The Ultimate Guide to Feeding Crows in Your Backyard
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- You can feed Wild Crows with common bird food items. Some might surprise you. This video mostly applies to the American Crow species, but other Crows will like this food as well. #birds #crow #wildlife
00:00 Intro
00:14 American Crow Range
00:52 Number Five Food
01:14 Number Four Food
01:27 Number Three Food
01:40 Number Two Food
01:53 Number One Food
02:05 Feeder Options for Crows
03:25 If They Don't Eat
03:52 Tell Me About Your Crow Experiences
4 years ago, a baby Crow (Wolfgang)fell in our backyard with a broken wing.
Wr took him in the house and,bound his wing.
He took over our dog pack and, went everywhere with the family (camping to).
Anyway after he healed up,he got a girlfriend (Sam).
He moved out to a tree in the back yard and, now has a kid.
I feed them regularly, they co.e when called and, follow us all around town.😂
Hi I found a young crow with a damaged wing too.
Any advice on care or treatments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
@@garyharmon1155 find a safe way to bind the wing. Don't use regular tape or something that will pull feathers out. Food is anything from crushed worms and, bugs to soft crushed dogfood all mixed with water.
The bird will try to swallow your whole hand if it could. This might be shocking at first. That's totally normal for how they eat.
They eat and, poop often so, prepare a safe place that can be changed out regularly.
After the baby (blue eyes) the bird will be more like a chicken following you around (probably riding on you) and, emulate the rhythm of your house.when it is a good flyer again, make sure it gets outside around other crows. These will be it's hatchmates anyway as they are territorial.
You will have an avian friend for life including the bird's hatchmates.
They are soooo smart.
The other crows will catch him up on any skills he missed earlier.
Please post on how it's going.
@@garyharmon1155 we used paper tape from Walgreens. Still sticky and, came off on its own. I called all the wild animal vets and, DNR about what to do.
If anyone says you can't save the bird they are wrong. DNR says you are on your own. No problem.
@odellhegna9732 thank you for the information.
Lucky its a young adult and strong. I had to clip a lot of flight feathers on one wing they were so damaged.
I've got it in a med sized dog kennel with some branches to perch on. Which its using.
Appetite is good so far im worried about infection more than anything
@@garyharmon1155 he will be fine! Great job!
YOU ROCK!
I have three crows that have been coming to my yard for a few years now, they trust me enough that I can walk right under them while they sit in the tree waiting for me to give them the days offering in fact they will call for me to come outside, they have me trained pretty well. I call them Humphrey, Moe and princess and I love them dearly.
That us AWSOME!
Mine do the same. If I take too long they call me.
I'm waiting for the next generation to be presented right now. :D
can you tell them apart?
@@CindyGifford1827 Wolfgang is easy because he is big. The others are about the same size. The new kids are small. Hard to know how many there are(kids).
@@odellhegna9732 thanks. I have three sometimes four who visit everyday. Love!
I must have at least 20 crows coming around in the morning for their breakfast. I give them unsalted roasted peanuts in shell. For treats later in the day if I have grapes going soft I’ll put that out. They love grapes.
They start crowing when they see me going out of the house in the morning even if to trash can!
I lost one of my backyard chickens to a hawk.. I put up a feeder for the local crows and feed peanuts. They do a great job of chasing off any hawk that comes close. Now when I walk the dog crows in a two mile area around my house fly up and ask for peanuts. I guess I'm the crow guy in the area now lol.
You've found a natural hawk defense system :)
So true! The Crow chase away Hawks. Keeps your smaller pets safe
Last summer a large male arrived and started looking around. I called him Poe. He was a bit skittish, but was very interested in a large potting tray that filled up with water next to the compost pile. He began bringing his own food to wash in the tray. Midway through the season, I discovered a mouse, one hole through the head in the driveway. This was also when I started leaving some mandarin oranges and apple pieces on the ground next to the tray. He liked the apples. I tried some sugar free peanut and sunflower balls I liked myself, those barely lasted fifteen minutes. I convinced him to eat off a small ceramic tray and he inhaled everything I put there. He also helped himself to worms in the garden. He vanished for the winter and this year he came back. He was only peripherally concerned that I had put the trays up on a platform to try to avoid other ground dwellers (the cats). Chicken, walnuts, sausage, no sugar added fruit cups, he even stole one of my pizza crusts I didn't watch carefully enough. He followed me to the store down the road and began hurring (his begging call) then followed me to another store and did it again! He now leaves a "present" almost once a week. If I don't get outside by 2pm I know the hurring call will "hurry" me on my way to feed him hahaha. Water must be absolutely clear or he will "stalk" the driveway until I come down and clean it.
