Crows! :\

[Quailsong]

Crows are eating the scraps for the chickens. Any ideas on how to get rid of the crows?

(These crows are really smart)

When you give your chickens scraps, stick around till they finish the food off. Then the crows won't be able to sneak in and feed while you're gone.

 

[settingdusk]

http://www.ehow.com/how_5915263_make-crow-calls.html For those of you who want crows.

 

[crazyhen]

Are you sure you want crows????? They were the first to show up with the A1 disease . If it gets in your flock, it can be terrible. Wild birds carry it. Be careful what you wish for. Hawks take out one at a time. The disease a whole flock.

 

[redkim]

I LOVE our crows! I worked with a crow at a zoo and they are so so so smart and funny! When we first put our chicks out in their "big girl coop" we had 3 freakin' red tail hawks swooping around and giving them the eye! We had crows that came by sporadically and I noticed we didn't see a feather of the hawks when the crows were around. So I started a campaign to woo the crows and I now have 3 permanent residents! My chickie girls can free range all day without worry as the crows want nothing to do with them but they keep the beautiful but mean hawks away.
I ply my little "sky sentinels" with anything and everything. They love Ritz crackers and Saltines and if I have nothing else I will put out a pile of dog kibble up high for them (also out of reach from skunks and rats). They gobble the kibble up. Plus, since I always have dog/cat/ferret kibble, they always have something to eat here and then they get A nice drink at the horse troughs lol.
FEED THE CROWS!

 

[thedragonlady]

Are you sure you want crows????? They were the first to show up with the A1 disease . If it gets in your flock, it can be terrible. Wild birds carry it. Be careful what you wish for. Hawks take out one at a time. The disease a whole flock.

Crows and Jays were dying from West Nile disease, not AI ! Crows are great protectors of my flock of Orps ! I feed them year round, and have for 23 years. No diseases here in that time in the birds, but I got West Nile !

 

[crazyhen]

Opps got my viruses mixed I guess. There are soooo many of the things lately. You had that stuff. Yikes.
The crows are very very smart!!!

 

[Kadjain]

Nobody has mentioned a scare crow yet.. . I had a problem with the crows eating my duck eggs. I put a scare crow in that area and now I don't have the problem.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Crows are our friends! Not only do they chase off hawks and owls but you need to listen to them and get to know their "language". They'll begin their chattering when they spot a fox or a coon or something that's lurking in the woods. They're aerial guardian's of my girls and I'm glad to have them around.

If you don't want them to have food intended for your flock, try feeding them in the coop or fashion some type of covered feeding area where they can't see what's there and can't get to it.

 

[ChoctawChickens]

I'm not sure why the hawks don't simply tear a crow apart in mid-flight, but I am now a believer. My 15 strong flock of black copper Marans were out minding their own business and suddenly my three annoying Guineas started to make a racket. I looked up and about 50 feet above the ground, two very assertive crows/ravens were 'escorting' a chicken hawk away from the neighborhood! Living right by Tinker AFB, I immediately thought of fighter jets scrambling to escort rogue planes away from restricted space. The crows were pretty impressive. That said, so far, haven't lost even one BCMARANS to a predator and I wonder if, from the sky, their coloring makes unwitting raptors confuse them for pesky crows! If so, my Marans have an awesome camouflage!

 

[crowinncluckn]

I have to say I am with the crow lovers. I have seen them run off hawks on numerous occasions. When I hear them raising a ruckus I know to look around to find the cause as it usually a predator of some sort. My grandmother used to say plant one for the row and one for the crow and I am happy to do that.