# crows-doing my head in!



## MotherOfChickens (24 May 2017)

Crows are currently stealing my duck eggs and I am worried for my broody goose too (the crows had a muscovy of its nest this week, had all 12 eggs 2 weeks into incubation :'( ). I have netted the goose house but the duck house is not really in a position conducive to netting (very exposed). The crows so far have ignored the dead crow I've hung up (worked a couple of years ago), and are not only going into a large, dark duck house but also through the 5ft long covered wire tunnel I've put across the pophole.

are any of the wind driven bird scarers good at scaring crows? the crows nest at the neighbouring farm so its not like I can go shooting them at source.


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## Clodagh (24 May 2017)

Could you beg/borrow/steal a larsen trap. My OH and son shoot them out of the bedroom windows but that wouldn't work for everyone.
If you had a Larsen trap (a good investment) you can just knock them on the head when you catch them, but do wear thick gloves to do so.


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## ycbm (24 May 2017)

No problem


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## Fragglerock (24 May 2017)

They do my head in too - the damage they do to our cars, particularly the wipers is incredible.  When we were in Canada the crows used to steal the food they fed to the bear at the sanctuary we went to.  They did hang up a dead crow and said it worked for some months.  What we found was whatever we tried worked for a day or two!


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## MotherOfChickens (24 May 2017)

not sure I have the room for that ycbm 

really dont want to be culling by hand either but running out of options and patience. shooting would be difficult due to layout of place (long and narrow). As it is atm any movement in the living room and they are away! just a shame I have to work..(in many ways..). Muscovy mums are not for the fainthearted so they must have waited for her to come off the nest for food.


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## poiuytrewq (26 May 2017)

We have just borrowed a Larson trap. I don't much like it but we are over run with crows and they are a pain in the arse!


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## Clodagh (26 May 2017)

poiuytrewq said:



			We have just borrowed a Larson trap. I don't much like it but we are over run with crows and they are a pain in the arse!
		
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You may know but you can feed them soaked dog kibble, much cleaner and less smelly than dead animals.


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## MotherOfChickens (26 May 2017)

so, seeing as I am off for the day I was able to keep a close watch-there are plenty of crows about but its ravens stealing the eggs, they've also had two from the goose-despite me netting-they are pushing through a gap that was weighted down by concrete blocks.


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## poiuytrewq (27 May 2017)

Clodagh said:



			You may know but you can feed them soaked dog kibble, much cleaner and less smelly than dead animals.
		
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I didn't know that no, actually last year we put hens eggs in and bread. Seemed to work very well.


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## ribbons (8 June 2017)

We get loads of magpies in the trap but only the odd crow, never had a raven or jackdaw. They are dreadful, raiding the birds nests. Poor blackbirds are so brave trying to see them off but with so many they don't stand a chance.
We also use soaked dog kibble, much cleaner and easier, 
I don't like the traps and refused to use them for several years, but in the end we had no choice, the numbers were getting ridiculous and shooting around the yard and home paddocks was not practical. 
The traps have proved very effective for magpies, but as I say, not so much for the other corvids. 
I think, when it comes to protecting your domestic birds and eggs, your only real option is fencing to keep them out.


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## MotherOfChickens (8 June 2017)

ravens are protected so not much I can do wrt traps/shooting. goslings are netted as are the ducks I want to breed from. the others are now back in lay and luckily laying first thing so I can collect eggs before work. numbers have exploded here in the last coupld of years-local farmers are not impressed.


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