I have found that the favorite food of crows is sliced hot dogs. When I am reading in my garden, some of the crows will come down and sit with me, 4 or 5 ft away, for a few minutes and then "request" hotdog. There are a couple who I honestly believe I could hand feed. They are remarkable birds. one took a piece of hotdog, hid it in a planter, covered it with a leaf, and came back 5 hours later to eat it!
Cat food… it never fails.
Also, toys they can play with, and shiny objects.
Mince meat and chicken are popular here. :)
My crows live on my property. I feed them, they have water and plenty of trees to rest and nest in. I love the little gifts they leave for me. They also let me know if something is coming on my property. They are very smart birds and great company.
You can't leave a comment like that and not tell us what gift's they've brought you!
Great videos. If I don’t put feed out in the morning, this one crow will land on the deck corner, post and look right at my bedroom, window & CAW until I come out the bedroom door that goes under the deck & give him peanuts, etc.
Keep the videos coming I love them ‼️❤️
I've never had a crow come to my window, but the other birds will perch on the windowsill and look in when the feeders are empty!
My neighbors don’t appreciate them yelling at me every morning.
On another note, I watched a crow dipping a mole into the bird bath to remove the dirt before he ate it. I’ve seen the crows regularly hunt moles at a nearby yard where there are always fresh tunnels and dirt piles.
@@judycook4314its really cool you got to see that
When I was feeding a family of crow, their favorite were always peanuts 🥜 in the shells. I also had a spot I’d put mice that were caught in traps. They never laid there long. 😂 Nothing goes to waste on the farm.
We have 6 indoor cats. Sometimes they don't finish their daily food so I have discovered that the crows really like the leftover cat food! The canned stuff is the most favored, but kibble is also eaten. Peanuts are the number one favorite. I do a human 'caw' four times after I put out the food and within seconds the crows arrive. I have even received a 'gift' from them, a white pebble! Being consistent is recommended if you want your crows to also be on time! I love my crows!
Waste not want not. They love leftovers..
I did some extensive testing and it turned out that my city crows (hooded crows, Berlin, Germany) have this nut preference (best to worst): cashews (by far), walnuts / Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds. During winter most of my 20 crows prefer cashews even over meat. The best meat there is for them is fried minced meat. They love chicken hearts, too, and like any kind of meat in general. They also love fish. I give them fish sticks/fingers. Egg yolk is one of their favourites, too, especially when feeding the nestlings. But the best (i.e. most loved) food there is for crows (which I know about) is mice. They would start a war for those. The healthiest food for crows is superworms and house crickets but I consider those too much effort (and they do not really like them that much).
In winter, their metabolism slows down and they switch to a purely vegetarian diet and don't eat too much.
Maybe it's not even good to give them meat in winter.
In the winter, I only give them peanuts and oatmeal, plus I add multicereal rolls torn to pieces or corn biscuits sprinkled with ground peanuts every other time. I only feed them every other day so that they can look for food on their own, but I always feed them after a rainy day.
By mice you mean live 'mouses'? Here, Bratislava, white mice cost 1.5 eur a piece
@@ianalen1687 My impression is that they will always look for food, no matter how much you feed them. If noone feed them, they spend most of the day looking for food. So what should they do with all that free time? If they are not hungry any more they can limit their search to insects which are very healthy for them.
I have only bought frozen mice. Something like 1EUR per mouse (for a box of six). Depends on the mouse age/size, though.
Do you just feed crows or also magpies? There are quite a few magpies in my Hof that spend time on my windowsill.
@@SolidGoldHedgehog I tried but never managed to. There is at least one magpie couple in my vicinity. I guess the problem is that crows treat both their larger and their smaller relatives quite badly. Most certainly the magpies are well aware that I am the crow friend here. Either that makes them suspicious enough to not approach me or their distance keeping is not related to me at all but to the crows only. They probably have noticed the beatings the crows give each other when they meet on or around my balcony. And certainly no magpie wants to share this fate. The crows are not just much more powerful individually but the crows outnumber the magpies by quite a lot. The magpies seem to have decided to live in this area nonetheless. It seems to be a reasonable strategy to avoid conflicts with the local corvid superpower at any rate.
