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what to feed american crows? (3 Viewers)

scuba0095

Well-known member
they dont seem like the raw eggs i put oout! what do wild crows love to eat? Corn? cat food? Almonds? They are so damn picky!
 
From what I know of crows where I live I imagine they would take a huge variety of things. Experiment putting out different feeds for a while and you'll soon find something they like.
 
From my experience, they'll pretty much pick through anything.

But one thing they seem to wait for are whole peanuts that I put out for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays are quicker than the crows and can come in faster and grab one, fly off, then come back a minute later. But the crows have their own tactic. They manage to fit and adjust them in their beak so that they can carry off a few at a time.
 
I have read that they love meat on the bone - perhaps left over chicken carcuss. I have also read that they like dog food kibble - I think you might have to be careful about what kind though.
 
The crows here in Tennessee love peanuts in the shell like a hog loves slop. I feed them almost every day on my driveway so we can watch them as we eat lunch. They do something I have never seen another bird do. They will peck at a peanut and then jump back as if the peanut was going to attack them. Has anyone else seen this happen? I think they may have developed this trait from eating animals that have died or was killed on the roads, etc. I am sure in that situation they would want to make sure the animal was really dead, so they give it a good peck and jump back to be safe. Anyone have any ideas?

Robert
 
do crows only like certain foods during specific times of the year? In the summer i feed them eggs they love it but right now they dont want eggs

ALso they refuse to eat whole corn seeds, why is this? Is it to hard for them to digest? Maybe they only like soft corn on the cob?

They refuse my cat food also, but the ring billed gulls love the cat food so thats a good thing

I bought a few pounds of shelled peanuts, hopefully the crows dont snub this? be nice to see a few blue jays around also

thanks
 
You can't go wrong with peanuts in the shell! Blue Jays, Cardinals and most definitely Crows absolutely love them! As Robert mentioned above, Crows will fit 2 peanuts and fly off to eat them. Then come back and do the same over and over.
 
I have thought about putting out eggs but I wonder if it is training the crows to search out bird eggs. Obviously that would be bad but it is just a theory.
 
What to feed crows ...,

How do you do. I'm new to the forum, and have only joined in order to discuss the American crow. I've been feeding a small family for about five years now, and have much to add re; my silly little family. :) They're eating us out of house and home! :)

What does my little family like to eat? Cheese, cheese and more cheese. :) Wieners, turkey or beef; omelets, macaroni and cheese ..., cooked egg of any sort. I learned the hard way "not" to give them an uncooked egg! My guys took the egg up on the neighbors roof ..., broke it open, letting all the runny insides seep down the rooftop resulting in a horrible mess. Never again! :) If you give them a hard boiled egg, they'll eat the yoke and leave the whites. So, I make them an omelet everyday ..., that way they have to eat the whole egg. They'll eat peanuts "only" if they're the last resort. They "love" Col. Sanders, but don't care much about french fries, or any other potato or vegetable dish. They prefer their meat "cooked", and not raw. They'll eat dry dog food ..., but I wish I knew if it was good for them? I worry that it might swell in their tummies if it's not moist? They like all types of cooked pasta, but don't seem to like any type of corn or vegetable. They hate olives ..., but they love any kind of pizza. They love all of their food smothered in bacon fat or butter. They like bacon, but only if it's sweated out a little bit and not real crispy. If I give it to them raw, they'll take the bacon up to the telephone wire and hang it until it's ripe. Another unsightly neighborhood view. I would also have to definitely say, they seem to crave different foods at different times of the year. During the summer months when rain is scare, I run the garden house so that water fills the street gutter, so they can wet their food. During nesting time the males provide water to the nesting females by first soaking the food in water. Crows also love to play in water. Here in Oregon, in the dead of winter you can see the crows taking baths in the mud puddles. They truly seem to be, "fowl weather friends." :)
 
I have thought about putting out eggs but I wonder if it is training the crows to search out bird eggs. Obviously that would be bad but it is just a theory.
Maybe it'll prevent them from going after other bird eggs? I've wondered the same thing myself. We have a crow stand in the back yard and we also have bird houses, I've never seen the crows go anywhere near the bird houses, which I wish I could say about the starlings. ): In fact, I've never seen the crows bother any other bird, outside of the red tailed hawk. I've often wished that they would stick up for themselves a little bit more.
 
i figure this out years ago

peanuts

and during nesting season? My duck eggs or any EGGS!!!! But they will only take eggs during certain time of year. Same with dead animals they will only eat that certain times of the year in certain situations.

They will also only kill live prey certian areas in certian time of the year. In some areas they can feed with pigeons or starlings and not touch them. BUt other areas other times of the year they will kill them. ALso they will rob other birds nests sometimes but sometimes they wont.

I saw a sea gull almost kill a crow though that got near its nest, god knows how the sea gull caught the crow. The crow must have died later because the gull kept hammering over and over into its skull after it caught the crow by its wing. It was during nesting season. I wonder how common it is? It was just a herring gull also. So nothing too special.
 
One thing you should all know about the Crow is they're higher intelligent! They can not only make tools to make a tool to get to the food, but they can also Watch and study us and even remember us and tell others they Roost with later about us.

If they see you providing the food they can pick your face out of a crowd of people. this can be a good thing or....

http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/
 
yes corvids are the smartest by far i think only macaws can come close to them

the raven is the smartest which is why it always gets its way the big black boss
 
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