raven/crows eating chickens

[MargaretYakoda]

Ravens and crows are both extremely smart. To the point of being able to recognize individual humans, and remember how well - or badly - that human treated them. And then pass that information on to other birds in their flock. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/science/26crow.html?_r=0
So, it stands to reason that if they see you as a friendly food source, they may well leave YOUR birds alone. Maybe.

That said, they are still wild birds, and wild birds are a potential source of disease. So avoiding lots of direct contact with your flock is probably the best way to go.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I always heard the old timers say to kill one and hang it upside down on a pole for the other crows to see, that it will scare them off.
Thought it was just old country lore aka a wife's tale. Then I started doing bird work professionally and low and behold it works. We call it effigy aversion and there are effigies made just for this in both crow/raven and vulture.
The easiest would probably be a crow decoy but it needs wings spread out like a dead bird. Hang it upside down or some other obviously dead/unnatural way.

I wondered about this and WOW. Not only are you right, I found a study to prove it. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=..._mdxkgjRrW32EKl2g&sig2=N8L0fRpQ32AHBg1rKjaTfA
Not that you needed a study ...