@@HaukeLaging hmmm that's a shame. Thank you though.
Terrific video! We moved here from Ohio to our little ranch in central NM close to 25 years ago and totally love it! Nice to not have to worry about severe storms and tornadoes! Every day I feed the crows and ravens and also every other bird. The Corvids know me, and wait in the trees (like a scene from THE BIRDS!) until the horses are taken care of and then they know it's BREAKFAST! We have the rubber Fortex feed buckets with fresh water (several all around the barn and house). Our deer family usually visit at least once a day, and I put rocks inside one of them for the smaller birds to reach the water. Every once in a while, I will find a "thank you" gift from the crows and ravens. They have left a beautiful shell , a rainbow marble, and a shiny Denver Penny. This is pretty common for them. I just have to have a cry, it is so wonderful! They also let me know if there are coyotes around. We have a family of Canyon Towhees who have been with us for years, and they bring their little ones over to visit when they are just little fluff balls. They are a lot like cardinals and we feed them finch seed and mealworms. They follow me all around when I do my outdoor work every day. They will come into the barn and sit on the stall and jump down to see if there are any yummy bugs (not in my barn LOL!). They also eat from our hands and come flying over when I sit on the front steps. Sometime I look like Snow White LOL! We also have four species of hummingbirds. We live on the edge of a national forest. NM is, after all, the Land of Enchantment! 🤠🐴🐦🖖❤
I live in Naples, Florida, there's a crow that comes once in awhile and sits right next to my car parking spot when he sees me driving home, I then go inside the house gtab a chocolat chip cookie and put it on the floor by the front door. he then takes it and flyes away. I live in a association with lots of other cars but He seems to recognise my car ... It has been going on for more than a year, I think it's pretty cool how smart those birds are!!
Watermelon! The crows in my yard love em😊
I found an injured adult crow in the road today. Not sure what happened but he was missing several feathers on his back. We got him off the road and to our yard where he stayed in the same spot for several hours. I was looking for a wildlife rescue to call, I was afraid he had been hit by a car. After about 8 hours of sitting in the same spot he started to make a fuss loudly cawing. I kid you not, in only 30 seconds we had a yard full of crows coming to his aid. One crow flew to the neighbors tree and cawed to him, the injured bird was able to awkwardly fly low as far as the neighbors yard. Other crows stayed close to him. They continued to encourage him and he did make it up into a tree eventually. He had a hard time doing so, and one wing appeared to be giving him problems. It was a gift to watch this and I have journaled the event so I never forget the details. These crows all worked together as a team to help the injured bird, it was incredible! It is dark now, and the crows are quiet. I sure hope he makes it. 🖤
II see so many people feeding crows these days it's great! I'm not even embarrassed about walking around with a pocket full of peanuts for them anymore! 😀
Our local crows are in big flock now but will soon be back looking for nest sites. Several of them know a little tune and have taught us to give them peanuts when they sing! If we're lucky they'll sing with us which just warms this old heart right up! Feel free to check it out at our channel!
We should have some updated videos in a couple months and hoping for hand feeding this year!
Nicely done video, take care!
I have a couple I have been feeding over a decade now and at some point I thought, I'll just stuff my pockets with peanuts and throw some around when I see a crow while riding my bike.
This resulted in several areas along the way with their own group of crows knowing me within a week and flying up when they spotted me.
If you want to talk about people looking at you strange ... :D
Thank you for the video. We fed dozens of crows daily, morning and afternoon. They were great fun. Here's the thing, tho. Crows will eat ANYTHING! They loved food scraps and pet food scraps of any kind! We always gave a scoop of dry dog food, and added scraps to that. Anything the crows didn't want, which was literally nothing, the raccoons would eat. And while some may disagree with our methods and say it isn't organic or healthy, look around. Crows hang out by restaurant dumpsters looking for a treat! Hubby spent hours watching crows.
Oh neat, I didn't know a lot of this! I love crows so much :)
My SF Bay Area crows love roasted unsalted peanuts 🥜 in the shell. They enjoy walnut halves as well. Another big favorite is scrambled eggs. They don’t care much for meat. 🐧
Here in India it comes to my house daily, almost the same time, thrice a day... It calls loudly.. We offer rice, bread, fried items etc. It almost receive the food from my hand..
