Lots of CROWS! Are they a pest to chickens?

[FlowerFarmer]

After a hawk attack I've been anti big flying birds of prey.

Here in Salem Oregon we have a lot of big, black crows flying around the property and making obnoxious noises up in the trees. We had them before chickens.. but I am a little parinoid about hawks, and these birds seem to be the same size. And they're all over the place!
Does anyone know about these birds being a pest at all around chickens??

 

[cindy99]

Around here the crows will chase the hawks away.

I will subscribe to this post as I have often wondered about crows vs. hawks with chickens.

 

[DTRM30]

Interesting ..... I've never seen them bother my girls when they are out - but I have seen them hopping round outside the run picking on who knows what a lot of days.

 

[kip]

Crows with babys will eat eggs and chicks, if they don't have nest themselves they don't eat eggs and chicks mostly. Perhaps they'll eat chicken feed.

 

[linben]

My hens chase them away.

 

[klf73]

he have crows, they eat the feed that is on the ground leftover from the day before(before the free range chickens come out). They do seem to keep the hawks away but I recently found mites and this is after 3 years of none....could have come from the shavings

......but other than that they don't bother my girls at all and I will deal with the little pests rather than having to worry about the hawks. I have seen them chase the hawks away last year....

 

[Illia]

Out here crows are a good thing - They chase away any hawks or eagles.


Their only downsides are being annoying and/or ruining your fruit harvest from the orchards by pecking the fruit and dropping it to go to waste.

 

[schellie69]

I have heard that crows will keep hawks away. I don't know if they would hurt chicks or chickens I think they would just eat the left over feed.

 

[Quinn4321]

I would be worried about them transmitting diseases by contact and manure............

 

[ellieroo]

we have a lot of crows also but thru the years I've only seen one crow go after a baby banty and the chicks mom went airborne smacked

into the crow and he dropped the baby. They are a great hawk deterent. Magpies on the other hand will search for eggs Nothing more fustrating than sitting on the porch with a beer and watch a magpie fly by with an egg in its bill!