[funkyfish]

We are having a big problem with crows stealing our eggs. Loosing about 2-3 dozen eggs a day! 


We have 3 largeish henhouses with quite big doorways on them. The hens free range within 200m of electric netting in 3 different pens. The only eggs they don't take are the ones laid in the small rabbit hutch we have as a shelter for the ducks. Any ideas how to stop them stealing? Would putting a flap on some kind over the door help? Or some netting over the house and a bit infront of it, low enough for the hens to get under, but might spook the crows?


My landlady is not into shooting them (or foxes, even when they took almost all of her lambs!).

[SteveHants]

I have Larsen traps out for crows....if you hide them well enough she might not notice?


If not, an owl is supposed to be quite good - either get a falconer to fly one or buy a big placcy one.

[Bodger]

Try making your own fly strip type thingy to hang up over the doors. Thankfully, I'm in a position where I can just shoote em. Unfortunately, my problem is with gulls and for ssome reason, they are protected.

[fl206]

Unfortunately, my problem is with gulls and for ssome reason, they are protected.

Which species of gull? If you take a look at the general licences http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wml-gl04_tcm6-24149.pdf http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wml-gl05_tcm6-24150.pdf http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/wml-gl06_tcm6-24151.pdf lesser black-backed gulls can be shot if you have a valid reason.

[Victorian Farmer]

You need to blast the nests then make a catching pen and kill them and  hang them up it will stop but it will take time.

[jaykay]

The only thing I've found that gets rid of jackdaws (who are the egg stealers round here) is hanging a dead one around, as VF says.

I'm not a good enough shot though, and my ex took the decent air rifle. Need to sort out both I think.

[funkyfish]

Thanks for your help!!

[hughesy]

Hanging the odd dead corvid about the place definitely keeps them away. We were plagued with jackdaws last year so I bought a larsen trap which is very effective at catching them.

[funkyfish]

An Rspca centre  near me has geese for rehoming, would they see off crows?

[HesterF]

My impression is that the geese aren't too fussed about birds. Cats and dogs, yes. But it's hard to tell because whenever I'm around, the crows aren't, iykwim. Certainly I've had no egg stealing but the hens are in a henhouse so they'd have to go in through the pop hole, across the house and into the nest boxes (and a longshot to actually find an egg there anyway). Could you do what you do with egg eating hens and put lots of false eggs in there - would they give up if they kept getting a golf ball instead? You can also get those nest box things that have the eggs roll away into a covered area which is also intended to prevent hens eating eggs but might also work for crows?

H

[hughesy]

Crows, jackdaws or any others of the corvid family will not be put off by geese. Or pigs. Or even people. They are extremely clever and know exactly what they can or can't get away with. If they see one of their mates being killed they will stay away from that area. Likewise a few dead ones hung about the place definitely keeps them away.

[Marches Farmer]

Could try the same thing as with an egg-eating hen - blow some eggs and fill them with mustard.  We had them raiding the lambing shed where the hens were laying in the hayracks and we put up birds scarers made from CD's hung on thin thread with thin strips of tin foil at the bottom, so they flashed and tinkled in the slightest breeze.  Seems to have worked so far, although they'll probably get bolder once their eggs hatch.

[Daisys Mum]

I thing the seagulls are eating my duck eggs, ducks shed is open and they just lay anywhere in it, there are 2 gulls who are around all the time they don't even fly away when I yell at them.

[Brijjy]

We've had squirrels that steal eggs and those little blighters do go into the henhouse through the pophole. I set my oldest son on them with his air rifle. So far he's begged two of 'em. 

[chrismahon]

If your landlady has a problem with your pest control she should be paying for the egg losses. So she owes you big time!!!