Crows... My new best friends

[bakerjw]

Early this year, we had a hawk take out our small flock of egg laying birds. We were left with 1 rooster and 1 hen and sadly, the rooster got taken out Friday. Well, hawks and other birds of prey are protected by federal law.
Back in July, we took delivery of our new flocks of chicks. 20 White Plymouth Rocks, 19 Buff Orpingtons and 11 Americaunas. We've have them in the big run with no predator issues at all. Saturday, we moved the 20 White Rocks to the smaller run and all worked itself out. That was until Sunday around noon when they started raising a ruckus and a hawk swooped through the run. There are ways to keep hawks away from chickens (hanging CDs, scarecrows, putting up netting everywhere <- which I've done and is a PITA) and you must do those before the USDA will issue a depradation permit.
Along come the crows. Sunday a little after noon as I'm hanging CDs and putting up some netting, I hear the local murder of crows throwing a fit. Sure enough, Mister Hawk is at the top of our big cedar tree and the crows are harassing the heck out of it.
Monday, I picked up some crow decoys and cracked corn which I put out into our lot. The crows threw a fit yesterday at the new crows on the ground but this morning decided to get with the program and were down grazing away. As I left for work, they took off to the back tree line over the chicken runs and raised all kinds of noise.
I used to shoot crows "Just because" back when I was younger but now love having them around.

[starnbar]

My back fence line borders the neighbors cow pasture and we got crows, hawks, and a eagle in the tree line next to the fence funny thing when that eagle flies you don't see or hear anything guess even birds know who the boss is.

[sparky45]

Hawk gets ONE bird, shame on him; Hawk gets a SECOND bird, shame on me.

[MUSTANG]

Love birds of prey in the wild. Watching them hunt and take animals is amazing. Not so much for them becoming accustomed to taking their lunch at the "Domesticated Trough". SSS comes to mind when one decides to base their meal repetitively on the domesticated birds.

SSS: Shoot - the out of control prey animal; Scoop - Dig a hole and bury the offending prey animal; Scoot - Depart the graveyard and leave the area.

[farmbif]

you can get in a might bit of trouble killing and burying certain birds of prey. right now I'm dealing with a buzzard that thinks my tobacco barn is going to be its new home. my best defense so far is to smoke it out with an old diesel tractor. unfortunately a neighbor plowed up a long time fallow cow pasture no too far away and planted a whole bunch of pumpkins, squash and other stuff that keeps the local family of crows very busy. usually the crows chase off buzzards and hawks.
last year any time a hawk or buzzard came around looking to feast on momma cats new litter the crows, like 5 to 7 of them, chased em off.

[gwpercle]

After the Hawk is gone ... I don't think Crows are on the protected list ...
Gary

[bakerjw]

Harming a bird of prey is a federal offense with up to a $15K fine and 6 months in prison.
I understand why they are protected but I've lost a flock to them before.

Crows are very smart as birds go. The only harm that they can cause is that they will sometimes go after small chicks and other birds.

[BK7saum]

What are the exemptions in your state for birds of prey attacking your livestock/fowl? Yes, killing. bird of prey comes with a fine/prnalty unless there is an exemption to protecting your animals.

[bakerjw]

To legally capture or remove a bird of prey, you have to get a depredation permit. The fee to file is $100.00 and it is good for 1 year.

[contender1]

"To legally capture or remove a bird of prey, you have to get a depredation permit. The fee to file is $100.00 and it is good for 1 year. "

This.

However, to get an APPROVED Federal depredation permit,, you must first try all the other methods of deterrent, BEFORE a permit MAY be issued. And they are not always good for (1) year. Each permit has it's own guidelines,, according to the applicant & the problem.

I'm a State Certified Animal Damage Control Agent. It's what I do for a living. I do NOT recommend anybody break any laws. While you may get away with it,, if any game warden of any kind gets wind of it,, you can get into FELONY territory,, which we all knows means the PERMANENT loss of firearms AND the right to vote.

The best thing I could suggest to folks who want to keep domestic critters from harm by ANY predator species,, (only doing what comes naturally,, like killing to eat,,,) is a proper & secure enclosure for your critters.

