Do crows pose a threat?

[m00res]

Quote:
Great Links! Thanks for sharing!

 

[cgmccary]

I love to see crows because they are a hawk deterrent. My chickens have learned to watch them because they alert everything to the hawks & owls location (and they will chase them off); Blue Jays are the same way. The crows here have never bothered my chickens and my chickens won't tolerate any wild bird in their run anyway.

We don't have Ravens in Alabama.

 

[Meisel Photography]

Last year I watched two crows take a Red Tail out of the air and kill it. I was amazed. I've lived on the prairie for 50 years but have never seen that before. Seeing crows and blackbirds tormenting a hawk is a daily occurrence but I had never seen a kill.

 

[Wolf]

Full Grown hens - Crows won't cause harm... maybe attempt to haze 'em away from their feed - but that's it. Now they WILL steal eggs if they can get to a nest-box, and they WILL steal chicks. They do this with other birds, too - so Crow doesn't see any difference with your chickens.
I haven't had my bantams messed with, even though they're smaller - but they run with the turkeys and guineas - that get safety from their "bodyguards".
Like the others said - Crow will make Hawk think your yard is a bad Hunting Ground.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

I like the crows here. They live in the trees and bushes near my pens. I have seen them knock hawks out of the sky and killed it. They swooped the hawk so bad it actually crashed into a tree. The hawks no longer hunt on this side of the forest as the rabbits have came back.

 

[DDRanch]

I wanted to weigh in with my experience with both crows and ravens. They are extremely beneficial and they do indeed keep hawks at bay and will chase them at every opportunity. I have never had a problem with the crows or ravens with my full grown chickens, BUT I have seen the crows raid other birds nests on my property and pick off a baby wild turkey, just a few days old. They are opportunistic so I wouldn't trust them around an injured hen.

Wish I had more around.

 

[MayberrySaint]

I have a positive feedback thing going on with my friends the crows...

Shoot nasty tree rats (squirrels)...

Feed to Crows...

Crows Hang out and Warn/Scare off Hawks...

Chickens happy...

 

[bulldog-girl]

This has been a great thread. I have never really thought about our crows before but our crows like to sit high in the trees by our henhouse. I free range our girls and I always figured they were after any leftovers the girls get from me as treats. I don't keep feed outside and have never seen a crow try to get into the henhouse. I don't see many hawks on our property either. Perhaps that is why.

 

[Cetawin]

I provide food scraps for the crows around here...I want them here. They chase off hawks and other predatory birds. Whenever a hawk strolls over the area, the crows take off after it. I have seen them attack a hawk in the air and knock it out of the air.

They can stay here as long as they want...if they need a house...I will build them a condo!

 

[barbara4rb]

My goodness! I was getting ready to post a question about how to keep the crows away from my property/free range chickens, but after reading this post, I'll be glad to see them!

We have thousands of crows that winter here in the Rio Grande valley. There is usually a "watch crow" in one of my trees, and he "caws out" whenever I put food out. Soon 20 of his best buddys show up to eat too. They wait until I'm inside or driving out to come down.... Boy, are they smart! I think they've learned to eat from the hanging feeder I have for my chickens, and they clean out the long mash feeder. My girls and boys are free range, but I have set up a feeding area in a carport. Hmmmmm, wonder if I should move it?

I guess I'm just feeding more of God's creatures. )

We do have hawks and owls around, but now that you mention it, I haven't seen a hawk close by all winter.