Our crows love the high quality kibble we feed our dog. That gives them a protein boost.
I put out unsalted in-the-shell peanuts; it seems the crows enjoy extracting the nut from the shell. I also occasionally put out hard boiled eggs (shell on) and the least expensive hot dogs I can find ($1.89/lb), and sometimes raw chicken livers on an absorbent "platform" of sliced bread to absorb the liver juices. Crows are omnivores and enjoy meaty protein.
I've been feeding this family of crows for more than 30 years. They know who I am and I "call" them by making a special kind of vocal sound. I make no attempt to "domesticate" them, although a couple do seems friendlier than most. "My" crows are bigger and more handsome than other crow families in neighboring areas because they are well fed.
Here in Vancouver, BC, crows live all year around. They feed on shellfish from the shores by dropping them from high onto hard surfaces. At night fall, hundred of crows fly to the eastern part of town to roost in tall trees. It is a sight to behold. Our local crows can be aggressive towards people at time, as reported in the media. I love watching pairs gently groom each other and practicing various calls, soft or raucus. They are referred to as tricksters in Indigenous stories. Such amazing birds!
And then there was Canuck! The crow that rode the train! 🥰
Probably aggressive because some people are aggressive to them. They've got an exceptional memory.
They are really only ‘aggressive’ during nesting season, which is understandable.
I fed crows when I lived in Vancouver. And fed them sometimes also in the park. They're super smart. They make feeding so much enjoyable cuz I can see how they operate as a group. And they seem to share the food as long as they're in the same flock. Incredible birds 😍
Nice video 👍
The crows in our area love cottage cheese. It’s their treat item so to say! Many of them take food from my hand as well 😊
My family of 5 crows ( the Jackson 5) come flying from way over yonder with 2 toots on the crow whistle.
They don't like fruit, but will eat anything else, especially meat and peanut butter.
Helpful and informative video. I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US, and am lucky enough to be graced by crows year round. When they see me leave my home or start my car, they land on the neighbor's roof and make their presence known by vocalizing. I've been feeding them dog kibble--they appear to like the salmon and lamb best. Sometimes they'll drop safety pins, paper clips, or small twigs with berries on it at my feet. I'm in love.
This was enjoyable.
I live in Southern Ontario Canada( red area) and I've been feeding crows and ravens for a year. It takes time and patience to earn their trust. In the summer of 2023 before they migrated, I discovered the love cooked egg yolks and plain sardines. I've tried several types of fruit with no luck. I'll try again this spring when they all come back
Please update! I would love to hear a success story
الغربان اخاصتكم الان هي في العراق بسبب اعتدال الجو جميلات جدا تعيش معي في المنزل
I feed my wild crows every day at the same time so they know when to come around. They wait high in the trees until I come out of the house, then fly down to get their snack.
Crows love kibble, and it provides balanced nutrition.
I feed the crows in my back yard. I used to have lovebirds, but they died in an accident. I'm not at home as often now as I was, so I feed the little birds, squirrels, and crows. I've seen a Raven the last couple of days. Last year I named the only squirrel I saw Peanut. She was very friendly and would come up to me. She had 4 babies, and they all survived. She chased them away and now she comes this year alone. I enjoy feeding and watching all of them. The little birds like to eat before the sun comes up, the squirrel comes after the little birds and the crows come before nine a. m. Thanks for your video, I feed my wild friend's bread and peanut butter cut up in tiny pieces, unsalted - peanuts, walnuts, mixed nuts and sunflower seeds. I live in sunny Santa Cruz, California.
I always have a bag filled with unsalted peanuts with me. 🥜 The crows knows me. As they see me, the fly up to me and make their laud crow sound.💖 If they want more, they keep flying towards me, as I keep walking towards my destination, and to say "I want more".. I have doing this for years. They unfortunately, don´t come to my balcony. They´re very shy.
If you make an open spot for them to sit so they can flee right away they will come.
I have this pair here and mom is the most panicky thing you will ever see. she attacks shelled peanuts to make sure they are not alive. THAT panicky.
There is this little wall with a bit of railing in front of my 2nd story apartment. It took ages for her to trust me enough to sit on that. I do have to move away or else she won't come over.
I have to tell dad to move out of the way, he's not scared of me at all. Now I'm waiting for the next generation to be presented. I hope this one doesn't listen to mom like the previous one, That just wandered into my hallway. :D Just make sure they can get away fast and they WILL come.