[gwpercle]

I just checked our local laws ... in Louisiana
Crows , Blackbirds , Cow Birds and Grackles are classified as Game Birds and may be taken from Sept. 1 through Jan. 1 with no daily limit and taken year round during certain curcumstances with no limit .

If the crows bother you around here ... they aren't protected very much .
I took my first one with a .410 on the wing ...the crow not me . My Dad shot at and missed and I stood up and didn't ... I was as proud of that Crow as if it were a 12 point buck deer !
Gary

[bakerjw]

The problem is securing a large chicken run. Fencing is a necessity already but aerial netting? That's where it gets spendy.

Ground based predators are handled accordingly. Dogs are the worst. Any of them harassing chickens get the SSS treatment right away and the TCA covers that effectively. Birds of prey are the only ones that present legal issues.

But as with many things. The 3rd "S" is the important one.

[ebb]

Bakerjw I was in Johnson City a few months back for a funeral, and was at the farm of my cousin that we were burying. After lunch I was sitting in the shade waiting no my daughter to pace some stuff and had an animal I was almost certain was a mink run out of the pasture and around the house. The place is on Carrol Creek Road, could I be right, are there minks in that area?

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Crows are predators and they are also cowards. Many times I have seen crows being chased by sparrows and once I saw a humming bird chasing one. Since crows have been placed on the protected list they have multiplied to many times the numbers they were. They have killed many song birds. If a crow is flying over a tree and hears baby birds chirping, they will come down and eat them if both parents are gone. I even saw a crow trying to kill a grown pigeon. I ran him off but he didn't go far. I don't know if he finished the job or not. If anything survives the apocalypse , my money is on the crow.

[farmbif]

ive seen what looks like mink or maybe just a regular weasel run across road from the clinch river, usually early in the morning. there are wild mink in East Tennessee

[bakerjw]

Bakerjw I was in Johnson City a few months back for a funeral, and was at the farm of my cousin that we were burying. After lunch I was sitting in the shade waiting no my daughter to pace some stuff and had an animal I was almost certain was a mink run out of the pasture and around the house. The place is on Carrol Creek Road, could I be right, are there minks in that area?

Possibly mink. Certainly weasels. We have a lot of wildlife in the area. Had a mountain lion cross the rifle range a couple of years ago. A momma bobcat brought her kittens across a year ago. Last weekend as we were coming home from the lake, on a bridge I looked down into Wilbur Lake and saw a baby beaver floating without a care in the world.

I was riding my road bike home from a local bike shop Thanksgiving ride a few years ago and crossed over where the Watauga River meets Boone Lake. I saw a disturbance in the water and seeing how it was late in the year and they dropped the lake to Winter pool figured it was just ducks. Nope. Otters. I had to do a double take expecting muskrats or possibly beaver but they were big and brown.

Crows will raid nests, that is for sure. They get harassed by the mockingbirds too.

[toallmy]

Around here we use crows for sight checking if they set .

[bakerjw]

Yeah, I used to shoot them when I was younger "Just because". As I've gotten older, I just don't see the sense in killing just to kill.

[wv109323]

Crows can destroy a gardens corn patch. They will wait till the kernal sprouts to the top of the dirt and then peck the kernal out of the ground. Old timers killed the crows to protect their corn crop.

[JohnH]

The problem is securing a large chicken run. Fencing is a necessity already but aerial netting? That's where it gets spendy.

Ground based predators are handled accordingly. Dogs are the worst. Any of them harassing chickens get the SSS treatment right away and the TCA covers that effectively. Birds of prey are the only ones that present legal issues.

But as with many things. The 3rd "S" is the important one.

If I could offer an alternative, make up a run on wheels that you can push to new area every day. I've seen them with a small coop mad on one end, I've also seen them with a door on one end so that you can push it up to a stationary coop. I don't know your situation so I've no idea how practical such a run would be for you. I'm sure some good designs can be found on the 'net but something like this has the advantage of being easy enough to cover with wire over the top

[bakerjw]

I run 50 birds. When I first started I made a chicken tractor large enough for 8 birds. They will destroy a 6'x12' piece of ground in a day. Hence the larger runs with fenced free range space when allowable.
I've got some new high vis netting on the way which will help alleviate the problem a bit.

