Crows belong to the Corvus genus, and in the family of Corvidae, you’ll find birds such as ravens, magpies, jays, jackdaws, and rooks.
These birds have one thing in common – their intelligence and adaptability.
Crows aren’t precisely birds of prey; although they kill when the opportunity presents, these birds are primarily scavengers.
Crows are omnivores that can survive on proteins or plant-based food sources.
So, crows will eat anything from snakes, lizards, frogs, and bats to fish or even human food.
Therefore, when asked whether crows kill lambs, many people are astounded by the answer.
Yes, crows can and do kill lambs.
It is rare to find crows attacking a healthy lamb, but a frail and slow-moving lamb stands no chance against these clever predators.
Let’s get into the details about crows and what these birds will happily prey upon as a meal.
Do Crows Really Eat Lamb’s Eyes?
Nature is never soft or sensitive and, the aspect where ‘only the strong survive’ becomes most evident when you consider crows.
In most circumstances, you will hardly ever find crows pouncing on a strong baby sheep, especially when people are around.
However, if a murder of crows gets sight of a weak lamb, they don’t hesitate for a second before going for the kill.
Some of the first things a bunch of crows will go for in their prey are the softest parts of the body, such as the eyes, mouth, anus, tail, and umbilicus.
The wounds that these birds inflict upon their victim usually leads to death.
As we all know, crows love to devour carrion as a dead animal represents no threat, and the food can then be enjoyed in peace at leisure.
Do Ravens Attack Lambs?
There are well-documented reports of ravens attacking and eating lambs worldwide.
In many parts across the globe, sheep farmers take extreme care to keep their pregnant ewes and lambs well-guarded to protect them from birds of the Corvidae family.
Unlike crows, ravens have a much stronger and longer bill.
These birds are avid hunters.
Not to mention, ravens are even known to attack healthy lambs striking first the eyes and the tender skulls of baby sheep, rendering them incapable of escape.
In some instances, ravens have gone as far as to attack and maul birthing ewes.
The mother sheep is too vulnerable and in such a position that it cannot turn to save its infant during birthing.
As ravens grow in numbers, the incidence of sheep attacks from ravens has multiplied increasingly over the years.
How Do You Keep Crows From Killing Lambs?
Sheep farmers are required to keep a check on their animals.
As a cattle owner, you must check on your livestock at least once daily.
However, these laws do not apply all over the world.
But, for those conscientious sheep farmers who genuinely love their animals, particularly their lambs, you are advised to keep a close eye on your pregnant ewes.
Many experts recommend that you try to keep your ewes in enclosures during lambing season.
In general, ewes require less space, but a pregnant ewe needs at least 16-25 square feet.
However, you cannot always keep your ewes locked up as these pregnant mams need lots of green pasture for exercise and feeding.
But, the one thing to do when the lambing season starts is to always be close by during their time out in the field.
Ravens look for lapses in attention or unsupervised pasturing when they get enough time to attack and feed.
But, crows and ravens alike stay away when humans are nearby.
Furthermore, when it is birthing time for your pregnant ewe, never allow the birthing to take place in the open.
By doing so, you will expose your ewe and your lamb to all kinds of danger, not just from birds like ravens or crows but predators such as foxes or coyotes.
A safe, clean, and enclosed area where you can keep the doors shut and the window closed is where you want your pregnant ewe to deliver its baby when you know that your area is full of ravens, crows, or other predatory birds such as hawks.
Also, you will need to ensure that the lamb stays indoors and doesn’t venture into the open without you around to keep it safe.
There have been cases where lambs have been mauled even with their mother.
You see, ravens don’t go straight for the lamb first; they first tend to blind the mother sheep and then aim for the lamb.
Which Birds Kill Lambs?
There are indeed many different species of birds that kill lambs.
So, it’s no good to see the Corvus family members as evil.
But, in truth, many sheep farmers hate these ‘pest birds.’
However, other birds of prey don’t restrain themselves from a kill when they find the chance to do so.
Hawks, eagles, and even seagulls often attack lambs.
In Idaho, America, a sheep farmer lost a significant amount of his revenue from attacks by Bald Eagles in the area that repeatedly killed lambs.
In Scotland, golden eagles, too, played a small part in the number of dead lambs.
And in Australia, seagulls are reputed for mauling lambs on several occasions.
So, before, during, and sometime after the lambing season, sheep farmers are recommended to keep their pregnant ewes close and their lambs closer for safety.
What Do Crows Kill?
Unlike many birds of prey, crows don’t kill for thrill.
These birds don’t live and thrive on the hunt.
Although they most certainly have many gifts of nature to help them, if the inclination to hunt does take them, you won’t often find crows killing.
In many metropolitan cities, you may witness crows rummaging through garbage cans to find food.
There are countless YouTube videos where you can see crows enjoying a meal of burgers and fries.
Crows are carrion birds and prefer to work as little as possible for their food.
Yet, these highly intelligent creatures are not short of ideas.
If food sources are scarce, crows go down to eating grain such as corn to survive.
When a crow or a raven is hungry, it’ll attack anything from a fish to a frog, from an insect to a rabbit, and from smaller birds to eggs of other birds.
Wrapping Up
Lambs are easy prey to many predators, ones that walk on all fours and those with wings.
Crows and their many cousins have a growing population, and it isn’t easy to outwit these brilliant beings.
So, for sheep farmers, if you want your lambs safe, you must make an effort.
Crows are scavengers, but you better believe they will just as quickly kill a lamb to snack on if the opportunity arises.
