Crows are very sneaky and extremely smart birds.
If you are taking care of chickens, their eggs are very vulnerable to these black birds.
You might need to take extra precaution if you don’t want to have stolen chicken eggs as crows can easily learn how they would be able to steal and eat them.
Dealing with these smart birds would pose a challenge, but there are many ways to counter crows from stealing eggs.
One good way is to put up a chicken coop to keep them protected.
However, there are cases where crows can figure out the trick behind the coop.
Try putting a bird deterrent like predator birds, snakes, or maybe keep a dog nearby to shoo them away.
Let’s get into more detail
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How Do I Stop Crows Eating My Chicken Eggs?
While you might have a nice yard and shed for your chickens to lay their eggs comfortably, make sure that the eggs are safe and protected from sneaky crows.
Crows are smart and they would love to steal your chicken eggs as their meal.
Here are some ways you can do to stop crows from stealing and eating your chicken eggs:
1. Put up an enclosed chicken coop with nest boxes
If your chickens lay their eggs in a protected chicken coop, crows wouldn’t be able to see any potential eggs to steal.
Build an enclosed chicken coop to avoid their eyes and protect your eggs from the thieves.
You can also try to put up a pop door and train your chickens to use it.
However, it is best to make sure that you also use other deterrents to keep them away since crows are extremely intelligent birds that they might also figure out the trick behind the pop door.
2. Install bird decoys around the area
Fake moving owls or hawks would serve as one of the best deterrents for crows.
Related article – Are crows afraid of owls?
Put them above the pen to scare them away or place the deterrents near the chicken coop, so crows would not dare to eat your chicken eggs.
It is also best to buy moving decoys or move their place from time to time.
This is to prevent the crows from finding out that they are just displays and not harmful
3. Hang reflective displays near the pen
Crows hate shiny reflections.
Hang CDs around the area and make sure there are enough reflective lights.
Reflections will keep crows away and will avoid your chicken pen.
A great strategy to keep your eggs safe and protected.
4. Consider getting a dog
Dogs will make great excellent guards against crows.
They can be great companions and would definitely be effective in protecting not only your chickens, but other farm pets.
You don’t have to see the crows’ intelligence as a major problem since guarding dogs can handle the birds alone for you.
Do Crows Steal Eggs?
Unfortunately, crows steal eggs.
They will go to your chicken’s laying shed and carefully take them away.
Once they spot eggs freely in your yard, it is almost a guarantee that it will become a prey for them soon.
If you have an open and free chicken pen, make sure that you take precautions against crows.
They are excellent and intelligent thieves that can become so troublesome for you.
Why Do Crows Steal Eggs?
Crows are smart and really sneaky.
Many people consider them as bad birds because of their cunning nature.
Crows steal eggs because they view them as an easy-meal.
They are very opportunists and intelligent enough to figure out ways on how they steal the eggs from you and eat them.
Exposed chicken eggs in the yard are the easiest target for them.
Eggs inside a pen or a coop are not entirely safe from them at all because crows can easily go inside and steal them.
After all, crows will not be considered as one of the most intelligent animals if they would not be able to figure out how a simple chicken coop works.
Your chicken eggs are not the only easy prey for these highly intelligent birds.
They are also capable of attacking chicks or baby chickens to eat them.
Though your adult chickens are generally safe from crows, newly-hatched to weeks-old chicks are also their easy prey.
How Can You Discourage Crows?
While these cunning birds are troublesome for many, there are still ways to discourage them.
Traps may not be the best method to combat against their high intelligence, but scaring them off is possible.
Crows hate hawks and owls, so buy fake decoys to keep them away.
There are also many bird deterrents such as reflective surfaces that they absolutely hate.
You can also try to install devices that will produce distress calls of preyed birds to discourage them from roaming around your area.
Try to look for the sounds of killer birds too as they are also proven effective to shoo them away.
Another effective method of discouraging crows is to hang a fake dead crow body upside down.
Hang the fake dead crow upside down from a stick or tree, so it will move a little in the wind.
It would scare the real crows away as it serves as a danger warning, and they would mark the area as dangerous since dead crows are supposed to be extremely disturbing for them.
Wrapping Up
Crows are opportunists and will surely steal your chicken eggs to eat them.
If they see exposed eggs and even baby chickens in your yard, you might have missing eggs or chicks really soon.
They are also smart enough to figure out how they can sneak inside your chicken pen to take your eggs away.
Make sure you keep your chicken pen or coop safe by putting bird deterrents, getting a dog, or installing reflective objects around the area.
This would keep the crows away and keep your chickens and eggs safe.
