# Making friends with the crows **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 3, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495 "2015-11-03T04:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/21 "2015-11-03T18:51:54Z")
I did this with a squirrel, who eventually brought her kids with her. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/22 "2015-11-03T21:34:58Z")
Well, the big bag of salted peanuts was $7, and the small bag of unsalted peanuts was $4. So they’ll get salted. But they won’t get many, so they should be OK. I also got a large bag of popcorn from the dollar store. And there’s still that brioche left. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/23 "2015-11-03T22:11:59Z")
I recently saw one pick up a chip bag and shake out the crumbs. Our dog will run after most birds but never hassles crows. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/24 "2015-11-03T23:08:39Z")
We had crows in our woods today, and they were harassing an owl. I’ve always liked crows, but I felt bad for the poor, outnumbered owl. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/25 "2015-11-03T23:26:14Z")
Am I the only one who thinks the title of this thread sounds like a euphemism, like “bought the farm” or “sleeps with the fishes”? 😕😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/26 "2015-11-04T00:20:05Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Am I the only one who thinks the title of this thread sounds like a euphemism, like “bought the farm” or “sleeps with the fishes”? 😕😃 Fred Thompson is making friends with the crows? I heard he’s getting into them, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/27 "2015-11-04T00:23:30Z")
Crows are all liars. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/28 "2015-11-04T01:36:59Z")
> [@Abner\_Ravenwood](#): > > Crows are all liars. Well, that’s what Sioux says. One of the highlights of a recent trip to Montana was seeing magpies (MHO, just about as intelligent and even better looking) for the first time in decades. There were a couple hanging out next to the restaurant where I was having dinner; according to the waitress, they’ve learned that if they come into the patio area they get chased away, while if they stay on the sidewalk they get fed. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/29 "2015-11-04T02:06:17Z")
The [**10 worst and best things**](http://www.avesnoir.com/the-10-best-and-worst-things-to-feed-a-crow/) to feed crows. Salt is among the 10 worst. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/30 "2015-11-04T02:58:32Z")
I have a murder of crows in the wooded area beside the paddock where I feed the horses. They come and clean up what the horses drop. A few weeks ago I was walking down to the barn and there was a crow on the ground. It sort of hopped away but didn’t take flight and then sort of hunched there with his wings outspread. The wings seemed to open and close okay, and I don’t know what was wrong with him, so I put some horse feed next to him and a feed tub with a couple inches of water. I checked later that night and he’d either been eaten (not likely in the pasture while it’s still light - the coyotes come out later) or recovered. I didn’t find a body or a bunch of feathers so I’m hoping for the best. StG ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/31 "2015-11-04T03:13:44Z")
You’re turning in to Uncle Billy from _It’s A Wonderful Life._ Silly old fool! ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/32 "2015-11-04T04:01:00Z")
> [@Abner\_Ravenwood](#): > > Crows are all liars. Hey, I’ll have you know I’ve never told a lie in my entire life! 😃 One thing I really miss now that I live on an upper floor of an apartment building is getting to interact with the crows. Wherever I lived before now, I’d always made friends with the local crows and kept treats handy for them. My user name is derived from how they’d watch me hopefully, waiting for their goodies. My technique in feeding them was to make sure I’d caught the eye of at least one before tossing anything out and then only gave them what they could eat at that moment. They got used to me quicker that way, I believe. Also, I didn’t want huge flocks of them that would cause other tenants to complain about me, so I tried to keep the numbers down. But, hey, you know their predilection for calling their friends, and their friend’s friends, and their friend’s friend’s friends, so it didn’t always work out but mostly it did. I used to get my unsalted peanuts at Costco. A five pound bag runs about six bucks in our area. Or, at least it did a few years ago. I’m sure it’s not much more than that now. They’re also fond of dry cat food and soft kitty treats. Here’s to all of you who are friends of the crows. You are folks of good character! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/33 "2015-11-04T07:23:10Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > What do you call a single crow? > > Attempted murder 😃 Marge, creeped out: “Homer, I’m very uncomfortable having a gang of crows in our bedroom.” Homer: “It’s a murder, honey. A group of crows is called a murder.” As a kid, I always wanted a pet raven. I heard that they could be taught speech so that sounded fascinating, but they aren’t all ostentatious like those bro-parrots. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/34 "2015-11-04T07:43:04Z")
I don’t know if your crows are the same as our crows but I would really struggle to call an [Australian crow pretty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torresian_crow#/media/File:Torresian_crow.jpg). They are very smart and like you I have toyed with the idea of feeding them. I would like to see if I can get them to solve puzzles to get their food, as other people have done. But there is a catch; I don’t know about your crows but Torresian Crows love to sit in a big favourite tree and “caw” very loudly for hours on end in the middle of the night. They can be seriously tedious and sleep depriving. So I’m not going to risk giving them a reason to make a tree near our bedrooms their favourite tree. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/35 "2015-11-04T17:10:21Z")
This was cool: [A Crow Solves An Eight-step Puzzle](http://www.wimp.com/crowsolves/) > [@](#): > > Dr. Alex Taylor studies wild birds for three months before releasing them back into the wild. In this experiment, a crow with the nickname “007” attempts to solve an eight-step puzzle that has to be completed in sequence in order to receive a food reward. Now, I’ve got to rewatch Hitchcock’s _The Birds_. Creepy bastards… ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/36 "2015-11-04T19:44:18Z")
Winco has unsalted peanuts in the shell for $1.73 a pound. The squirrels, jays and crows around here necessitated price shopping! ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/37 "2015-11-04T20:13:16Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I have a murder of crows in the wooded area beside the paddock where I feed the horses. They come and clean up what the horses drop. A few weeks ago I was walking down to the barn and there was a crow on the ground. It sort of hopped away but didn’t take flight and then sort of hunched there with his wings outspread. The wings seemed to open and close okay, and I don’t know what was wrong with him, so I put some horse feed next to him and a feed tub with a couple inches of water. I checked later that night and he’d either been eaten (not likely in the pasture while it’s still light - the coyotes come out later) or recovered. I didn’t find a body or a bunch of feathers so I’m hoping for the best. > > StG He’ll be back tomorrow with the same routine. 🙂 Why is everyone so concerned about not giving the crows salt? Living animals need salt. We put 50 lb salt blocks out for the horses, and they go through a few of them a year. Salt is not poison. ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/38 "2015-11-04T20:22:29Z")
Don’t turn your back on those crows. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6DmWeJtKKs) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/39 "2015-11-04T21:08:06Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Why is everyone so concerned about not giving the crows salt? Living animals need salt. We put 50 lb salt blocks out for the horses, and they go through a few of them a year. Salt is not poison. When birds eat too much salt, they can suffer from kidney problems. Squirrels, which we have in abundance and frequently beat the birds to the treats, can suffer from high blood pressure and tachycardia. So salt can indeed be a ‘poison’ if it is taken in excess. Having said that, I don’t mind sharing a _few_ Cheetos with the crows. I don’t mind giving them salted-in-the-shell peanuts or tortilla chips. It’s not as if I’m leaving a pantry out there, so they’re not going to get enough salt to harm them. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495/40 "2015-11-04T21:11:35Z")
You should give your squirrels an annual stress test on a treadmill to screen for heart disease. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-friends-with-the-crows/736495.md?page=3)