Crows: friend or foe?

[Eilsel]

I did a quick search but kept getting the cock-a-doodle-do kind of crow as opposed to the large black bird kind.

I noticed several crows around my pond today and wondered if I should be wary of free-ranging my chickens with them around, but the chickens didn’t seem concerned at all.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I love having crows and ravens around. They chase off hawks.

 

[sourland]

Friend or foe ? Both. They have been known to take chicks/ducklings or eggs, but they are a great warning system to the flock and can be effective as a hawk deterrent. I have a family of crows that I feed each day.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I think the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to crows. Plus I've never heard of a crow taking a chicken...... ? Or more than likely they won't, anyway.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

A large enough number of hungry crows can be a threat to even adult chickens, but I consider them friends. Around here they harry and drive off hawks and never set foot in my yard. I like having the crows around.

 

[Eilsel]

Good to know! We have plenty of hawks in the area so this is good news to me!

 

[JedJackson]

I've never had many at my place, so I couldn't say if they are good or bad with chickens. They do chase away hawks, but aren't very effective against bald eagles, which are very common in the PNW. One thing for certain is that they are here to stay. Any attempts at driving them off will result in failure, so it is best to work with them rather than against them.

 

[Abriana]

they are a foe to younger birds (chicks and ducklings) but I've never had a problem with my adult birds. I think that they are around the same size (perhaps a little smaller) than chickens and so I think that if the crow decided to try something that the hen would tell him who's boss. Also, my rooster chases them off, so I don't usually have many issues.

 

[paneubert]

This is what I get to see each dawn and dusk. Very effective hawk/falcon/owl/bald eagle deterrent. Never had them bother my quail.

"At dusk the sky darkens over the University of Washington Bothell as up to 15,000 pitch-black crows descend on the campus. Swooping and cawing, they come from all directions to roost for the night."

EDIT TO ADD: Never heard anyone in the local Chicken and Farm Facebook groups report any problems with crows and their chickens.

 

[Chickassan]

Iv'e never had the crows harass chicks at all. They are super hawk deterrents since they travel in a mob and won't let up until the hawk is gone. The only issue is they'll steal eggs in a heartbeat. They are very smart, I shut them in the run if I catch an egg theif and that scares them enough not to steal again once I let them out. In short i'd much rather have them and be on good terms with them than not.