Training A Crow

[Bodean]

Hella Cool. Nice.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks. I'm kind of undecided how things should go. If it's contented living in the shop, I can dig it, if it wants to return to the wild, well maybe. I read where crows live like 6-7 years in the wild, but can live 20-30 years in captivity if well looked after. I get a little lonely in the shop sometimes. Cat died a few years ago, some other living activity in there is cool.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Keep him! Force him to live longer and become a Master Fabricator, like his Daddy. It's for his own good.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I don't know if I would want to force him to have to work so hard, but possibly it can help pick up the wood shavings to earn it's keep. The big task now is learning it's name, perhaps move on to telling the neighbor to stop bothering me for wood screws or anything.

 

[MasterBlaster]

His name will come, on it's own. Just wait a while, see what you call him the most.

 

[FireFighterZero]

I suspect the same Butch. Gonna have to live with the critter for a while. Not an unpleasant idea!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I think he's cool... Maybe he'll chow on some of damn wasps over there!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Not sure about the poison that they carry being good in his digestive track. He is really tuned into flying insects though. I suspect that they must comprise a large part of their normal diet. Anything flying around that his radar picks up and he intently follows it with his eyes.

 

[FireFighterZero]

I dont think the little bugger is a match for that giant wasp yet! I believe the scientific name being waspus horribilous.

Scare me to death.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[FireFighterZero]

I am sensing a trend here. For the record I can kill a rattlesnake with a ball peen hammer, but a wasp will chase me out of a moving car. I dont likes em.

 

[mastermind7864]

I gotta read this when I get time......

 

[woodworkingboy]

I attached a piece of course mesh plastic screen to the middle of the handle bars on my bike, it's easy for Hank to grab on with his claws. He seems to like riding tandem around town, the changing scenery and the breeze. Crows above take an interest, particularly one that I think was his father or mother, is very vocal about it. Perhaps it thinks that he is too young to be riding on a bike?

 

[mastermind7864]

Just read the whole thing while munching a sandwich.

Very, very cool Jay. The wife and I have parakeets......they hatched three youngsters a few weeks back. That's cool and all......but I'd love to have a crow, they are so much smarter than a parakeet.

The name needs to wait......it will tell you it's name if you give it some time.

 

[Limbrat]

I attached a piece of course mesh plastic screen to the middle of the handle bars on my bike, it's easy for Hank to grab on with his claws. He seems to like riding tandem around town, the changing scenery and the breeze. Crows above take an interest, particularly one that I think was his father or mother, is very vocal about it. Perhaps it thinks that he is too young to be riding on a bike?

That is very cool Jay. I bet you get some looks. I walk around town with my squirrel on my shoulder but I've never taken her on a bike trip. I tried to put a little harness on her my wife found and she would have none of it. She doesn't try to get down, she just seems to enjoy the scenery too. Has your crow tried to fly yet?

 

[MasterBlaster]

One thing about a pet squirrel - you can't discipline them or make them do anything they don't want to do.

 

[cory]

Crows above take an interest, particularly one that I think was his father or mother, is very vocal about it.

That's interesting. I rescued a baby crow a couple days ago which we unknowingly displaced during tree removal. The rehab place that took him wanted to know exactly where he came from cuz frequently, once he is old enough to put back into the wild, they end up finding and rejoining their family when they are returned to their home area. I find that amazing that crows do that and amazing that humans figured it out!

 

[woodworkingboy]

It seems that crows take a definite interest in what is going on with other members of their species. They will get very interested in the activity when I am on the bike with the bird, following along and landing on roof tops or wires, sometimes making a racket, like they don't really approve. Whether they want the bird to rejoin them, or are trying to scare me off, who knows. Some of their swoops down seem a bit aggressive, but no buzz has come very close yet. A crow on a bike, it does get some looks from people.

It's flight distance range is about two to three feet now, but then more or less a nosedive. Sometimes it takes the posture that it is about to take off, but I think it is unsure. I made a perch attached to the outside of his enclosure, so he can go in and out on his own. Mostly he just sits there all day. The only time it really fusses about anything is sometimes when I reach inside the enclosure to grab it, and it isn't like a panic or anything. It's quite relaxed all of the time, or at least appears to be.

I found a real good way to feed it is to add water to cat food and then mash it up into a kind of semi soft paste. You can feed with a plastic spoon, large mouthfuls. You can easily add anything to the mix. It likes that diet very much. They drink a lot of water. It must have a craw, it sounds funny for a bit after eating.

Randy, I never knew that you could breed parakeets on your own. We had one for many years when i was a kid. it even managed to recover completely from a broken leg.

 

[MasterBlaster]

It doesn't eat meat?

 

[woodworkingboy]

Yes it does, if I decide to share my lunch. Certainly likes fish. Chocolate is no good for them, apparently. I haven't given any sweets. I really don't know how much it taste things, it's more like quickly down the hatch.

 

[gf beranek]

Very good.

 

[FireFighterZero]

I saw an eagle eating a long dead skunk once, they must have a dulled sense of smell or taste. I find it interesting that other crows want to rescue it or at least scold it for the life choices that Hank has made.

Does he eat a lot Jay?

 

[mastermind7864]

Big cages with nesting boxes for the Parakeets Jay. No problem at all.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Ya, Jim, I think that about the only time it isn't interested in food is when it's craw is full. Otherwise, it's like it hasn't eaten for a few days, even when an hour earlier it was hogging it down. I might start cutting back, or I'll have a spoiled youngster here. I can't imagine crows in the wild finding anything near so much to eat. Maybe it's why it can't much get off the ground?

Baby Parakeets must be cute.