[gwpercle]

Crows are predators and they are also cowards. Many times I have seen crows being chased by sparrows and once I saw a humming bird chasing one. Since crows have been placed on the protected list they have multiplied to many times the numbers they were. They have killed many song birds. If a crow is flying over a tree and hears baby birds chirping, they will come down and eat them if both parents are gone. I even saw a crow trying to kill a grown pigeon. I ran him off but he didn't go far. I don't know if he finished the job or not. If anything survives the apocalypse , my money is on the crow.

I can't believe Crows are on the Protected List in CA. ... that's funny !

[Duckiller]

Crows are migratory game birds. They are protected by international treaty with Canada and Mexico. Can only be hunted during certain time periods. You want to go to federal prision, shoot crows year around.

[Gator 45/70]

I can't believe Crows are on the Protected List in CA. ... that's funny !

Not here for sure !

[ShooterAZ]

We have a few Crows around here, but it's primarily Ravens. They are like Crows on Steroids, and said to be even smarter than Crows. Their antics are fun to watch, especially the juveniles.

[bakerjw]

Go youtube Fable the raven. Pretty cool birds.

FWIW... Mittens will sit on the coffee table and watch Fable.

[mexicanjoe]

had a hawk kill some of Mrs. Joes prize Barred Rocks. It didn't care what or who was in the back yard......So Mr. Mossberg came to the rescue with some of Uncle Bens finest loaded in the shells. Didn't kill it, but it soon developed a wanderlust...to the neighboring cotton field. Mrs. Joe was very happy.

[firefly1957]

When I bought my place I shot a couple crows with a .22 rimfire and really wanted to get one with my 6 mm Remington Varmint rifle I had a mess of them on the ground one afternoon so I snuck out back door no sooner then The heavy barrel poked out from the corner of the house CAW CAW CAW the lookout burned me!
I went inside and they returned hopping in the grass eating things So from inside though the window I started to watch they were tearing up the yellow cocoons of tent caterpillars and eating them ! I have not tried to get another crow since and it has been well over ten years.
I have the larger version of crows also the ravens tend to be more loners .

[swingingblock2520]

Crows/Ravens are extremely intelligent and fascinating birds. They also play and do thing with the sole purpose of entering them selves.

[Gator 45/70]

I once scattered a 5 gallon bucket of old pecans around my feeder in hopes hogs would drop in,
Nope but Mr.Crows would, They picked up a single pecan and would fly to an open area of a recently plowed cut-over.
They then set the pecan on the ground, Dig out a small hole in the earth, Planted the pecan and covered it up.
They then would rub the crown of there head on the dirt, I guess this was marking the spot for later?

[gwpercle]

I once scattered a 5 gallon bucket of old pecans around my feeder in hopes hogs would drop in,
Nope but Mr.Crows would, They picked up a single pecan and would fly to an open area of a recently plowed cut-over.
They then set the pecan on the ground, Dig out a small hole in the earth, Planted the pecan and covered it up.
They then would rub the crown of there head on the dirt, I guess this was marking the spot for later?

Maybe ... Planting trees for future pecan orchard ... that's pretty smart !
Gary

[Texas by God]

I err on the side of the hawk. I've never liked crows. I can shoot them anytime in my pecan bottom for suspicion of crop depredation. I like hawks, eagles, owls and even buzzards better.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[bakerjw]

I err on the side of the hawk. I've never liked crows. I can shoot them anytime in my pecan bottom for suspicion of crop deprivation. I like hawks, eagles, owls and even buzzards better.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

Until you lose 10 laying birds to hawks. SSB

[DougGuy]

The problem is securing a large chicken run. Fencing is a necessity already but aerial netting? That's where it gets spendy.


I used the bird block netting for years to keep squirrels and birds out of our tomatoes, you can get big pieces at the home improvement box stores. One of them had 7' x 100' rolls the other had 14' x 50' rolls. Could probably find other sizes if you shop around. It's fairly inexpensive, light weight and easy to put up especially if you have an air stapler. It may not stop a hawk in a dive but it will certainly ruin his day if he gets caught in it.

Having runs on wheels works, there was one in a field near my work that the guy kept moving it all over the field and held about 12 chickens, they roosted in an old school bus at night so I guess he tended to the operation regularly.