Love this guide of what crows prefer! Thanks
I put out about a full cup of blackberries for five or six crows I've been feeding. They would NOT TOUCH them.
Surprising. I had planted blueberry bushes at my previous house, and birds stripped the bushes every day, eating the Green berries as much as the ripe ones.
I live in the red area and we've always had crows coming year round. And not just to our feeders, they're all over the city. We have some ravens stop by as well.
I have been feeding a murder of them for years and still am learning. There are some I recognize and some that are difficult to tell apart. They love dog kibble. They also get unsalted peanuts and occasionally eggs and other nuts.
i lived near a murder of crows for many years, & grew to appreciate them
(they're/i have them addicted to suet pellets & cheese here..)
to be near them when they gather at nightime in winter is beyond..🧡
Mine love kibble n bits puppy food and leftover corn chips on Mexican food night. Mine land at my feet as I put out their food.
Good video. I like your wooden trays. I need something like that which won't collect rain water.
Crows do go nuts for peanuts. I think they prefer them in the shell because they love hammering them open with their beaks. It's soft compared to other nuts so they enjoy the challenge. I think dried cat food is the best of all because it's the right size and contains most or all of what they need.
Be careful with low quality cat food. It does more harm than good for the crows.
At Broadstone Recreational Park,Dorset,U.k. is a flock of a 100 plus.I noticed that about 10 percent had several white feathers.When My Dalmatian Douglas was recooperating from an injury ( A long leash,so not to aggrevate injury)I would throw kibble for for Him to find. 4 or 5 yards away.The White feathered crows would arrive.Id Throw them kibble,Dug paid no mind to them.withen 2 minutes we would be Surrounded by the whole "MURDER"(can be seen on Tube under Dalmatian Dugs Diary).I told My Dad and drove to the parking lot where the Field was,Ten soccer pitches in Size.As I got Out of the Car the Crows were congregated at the Far corner of the Square field 350 yards away.I scattered some kibble.No response from the Murder,untill I let Dug Out of the Car.Within 15 seconds, The Whole Murder turned up.White feathered Freinds in the Vanguard and last to stop following.My Dad Len thought Id been joking up until He saw it with His own eyes.,😮That was 5 years ago.They both passed now.🙏 I went back a few Months back.In the same Car As I got Out the they flocked to greet Me.😮 Incredible Memories. There happened to be 5 other Dalmatians exercised at that Park.I would say to them that;If Your being followed by the Crows, Don't be Scared it's not an Hitchcock Film. Corvids Have.I feed My Jack Doors, Crows.ive this Family of Jackdoors for 33 Years.Each summer they build a satellite Nest on My Chimney.One has a twisted wing He flies perfectly.I Mimick There call, It's next Me notime
Drill some holes in the bottom👍. I agree bout the pnuts😂. They do seem to like the shelled ones. ❤
I love Corvinius birds (crows/Raven/western jackdaw/european mackpie)
They are such social, intelligent birds that you want to make friends with.
We also jokingly call the ravens/crows “the pastor’s pigeons”.
Greeting from Germany
So many crows nearby but they don't come in my yard. One day by accident one came to get a piece of bread. It was cool. They're so big!
In Australia crows don't go "caw caw caw" they go "fark fark fark". They love mince.
I've never been able to get my American Crows to come in to the feeder, but in the Spring the Fish Crows come to our area, and they come to the feeder for raisins 🤗
been feeding crows costco cat food for 2 years and they still don't trust me. I think they communicate between each other that humans aren't to be trusted and that consensus kind of sticks for a certain community of crows. wish I could get closer but I'm glad to have the relationship we've established
I thought crows couldn’t have fat?🤔
Been feeding a flock that I walk past nearly every day for past few months and it really motivates me to go out! One or two will spot me as I come out of the woods and then they all ( about 30 ) come swooping in cawing. I love the way they bounce towards you across the grass! They loooove monkey nuts and after I’ve thrown a few handfuls to them all you can hear is surround~sound crunching!😆 They really make my day!
On my daily walks I carry small vitamin bottles of suit balls. The crows will come to the low wires or tree limbs. I put out a small amount. they will often come to the food before I'm 50 feet away. Sometimes to let me know of their presence they do a low "fly by" and swoop up to the phone lines. Often they are very quiet... other times... very loud.
