Are crows a threat to my chickens?

[McChooky]

Keep them locked up because it will be back.

 

[PimsGarden]

The crows drive off countless birds of prey from my property, if prob have more hawk attacks if it wasn't for them. They do the same at my work where we have chickens. Never heard of them being a problem with chickens.

 

[Krugerrand]

This just happened 2 hours ago: Against my better instinct, I left 3 pullets (5+ weeks) in a fenced backyard so they could get acclimated to the bigger ladies (7) who are being very kind to them and I figured that it would be fine to run to the store for about an hour. Thinking that the adult hens would watch over them and it was during the day. I live in city limits. When I returned one of the pullets was missing. The smallest of the three. And the other two were calling for her. Not good! I did hear crows around but I'm not positive. Looking at the camera, there was never any panic. Just that she was with her buddies and then not. I'm so sad. It's all I want is a speckled Sussex but I keep screwing up and losing them.

very sorry to hear that. It's very likely that if the crows were making a lot of noise, they were alerting each other to something larger around such as a hawk. I would suspect that the something larger got your pullets. It's not impossible that it was a crow, but just more likely something else.

 

[PimsGarden]

very sorry to hear that. It's very likely that if the crows were making a lot of noise, they were alerting each other to something larger around such as a hawk. I would suspect that the something larger got your pullets. It's not impossible that it was a crow, but just more likely something else.

I support this theory. In my experience I've only seen crows alerting that there are other predators in the area and driving them away, not saying it isn't possible they were the aggressors, just saying I've never seen it but have seen them doing the opposite many times over.

 

[1motorpsycho]

very sorry to hear that. It's very likely that if the crows were making a lot of noise, they were alerting each other to something larger around such as a hawk. I would suspect that the something larger got your pullets. It's not impossible that it was a crow, but just more likely something else.

Nope. For the second time, crows got my pullets (the 3 in my profile picture are no more as of today). All seen and heard with my own eyes while I was at work. At least 2 or 3 crows. I didn't want to see too much detail so I stopped looking and started yelling. It was too late. Gruesome scene. My 3 pullets were destroyed. 1 a few days ago was taken all together. 2 today were mutulated. Yes it happens. Crows are malicious as hell. They can hear the babies. I would much rather it had been a bald eagle TBH. It wasn't a quick death. I'm so upset.
People need to understand that crows kill more than just week old chicks. These were getting up there in size. They just killed them and left it all. I rushed home within minutes of seeing them around the pen and hearing the babies in distress. I can't even...

 

[McChooky]

Nope. For the second time, crows got my pullets (the 3 in my profile picture are no more as of today). All seen and heard with my own eyes while I was at work. At least 2 or 3 crows. I didn't want to see too much detail so I stopped looking and started yelling. It was too late. Gruesome scene. My 3 pullets were destroyed. 1 a few days ago was taken all together. 2 today were mutulated. Yes it happens. Crows are malicious as hell. They can hear the babies. I would much rather it had been a bald eagle TBH. It wasn't a quick death. I'm so upset.
People need to understand that crows kill more than just week old chicks. These were getting up there in size. They just killed them and left it all. I rushed home within minutes of seeing them around the pen and hearing the babies in distress. I can't even...

Weirdest thing I've ever saw was a black bird flapping its wings to stay in the air while yanking at the wire on my run with its feet.It couldn't stay in that position long so it let go with its feet and uprighted itself as it flew up into the canopy of trees

 

[1motorpsycho]

Weirdest thing I've ever saw was a black bird flapping its wings to stay in the air while yanking at the wire on my run with its feet.It couldn't stay in that position long so it let go with its feet and uprighted itself as it flew up into the canopy of trees

A crow? Wow! I wish there was a solution.

 

[McChooky]

A crow? Wow! I wish there was a solution.

I put my dogs out. They hate crows and don't let them come around

 

[McChooky]

I support this theory. In my experience I've only seen crows alerting that there are other predators in the area and driving them away, not saying it isn't possible they were the aggressors, just saying I've never seen it but have seen them doing the opposite many times over.

I wanted a baby crow when I was a kid because they can learn how to talk but dad wouldn't let me get one.He claimed they killed chickens.

 

[McChooky]

A crow? Wow! I wish there was a solution.

I can't tell you what it was , it happened too fast .I was like 30-40 ft away and didn't have a clear view of the coop(working on a fence)