Crow issue.

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Chriscotter

Chriscotter

Well-Known Member
Evening all
I have a crow issue I’m struggling to solve. We have horses in fields next to a small country lane. The fields are horse netted into smaller paddocks. At the other side of the lane are approx 12 poplar trees full of crows. The crows come down and spread the horse droppings all over looking for dung beetles. The missus is going mad about them as the dropping ruin the field if not picked up but can’t work out a way of eradicating/deterring the crows. The poplar trees are on the bank of the m62 motorway. Any new ideas welcome as I’m now struggling to find a solution. Cheers chris
 
Build a hide and go out with .22 rimfire or if you can get close enough an air rifle.
Go on to either Airgunforum or Airgunbbs and I'm sure you could get a couple of guys interested in this, as doing it by yourself will be time consuming.

Good luck
Ed
 
Chriscotter said:
Evening all
I have a crow issue I’m struggling to solve. We have horses in fields next to a small country lane. The fields are horse netted into smaller paddocks. At the other side of the lane are approx 12 poplar trees full of crows. The crows come down and spread the horse droppings all over looking for dung beetles. The missus is going mad about them as the dropping ruin the field if not picked up but can’t work out a way of eradicating/deterring the crows. The poplar trees are on the bank of the m62 motorway. Any new ideas welcome as I’m now struggling to find a solution. Cheers chris
Click to expand...
The droppings won't ruin the field if not picked up! They'll only ruin the field if left in the areas where the horses deposit them, creating the effect of "roughs" and "lawns". An alternative to picking them up is to spread them about. Sounds like the crows are doing this for you to an extent, but a chain harrow will do a better job.
 
Thanks guys was thinking about the Larsen trap method but really havent had much success on crows, magpies seem a lot easier even with a crow call bird. Thanks for the lesson in ruining my paddocks but after 26 years of breeding showjumpers I’ve learnt that I don’t want my grassing paddocks ruined with a load of Timothy and and Italian rye seed from the hay they’ve eaten over night. Hence the advice on crows not grazing. I don’t have the time or patience for air gun work and due to the horse netting I wouldn’t be comfortable using the rim fire. If anyone wants the shooting feel free it’s near Selby.
 
I’ve googled the plans for a ladder trap and this may be the next job. Just a quick question, do u just use air gun to dispatch the captives I presume. Thanks
 
sounds like rooks, ive seen them deterred with their dead mates hung up on canes, if you have access to trees shoot the nests out with shotgun
shakey
 
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Thanks jake but we have clients here buying horses and unfortunately the don’t understand dead crows hung up everywhere. The trees are NEXT to m62 and there not nesting there just sitting between snacks. I’m going to give the ladder a go il let you know how I get on. Cheers guys
 
+1 on ladder trap. Make sure you properly identify what types of black bird they are, as that will matter in terms of how far apart the spacing is on the ladder. It can be trial and error, they are cunning gits. Design your ladder in a way that you can increase or decrease the spacing size as you wish.

Bread and wheat is a good suggestion. We used wheat or oats, something visible helps but they don't need much help or encouragement. Once you have caught birds, leave one in there. It will help get the next one and they will all start visiting.

They do switch on quite quickly, so it can help to move it around. Also, if the public can see it, it can pay to keep it sort of out of sight. As long as best practice is exercised, it is perfectly ok but you know what the public are like. If they see 30 birds flapping about in a large netted area, they get all twitchy.

In terms of dispatch, it can be hard. Best to go in, round them up in a bag and deal with them away from the trap. Don't let birds sat in adjacent trees see you nobbling their mates. I personally would not dispatch them with an airgun in situ. Takes too long, you can miss or injure and they will go nuts. Get in there with gloves, grab them, bag them and dispatch cleanly and humanely elsewhere.

Lastly, it sounds like you are busy, so I understand you cannot be out there all the time shooting crows, rooks and jackdaws but try and get out a couple of times a week with a shotgun, even if just for 10 mins. Not only will you add to your tally a little bit but the noise will help annoy them and discourage them.

Good luck, they are sods when they are there en masse.
 
Cottis, thanks for this, all useful points. The shotgun is a no-no due to the type of horses we have, warmbloods dont need a reason to injure themselves so I try to avoid it really. Just to add to the equation there is a large commercial free range pig unit next door so the crows (which they mainly are,with a few rooks floating around) feed when the pigs get fed morning and night then play in the horse dropping for rest of day. Iv found some designs I like but may knock up a couple of ladders as sizes people recommend do vary quite a lot. I can’t see anything in best practice about shade for a call bird, as per Larsen trap, any ideas. Cheers
 
If you are going to keep a call bird in the trap. Follow the advice for a Larsen trap. Put a perch in one corner and some water somewhere.
If they are feeding on the pig farm see if you can get a bag or two of the food they’re on. Could help baiting them, even getting a similar trough could increase your catch.
I do sympathise with regard to noise and horses. My sisters pony hated hot air balloons. My mate on the other hand went shooting with a 12 bore off the back of his. Go figure.
 
We have never put any shade or cover in like you would with a Larsen trap. A ladder trap will work just with bait but once you have a few birds, it can help to keep one back for the next day.

We do stick a small trough of water in there for them and of course the food is there for them as well, although they get through that quick smart if they number more than a dozen.

Just keep the best looking fittest bird back when you empty it each day. It is surprising how well they work when built properly and put in a good place.
 
mudman said:
Just shoot a few and hang them up as a deterrent.

No need to kill the lot
Click to expand...

I have stated why I won’t be hanging them up, if I kill them all il be the best pest controller in uk.
For the guys that have read all the post before jumping in thanks I really do appreciate you help. I shall keep you posted on the results.
 
Chriscotter said:
Cottis, thanks for this, all useful points. The shotgun is a no-no due to the type of horses we have, warmbloods dont need a reason to injure themselves so I try to avoid it really. Just to add to the equation there is a large commercial free range pig unit next door so the crows (which they mainly are,with a few rooks floating around) feed when the pigs get fed morning and night then play in the horse dropping for rest of day. Iv found some designs I like but may knock up a couple of ladders as sizes people recommend do vary quite a lot. I can’t see anything in best practice about shade for a call bird, as per Larsen trap, any ideas. Cheers
Click to expand...
If it's a crow with its mates it's a rook, crows are usually on there own. How big is the piece of land? You could call them to another side and shoot them? Or, get friendly with the farmer and blast away or get someone to do it for you. That way, you've eliminated the problem where it is!
 
Is the lane big enough to drive a truck down? If so, you could put some 'Roadkill' in the lane and then drive a truck down it occasionally.
The Highways Agency found over 200 dead crows on stretch of road recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be from vehicular impacts. However, during analysis it was noted that varying colours of paints appeared on the ...bird's beaks and claws. By analysing these paint residues it was found that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by cars.
The Agency then hired an Ornithological Behaviourist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills. The Ornithological Behaviourist quickly concluded that when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow to warn of danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah", not a single one could shout "Truck"
Hope this helps?
MS
 
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