I just witnessed my first crow on my feeder. ☺ I'm so excited! Thank you for this info! 🙏
I live in California and I like to scatter a couple handfuls of peanut suet nuggets every few days. I also like to scatter a fruit and nut mix in the front and backyard for the smaller birds.
This is helpful!!! THANK YOU!!! I've been wanting to start to feed crows at my new place❤ I live more in the country and have high hopes of attracting crows!!!
I have a feeder on a pole in the backyard. It has a squirrel baffle which is quite effective. I put the gristle from my steak dinner on the roof of the feeder,it is gone in no time. Raw excess fat from steaks is also very popular with crows. Finally,on weekends,I get rid of fat when frying bacon by putting a piece of bread in the pan,which soaks up bacon grease. Thrown on the garage roof,it is gone in minutes. Neat to see crows flying away with a grease soaked piece of bread in their beaks!
Excellent! I am in the process of beginning a relationship with the crows in my neighborhood. I go for a walk every morning at the same time and blow my crow whistle. So far, it's working. I have yet to see them come down and eat any of the food I'm leaving, but I plan on upping the ante and buying some eggs to hard boil. My dream is to have them go on walks with me, and come to my backyard (at first) and then maybe even to my front porch/yard where the rest of the birds hang out. We have quite the little bird family going on and I love it.
Took me two years to make friends with the crows here. They’re very skittish.
@@samanthawhang7498 Patience is something I need to work on. When I first started feeding backyard birds, It took several weeks of daily feeding for them to get comfy, but now they are, and some are even bringing their fledglings to the porch. So sweet, other than the asshole Mourning Dove who attacked them yesterday.
Love the Crow's!!❤ The crows in So Cal like fast food. They all eat a little different, but they love a nice burger from Jack in the Box.😅
Hello from NE OH! Great video! Thank you for sharing it! I 'liked ' and subscribed! 😊
I buy the large bags of unsalted peanuts for my Magpies they love them.
Nice video. Upvoted, subscription turned on.
4 crows here on the outskirts of Tokyo have trained me to feed them dry cat-food (nut sized and crunchy). But I also throw in a handful of larger stick-shaped pieces of meat-based cat/dog food because the sparrows, wagtails, and starlings will often leave the veranda clean before the crows come a-calling.
I toss out the food at night before I go to bed because they come at the crack of dawn. I'll throw out a bit more at lunch time if the veranda has been stripped clean, and just before sundown, the crows start hanging close (as close as a couple of meters if I don't make sudden moves) for a light evening snack.
It's a toss-up between which I like better, those nearly domesticated wag-tails or smart-as-a-whip crows. Meh ... they're all good.
I feed the crows at my work walnuts. They love em.. Didn’t know the peanuts had to be unsalted. I bought salted ones and they don’t take to them right away. Now I know
I get cashews from Amazon in 5 lb bags the crows love them
Thank you for the advice!
I live in EU, I gave my crows near work some mixed nuts, and they loved cashews. Now I give crows cashews usually. They like it as those are big and not many birds will eat such big nuts.
I've been feeding a pair of crows for almost 2 years now. They stay here during the winter and visit every day! Mine love to eat unsalted peanuts in the shell and sunflower seeds. I only put food out when they visit. Otherwise seagulls, grackles, blue jays and squirrels steal their food. They have left me a few gifts but not often. I have received a bent nail, a shiny screw and a shiny rock. The pair of them aren't scared of me and often wander around the yard when I'm outside. They won't approach me though.
They have brought crow friends with them a few times as well.
I feed squirrels and birds peanuts. Some birds love raisins. Crows,catbirds,starlings and mockingbirds.
Thanks for the information.
I give my crows some raw meatballs, theyll love you forever. Peanuts are great too. They sometime bring me little gifts like pinecones and little trinkets they find.
My crows that come will sometimes Karate Kick the hanging bird seed feeder. The others learn from this and stand by for the dropped food!
Been feeding some for awhile love meat and unsalted French fries
I feed mine a variety of nuts.
And leftovers. They LOVE French fries. (They were the ones responsible for ripping our garbage bags open, which why I started putting out a little of our leftovers from time to time.)
The crows that visit my backyard love dried mealworms and walnuts.
Peas are a favourite treat and great if you have tons of seagulls competing since they don't enjoy them.
I only feed the birds during winter and I have three feeders. One is for rather small birds like Robin, sparrows. The other is more suitable for black birds and of course I feed the large birds- on the ground on a plastic tray. It has gotten a hole last winter which is convenient. I place it so that the rainwater can drain.
