[laurelrus]

I got seven young hens in the summer and they've recently started laying.

The chickens have an Eglu Cube (bought on Ebay, great deal!) but they share a paddock with the pygmy goats and almost every egg is laid in the goat house. Didn't seem to be a problem as they lay in the corner and the goats just left the eggs alone. Occasionally there's an egg in the right place in the Eglu, but 95% in the goat house.

The other day I collected a couple of eggs, put them down in the garden and then spent about half an hour cleaning out the Eglu, sorting the sheep etc. and when I went back the eggs had gone. I knew it wasn't the goats as I put the bowl down outside the paddock. I wondered if one of the dogs had taken them but there were no eggy faces.

We have newly installed CCTV but where I'd put the eggs wasn't in range of the camera so the next day I put two eggs in a bowl about 5 feet over and where the camera would pick it up. By the afternoon the eggs were gone, and after scrolling through the footage, it turns out the culprit was a crow who flew down, picked an egg up in his beak and flew off again, then came straight back again for the second egg.

What's really annoyed me today is that I think eggs laid in the house have been taken too. I've just been into the goat house and there are three areas where the straw's been moved aside which is what the hens do when they lay, but zero eggs. We've also seen a crow in the Eglu run so they might be taking them from the house as well.

So, I'd be really glad if anyone can tell me how to keep crows from stealing eggs from the Eglu and the goat house as we'd like to eat the eggs ourselves, not feed the crows!

Thanks in advance!

[Jukes Mum]

Can you shut the goat house door through the day for a few days to get them into the habit of laying in the Eglu?

[laurelrus]

That's something I hadn't thought of. I always just leave it open all day but I don't suppose there's any reason why I can't shut it.
I'll try it tomorrow, thanks very much!

[landroverroy]

 It'll be very difficult to stop crows once they've worked out how to do something.
 I know there'll be many who disagree with me but they are actually fascinating birds, and very intelligent. I had a pet one for many years and she was the most intelligent animal I ever had.
 To stop them stealing from the eglu you need to change things, which will immediately make the crows suspicious and less likely to enter. I would suggest some sort of cloth screen/curtain in front of the nest box, which the hens will push through but the crows hopefully not as they would feel trapped.
 Also, you can't blame the birds for taking easy food in winter when there's not so much around. So if you provide an alternative food supply at the same time then you might be able to divert their attention. They love fat balls.
 If you are a bird lover you will find that with regular feeding they become quite tame and will engage with you.
 If you can't stand crows at any price, please don't use a Larsen trap. They are incredibly cruel and illegal under certain circumstances. Get a cat or dog to frighten them away.

[laurelrus]

Thank you Landroverroy that's very interesting.
I absolutely wouldn't consider hurting the crows, I'd just like to get to the eggs before they do! They ate 95% of our strawberries last summer so they're definitely winning!
I'm happy to put out fat balls, that's a great idea. I'm going to try Jukes Mum's suggestion of shutting the goat house door for a few days (unless it's raining, the goats like to go in if it's rainy).
There's a bird scarer in a field very nearby so I wonder if the birds that are being scared away from someone else's field are enjoying the peace along with the chicken feed and eggs in ours!

[clydesdaleclopper]

Stopping them laying in the goat house just means the crows will nick them from your hen house  I hate the crows as they take so many of our eggs

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I have a neighbor who shoots the crows  for me when I put the wheat/barley in. I agree crows are pains, but very clever and crafty. I had the same problem last year, except the faverolles egg shells were so tough he couldn't find a way in eventually he gave up Couldn't you try the mustard in the egg method like they try with egg eating chickens? It might work

[Marches Farmer]

I once had this problem when I had several hens which insisted on laying in the hayracks in the lambing shed, even though the ewes were eating from them at the time.  I made up a makeshift scarecrow from a fencepost with a coathanger tied to it at shoulder height.  I tied a pair of old waterproof trousers around it at waist height, put an old waterproof jacket on the hanger and put the hood up over the top of the post. I then leaned it against the lambing shed gates in various poses and made a point of moving a sleeve or changing the way the trousers looked every time I went past, and moving the whole thing several metres every day. Worked a treat.

[landroverroy]

Couldn't you try the mustard in the egg method like they try with egg eating chickens? It might work

It doesn't work WBF! I don't whether birds have a poor sense of taste or just like spicey things, but they will even even eat with relish food that is highly laced with cayenne pepper.

[landroverroy]

I once had this problem when I had several hens which insisted on laying in the hayracks in the lambing shed, even though the ewes were eating from them at the time.  I made up a makeshift scarecrow from a fencepost with a coathanger tied to it at shoulder height.  I tied a pair of old waterproof trousers around it at waist height, put an old waterproof jacket on the hanger and put the hood up over the top of the post. I then leaned it against the lambing shed gates in various poses and made a point of moving a sleeve or changing the way the trousers looked every time I went past, and moving the whole thing several metres every day. Worked a treat.

Exactly - that's the sort of thing I'm talking about. Crows are very suspicious of change and notice the slightest thing that's different. So anything moved or added makes them think twice about diving straight in and grabbing an egg.

[laurelrus]

I've been thinking about this while I should have been sleeping, it's really irritating me that the crows will have our eggs and we'll have to buy them elsewhere!
 
Landroverroy - I think perhaps hanging something in the doorway of the goat house like CDs or maybe those spinning windmills we used to have when the children were younger, too high for the goats to interfere with, might put the crows off? As long as it doesn't scare the chickens as well. I think a scarecrow is a great idea but the pygmy goats would no doubt destroy it within minutes!

The other option I think is to leave the chickens shut in the Eglu run until they've laid so the answer might be to extend the run. This would be expensive though so definitely not the first option.

It's really cold and frosty today so I don't want to shut the goat house door as the goats like to go in quite a bit when it's cold.

Thanks for all the input 

[Stereo]

Lead diet. You can't be sentimental about it. They aren't when they eat songbird chicks. If we give them a free supply of food, they will multiply and take more songbirds.

Or do rollaway nest boxes. That will stop them.

[WoodlandsDevon]

I agree kill them but I don't know how... I have an air rifle so has anyone got any tips??.... I heard they are hard to shoot??!

[Marches Farmer]

Ask around.  Someone will know someone who'd like a bit of target practice.

[Stereo]

I agree kill them but I don't know how... I have an air rifle so has anyone got any tips??.... I heard they are hard to shoot??!

You'll need to be a decent shot and get close. Can you build a hide near the shed and leave it there for a few days as they will soon get used to it.