Foreign objects

[Sterling]

Good grief this has gotten Rediculous!!!! For some time now I've been suspecting crows are bringing left over food they find in a dumpster to my horse's water buckets...I mean it's gotta be, right?! The water and feed buckets sit inside my property and for someone to try and sneak in with the way our farm is set up and the dogs nosing around would be far fetched. I've found macaroni pasta, bits of lunch meats.......sandwich halves lettuce...but today takes the cake!!! I'm outside feeding the boys and in EACH one of the water buckets at the bottom is sitting two (count 'em TWO) pork chop bones!!! :new_shocked: Like someone delibertely put them in there.....two in each bucket!

: I can usually get away with topping the buckets for a couple of days and changing the whole thing every other day, but I've been changing it twice daily since this stuff has been floating around in them. I see the crows drinking out of the buckets...but did'nt think they'd carry around meat bones and dunk them in water!!! Whats up with THAT??? Aside from filling the buckets halfway with water and hopefully discouraging the crows from coming and drinking, what else can I do? Yes these are crows...the BIG kind...not the little grackles or starlings. I'm getting pretty tired of these feathered nusances this year! :new_2gunsfiring_v1:

 

[KanoasDestiny]

I've never heard of such a thing. That must be very annoying! Is there any way that you can move the water buckets to an area that may discourage the crows more? Or you can try making a scarecrow. :lol: (They never work, but for some reason, they're famous!). I'm interested to read what people tell you for this one.

 

[Hosscrazy]

Same thing over here - it's definitely the crows!!!! Last year I found chicken bones laying around my horses yard; another time I was with the horses and out of no where a crumpled bag of donuts fell from the sky. I looked up and sure enough, there was a crow flying overhead... :new_shocked:

Liz R.

 

[DebiM]

That's a thought but I've never had crows here wash their food. What will do that here is Racoons. Do you have any of those around? They almost always wash their food before eating it.

 

[solupe]

Hang up a dead crow where you do not want them to be and they will stay away from there...

 

[Sterling]

Well I sure did'nt think of a scarecrow....usually just put mine out for the fall as yard decoration! :lol:

Oh yes we do have racoons around here...I had not thought about them either, but these bones got there in the course of the morning hours in full daylight, aren't racoons nocturnal? What I did was instead of filling the buckets ll the way tip to the top, I only filled them halfway. So if they want to dunk their meals in the water, they'll have to really bend for it to get it back....maybe they'll fall in and learn their lesson?!

OMGosh a bag of donuts falling out of the sky???!!! Too funny!!! But hmmmm not sure I could stake a dead crow up close to the buckets....don't think the horses would like that and I'd never get the dogs off the fence post!

 

[tifflunn]

I have no answer- But that it way to funny(of course not for the horses) :lol: :lol: !!!

 

[Southern_Heart]

I agree with DebiM its most likely Racoons! The black birds here will dump the dog food in the buckets to soften up so they can eat it but these Racoons will always wash everything they eat. Its funny to watch them try to wash a cookie. By the time they wash it, its all dissolved!! :lol:

Joyce

 

[BethC]

We don't have crows out here but we have barn swallows that come in all our buildings and we put up a plastic owl to keep them out. Maybe one of the farm stores would know something that would keep them away? Also, do you have any idea where they are getting all these leftovers? Maybe somehow they could be kept out?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Well, that is too funny! Rather you than me, though. We have enough trouble with our own critters. A couple of notes about raccoons--they need water for their food because they don't make saliva. It isn't because they are clean-freaks. They also carry parvo and rabies. Hope you find a solution!

 

[Mona]

YUCK!!! That surely would be a pin in the butt!! Have you tried setting out a scarecrow?? Or maybe a radio?? I don;t know what else to suggest. Maybe set up high some strands of electric wire fencing above it, so when they come in for a landing they will get zapped?? They will drop their things, but they will also learn to find somewhere else for their water source??

 

[billiethekid40]

If you have seen the crows out there, then it probably is them. They do like to pick up junk and old food and carry it around. I doubt they are doing it to wash or dunk their food like a raccoon, more likely they are just going to get a drink and dropping their leftovers when they land... and of course, they aren't about to go back in after what they have dropped!

 

[Sterling]

I have no idea where the food is coming from!! We keep our cans covered (we don't eat pork much either) and from the neighbors that are arround us they seem to be quite tidy. Only thing I can think of is maybe from the couple of restaurants that are closeby they could be getting it from the dumpsters?

Yesterday after I cleaned the buckets out (yet again!) I only filled them halfway instead of brimming them, which I love to do...but......so this morning I did'nt see any crows on the fenceline and only a smidgeon of what looked like breadcrumbs in Manny's water bucket. I cleaned both buckets out again and filled them halfway. Good thing they have not attempted to do this during the winter months when we have the stock tank set up.....now THAT would be VERY frustrating!!!

 

[REO]

Gee, I thought maybe the horses were ordering take out and trying to hide the evidence! :lol:

Sterling! :saludando:

 

[nootka]

Be careful if you do decide to use a dead crow as deterrent, in many areas they are actually protected. I know they are here. An old-timer my husband knew used this trick and he got caught by an ODFW officer. I know he himself shot the crow and got a hefty fine for it, so I guess if you find a dead one and use it that is another matter.

I find it distasteful, however, as I greatly admire these extremely intelligent birds. They are akin to parrots in other countries as they have the same type of intelligence and parrots behave a lot like corvids do in their wild environment. I have an awesome book, "Birdbrains" about Crows, Ravens and Jays.

The only thing that dunks food and leaves it in my water around here is 'coons and we discourage them being around as they carry disease quite often as well as harassing and tearing up our pets.

Sorry the crows are being pains in the rear. Maybe give them their "own" birdbath further away from the house where they won't be near you and your activity nor make pests of themselves?

But then again, I'm a corvid fan. Hope your new solution keeps working.

Liz

 

[Sterling]

hee hee heee...Hi Robin!!! :saludando: :lol: Yea ordering take-out would be something Manny would do and Hershee would just go along for the "because". LOL

nootka....we also have Blue Jays here...I think they're beautiful with their striking color and they're very bold not afraid of humans. The crows however when they see us looking out from inside they will fly up to the higher trees, only to come back when we've retreated. Now......I am wondering if they are indeed crows, or as you mentioned Ravens...they are HUGE! Bigger than my banty hens. And I DID see the culprits this evening as we sat out by the pond. One had a slice of bread in h is mouth and was heading for the horse corral until he saw us then he made a detour. I've kept the water level low all day today, making sure the horses can still drink but it's too low for the crows to enjoy. Also, I do have a separate birdbath and a dog dish out there as well full of water...they for whatever reason prefer the buckets. Could it be the bright color?