I like to offer to those who do not get the chance to reach the feeders- so a few seeds are scattered around as well.
I mix my own foods:
Walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts in whole for crows and magpies
Ground nuts for soft food eaters like small birds and blackbirds.
For the blackbirds some raisins (without sulfurdioxide!!!) sprinkled in as a treat.
And oat flakes in oil for all birds (pigeons love those as well). I let that sit overnight on the counter and it's the most sought out food.
And in harsh weather without snow or rain I leave water out for all of them. It freezes over quickly but there is at least a chance to drink for some time.
Thank you so much! This was so informative and well thought out.
I always put down peanuts but they lounge around. They apparently dropped off a glove for my wife a few years back and haven't seen them since. I tried getting them back by throwing all left over food. Once in a while I'll see one in the backyard but they don't hang out on the roof right next to our bedroom window or our deck patio anymore like they used too. I miss the crows.
My daughter and I feed them daily off of our patio table, she suggested peanuts also and the Crows Cardinals and Bluejays also love them. Great video
Thanks!
so far beef has been their favorite 😂 steak, smoked brisket, they just go nuts
I have a pair here that rules the area I live in. Every morning when i air my apartment they get a peanut breakfast and if they're lucky and I was lazy the day before they might get some mince or chicken. (They love meat lol)
So now is breeding time and I know their young is big enough now because mom joins the party again in the morning.
I'll be getting introduced to the new one soon I guess, like every year. It's always a bit hit or miss with the trust because mom trusts nobody.
I used to give them shelled peanuts and she would first attack them to see if they were "dead". She is that panicky.
I hope this one doesn't listen to het either, like the last one that just wandered into my hallway. :D
My crow family loves to eat ... salted peanuts. They also love popcorn chicken ... again ... salted is fine.
ohhh you sneaky sneaky!
I use boot trays with holes drilled in them to drain water. The ravens will eat from them along with chipmunks and squirrels. The little birds will come to the trays too.
Very helpful, thank you.
When Crows fed at my place, 4 Crows would come. One Crow always served as lookout and this job was shared by all 4 Crows. I just watched them from the kitchen window. There is a type of Crow living on an Island off Australia this considered one of the smartest types birds in the world.
I wanted to be nice and tried giving them fresh berries once. They looked at me as if I'd thrown a turd at them. Back to peanuts I guess 😬
The crows here land in nearby trees and wait until I walk away. I have a plastic call and make the same number and rhythm of caws, so they know immediately the food is there, if they can hear. They know me, and they know I won't sit around forever. Just as soon as I'm 20 feet away, they're on it. Often the blue jays are the most fearless and will swoop right down while I'm there sometimes. They play a game of trying to catch peanuts in midair. They all know I'm not to be feared; I've been doing it for years, and I'm pretty sure the adults show their youngster where I am (the high pitched caws sound like begging). (I can identify at least four by their voices and rhythms of caws; they announce themselves in terms of their location to others.)
Occasionally squirrels come to take peanuts from my hand. I do wonder what the crows think about that (I know they think something-they watch). The problem is, you're really not supposed to give unroasted peanuts to squirrels. Roasted peanuts cost more than unroasted, and it's not cheap to roast them. Whatever you do, don't give birds and squirrels salted nuts. Sometimes I cook eggs (hardboiled or scrambled) in bulk and keep them in the fridge; I break a couple in the shell and leave pieces out-crows here adore that. The squirrels are pretty intrepid these days about eating lightly hot-sauced nuts, and too much hot sauce turns off all the birds. Squirrels eat suet too. I haven't found the perfect balance about using hot sauce. It can't be great for their digestion, even though they eat it (apparently they don't taste it or mind the taste). I like feeding crows & squirrels, but everyone goes all the food It's interesting to see which other birds come, but they mostly only eat the unshelled nuts. The crows tend to get upset (they scold) when people they don't know are around outside nearby. I've left a few shiny trinkets out occasionally to see what would happen, but never any takers. Maybe someday someone might come right up to me. Hunger is a motivator. But who knows? If I were them, I'd be very careful too.
Thanks for the informative video. Great info.! ✌🏻😉🙏🏼🎉🎉
We have mostly Carrion Crows, and they seem to prefer meat, and harassing the birds and squirrels at the neighbor's feeder. They also warn about Hawks in the neighborhood. Great neighbors, imo, especially if you have a small dog.
