden we have had 3 separate predator attacks in 2 days.

I don't think we can hot wire the entire perimeter at the base since there's so much brush constantly growing...I'm thinking more chicken wire, fallen trees/logs, rocks, landscaping bricks or something like that at the weak points. (at the base of the fenceline)

I purchased a few of those solar red flashing light things (Nite Guard) and I think they help because it dug under where the lights were not around.

Yes, and we've learned that predators like to hide behind overgrown weeds/trees etc for ambushing. (not good)

We live in an area where a coyote killed a little girl in her driveway one morning...so, I take coyote problems seriously.
No one else around here seems to care because they don't have livestock.

 

[Extra Java]

Yes, crows chase hawks away!