Ravens stealing eggs - caught on camera

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Well, we kept the raven in the pen overnight, I gave it a bowl of water and some chicken scratch (am I crazy???). I figured it would be too stressed to eat or drink anyway. Then next morning the scratch was still there but the water was half gone. The mate was still in the tree above cawing and scolding me. Then I decided I would catch & hold the raven before I let it go to really let it know I meant business. Of course there was some flying about (the captured bird never made a sound, but the mate outside was making a terrible racket) but I caught it pretty quick (the pen is 5 x 10'). OMG these huge birds must weigh less than 2 lbs. They feel like a delicate teacup compared to a chicken, but the beak is just massive. Definitely an adult, totally black inside mouth including the tongue. Beautiful fine feathers cover half the beak. Yes, it would try to bite if I passed my hand close, but otherwise was very still. It was stoic facing what it surely knew was death coming. I walked from the pen and turned it loose. That was Tuesday morning, this is Thursday night. I've seen the two of them fly overhead & caw, but no one near the coop so far. Fingers crossed.
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wild chick said:
Well, we kept the raven in the pen overnight, I gave it a bowl of water and some chicken scratch (am I crazy???). I figured it would be too stressed to eat or drink anyway. Then next morning the scratch was still there but the water was half gone. The mate was still in the tree above cawing and scolding me. Then I decided I would catch & hold the raven before I let it go to really let it know I meant business. Of course there was some flying about (the captured bird never made a sound, but the mate outside was making a terrible racket) but I caught it pretty quick (the pen is 5 x 10'). OMG these huge birds must weigh less than 2 lbs. They feel like a delicate teacup compared to a chicken, but the beak is just massive. Definitely an adult, totally black inside mouth including the tongue. Beautiful fine feathers cover half the beak. Yes, it would try to bite if I passed my hand close, but otherwise was very still. It was stoic facing what it surely knew was death coming. I walked from the pen and turned it loose. That was Tuesday morning, this is Thursday night. I've seen the two of them fly overhead & caw, but no one near the coop so far. Fingers crossed. View attachment 1937546

View attachment 1937549
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Wow
 
In the past I have had crows go into the pens and get any eggs that were layed on the ground but never went into the coops. I do have pop doors which is the only way the birds can get in. So glad you got a good solution.
 
I'm very glad that this story turned out well for all creatures, human and avian alike, and kind of expected your crafty raven would avoid the chicken coop altogether once he associated it with possible capture and being at the mercy of one of his--in his mind--deadly enemies. Very very smart birds... Never had them go in after chicken, duck, or even guinea eggs at my place since those were always laid under cover within enclosures, but they would check for stray goose eggs in the goose paddock whenever the geese were laying, and I always figured that if one of the geese was silly enough to lay an egg out in the open, then the ravens were welcome to it. Even then they were careful about it. It was always just one raven that came every day at the same time and he--or she?--would first sit on a nearby wooden fence to case the paddock, and if there was an egg, he'd wait until any geese present were a little distance away or better yet, out eating grass, then in he'd swoop to claim his prize! And yes, that big ol' beak can open wide enough to carry off a goose egg no problem. They're also death on goslings if they can get at them without the adults around, but since I always kept a whole little gaggle of geese all of whom would cooperate to provide protection for any youngsters, I never lost any babies.

I think the most impressive thing I ever read about ravens is that when velcro closures started replacing some buttons and zippers on outdoor clothing and packs, it took the ravens who liked to check out campgrounds for any possible unattended food next to no time to learn how to work the new closures. And yes, they're one of the few species of animal, period, that can recognize a dead member of their own race no matter what position they're in, which is why the old trick of hanging a dead one out in the open--or a crow if it's crows you're trying to deter--works. They communicate what they see and warn each other. Even dolphins don't do that.
 

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