Ive been feeding Russell for past 6 years, he had a wife for the first 5 years and always brings his one or two new babies over beginning of June every year. Hes been getting whole raw eggs in shells, cooked sliced ham, peanuts, the odd frankfurter, ready meal trays with lasagne etc leftovers, wet soggy brown bread, hard boiled egg yolks. The little buggers seem to eat anything including grapes, cherrys, apples, strawberrys, chinese special fried rice and indian takeaway, chicken tikka massallla being their favourite ! Cant be doing them any harm hes as fit as a fiddle at 7 years old and comes and knocks on my back door then comes in and sits down for a while. his wife comes and preens his feathers too !!
I feel excellent video.
Ours like captain crunch cereal. They left a quarter one time.
I have started leaving my surplus quail and chicken eggs for my crow visitors. I keep them raw to keep it natural. They definitely love them. I don't know if they are aware yet that it's me leaving it for them but in time they will figure it out. Definitely going to build a feeding station for them with running water. (solar pump). I also am thinking of leaving a photo of myself there.
❤. That's great💯.
Good information. I'm near the Canadian border so crows are seasonal here. My biggest worry was that they would eat my grass seed, but apparently that isn't high on the list. I've only seen a couple since putting out the seed, and they don't seem to be bothering with it. My Machiavellian scheme is to get crows to favor my yard to keep other birds, the ones who do want to eat my lawn, away. Plus I've heard that they may eventually become comfortable with you. Not pets of course, still wild animals, but on the whole better than many of the alternatives like seagulls. We don't get seagulls here, but I used to live on the coast and would really rather not deal with seagulls anymore.
Thank you. I feed the squirels peanuts. There is one crow who follows me around when Im in the yard. I throw him a few peanuts on the shed roof. He seems to chase other crows away. I saw him chase a vulcher off a pole to back next door where he belonged.
I did see my crow grab a piece of banana peel I throw into my staghorn fern.
While sitting on my deck watching a humming bird feed on a flowering shrub a few feet away a dark shadow flashed over my shoulder and grabbed the hummer without any noticeable pause. The crow disappeared into the trees to enjoy the snack. They eat anything that moves and fits their size requirements.
I've never heard of that happening!
I have been feeding the crows unsalted roasted peanuts for years no problem. It’s their favorite. They love it. They don’t last very long in the yard. They take them away real fast.
Thank you for this great video, I have been looking for this information for some time.
I live in the country and crows and ravens visit my squirrel feeders occasionally , but would like to bring them in more often.
I live in Western Australia and have been feeding a pair of our crows (and their offspring) for years. Mine love peanuts in the shell, cashews and meal worms. I have tried giving them chicken fat and skin, but they have a a terrible habit of hiding it in my gutters!
The ones on my property love the cat food
On peanuts for wildlife: use only raw peanuts, not roasted. The oils in nuts that birds crave will go rancid once they have been heated. Raw nuts are always best because both crows and jays store nuts for later.
I live in Canada and I have crows year round which I feed. There’s four that come to my back yard but difficult getting them to eat fruit! They love dog kibble, milk bones and nuts! It’s a special day when I have a chicken carcass, a meaty ham bone or beef fat.
Thank you, I recently found an injured young crow. Not sure if boy or girl. Its been eating dry cat food best. Ignored earth worms and black berries so far. Excited to try different things, while helping it to recover.
I don't know who you consulted with but I'm well up in the center of Canada's north and our crows stay with us all year round...always have and always will (I hope!!!).
Yes, I have learned that the migration areas on the map are incorrect. My sources were not exactly right!
I have been feeding crows for 2 years herein NE Oregon, their favorite food is any kind of meat, water soaked cat or dog food and unsalted peanuts. I have a murder of 7 that visit each day, sharing the food with squirrels, doves and starlings
We have a crow that's been hanging around in our back yard. We think it may have been injured, because it never seems to fly very far. There's some shade, and we've been putting out water and trying some of the foods you've mentioned. It's only been a couple of days, but so far it seems to be doing OK.
This was very helpful. I need to build a box feeder like you made. Currently my crows eat peanuts both in and out of the shell, probability grab sunflower seeds as well. Thanks.
I did not know about the feeder part of crows I'll put a ground feeder for them out ASAP