So you’ve got chickens. They’re fluffy, they’re fabulous, and they lay breakfast. But now you’ve noticed a few mysterious, dark-feathered figures lurking nearby—crows. Are they friends? Foes? Freeloaders? Before you start handing out tiny trench coats and naming them Edgar, let’s break down the pros and cons of letting crows hang around your backyard flock.

Pros: The Crow Side of Things

🧠 Smart Security Guards

Crows are basically the neighborhood watch with wings. They’re incredibly intelligent and will sound the alarm if predators are nearby. Hawks, raccoons, or that one cat with a suspicious glint in its eye—crows will call it out.

🧹 Clean-Up Crew

Crows are scavengers, which means they’ll happily clean up spilled feed, food scraps, and anything your chickens leave behind. It’s like having a feathered Roomba, but with attitude.

🐜 Pest Control Pros

Crows eat insects, rodents, and other small pests that might bug your chickens (literally). They’re nature’s pest control, minus the monthly bill.

🎓 Free Entertainment

Watching crows solve problems, play games, and occasionally troll your chickens is like having a live nature documentary in your backyard. Bonus: they might teach your chickens a thing or two about street smarts. We started out feeding a “married couple,” as we called them. At first, handling feeding JUST 2 crows was easy. After a few months, word spread, and we now have 7 crows who split their daily bread. A couple are clearly young, and flap their wings, begging their parents to feed them, even thoughthry are clearly old enough to feed themselves!

Cons: The Crow-ncerned Side

🥚 Egg Thieves

Crows love eggs. If they figure out where your hens are laying, they might start helping themselves. Your omelet dreams could be dashed by a sneaky beak.

🐥 Chick-napping Risk

Crows generally don’t mess with full-grown chickens, but chicks? That’s a different story. If you’ve got babies in the flock, keep them protected—crows can be opportunistic.

🗣️ Noise Pollution

Crows are chatty. And loud. If you thought your rooster was vocal, wait until a murder of crows starts gossiping in your trees at 6 a.m. Crows use their voices as their main mode of communication, and will soon start trying tocommunicate with you! Our crows are in the tress at sunrise, calling me for breakfast!

💩 Messy Guests

They’re not exactly tidy. Crows can leave droppings, scatter trash, and generally make a mess if they’re feeling bold. Think of them as the punk rockers of the bird world—cool, but not always courteous.

Final Verdict: Murder or Mates?

Crows can be surprisingly beneficial backyard companions—smart, resourceful, and occasionally hilarious. But they’re not without their mischief. If you’re willing to keep an eye on your eggs and chicks, and maybe toss a few shiny trinkets their way (they love that), you might just find yourself with a feathered alliance worth crowing about.

Just don’t expect them to pay rent.