will crows hurt chickens??

[nuchickontheblock]

thanks all. Our bantams are light weight (maybe 3 pounds max if they are stuffed with worms) but quite fluffy and mostly feathers!
better be safe than sorry -- we will cover our run with some chicken wire when the rain stops.
Paula

 

[MuscovyMad]

One of my 2 week old ducklings was killed by a crow and that was pretty big. But i reckon that the chickens should be lively enough to escape them.

Could you try to keep the excess feed lying about to a minimum. That way if there is no food to get they should just leave.

I would keep an eye on them just incase though.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

The crows are back and I'm tickled pink about that. The only time I've lost a chicken to a hawk was when the crows were absent. The crows now get their own pile of scratch in the garden.

 

[Ibicella]

Not usually, but they can. Crows prefer to scavenge rather than predate, but they will take chicks and eggs if they have the opportunity. It depends on food availability and the flock personality. Usually they are beneficial to have around because they chase off birds of prey and act as extra warning alarms for chickens.

I don't know if they bother banties.

Ravens on the other hand are more than happy to predate.

 

[andythescot]

Crows will take eggs and chicks, but there are some accounts of them working togething to nab bantams. Which I think is freaky.

 

[emarble]

Buy food for the Crows and Hope that they hang around as they will actually chase away hawks and outer Raptors

Ernie

 

[Norm52]

I have to say I disagree completely that crows will not harm adult chickens. They DO, and not over food. We often had crows pecking at our adult chickens' eyes to blind them. To discourage them, we had to hang aluminum pie plates around the chicken run so the noise of them banging and the light reflecting would drive them off. More than a few times we also had to shoot at them when they were too persistent. This is not anecdotal, but eyewitness testimony based on years of experience. We did not keep feed outside. It was always inside the hen house.