I like crows. My wife likes crows. So I. Got a bag of unsalted peanuts in the shell. Just now threw out a handful in the yard. I’m certain at least two saw me.
So how do I manage this without being shunned or overwhelmed? One day a week? Twice a week? Randomly?
Watch their behavior, if they accept the gift expect to offer more peanuts each day at the same time for the rest of time, they will be waiting.
Welcome to the club. 💚
Thank you. I’ve actually had a hard time finding unsalted peanuts with the shell at your typical big chain grocery. Kroger and/or Publix. And I’m in Georgia of all places.
Tractor Supply sells 25 pounds for $40, they have locations in Georgia. Or try a local feed store, best places for buying in bulk are where farmers shop.
Cool. Ive got a TS 2 miles away.
Some advice from experience: if you buy peanuts in bulk, invest in good, critters-proof storage.
Best option I’ve found too. Downside go through way more nuts. Upside more birds.
Seconding feed stores.
Walmart in the bird feed section
Look in the bird feed section, they're usually there.
Norwegian here, but a lot of US farmers now sell directly to customers since T-dawg has ruined international trade for them. There was a video of a farmer about this a few days ago.
I would find a farmer that grows them and buy directly.
Most grocery stores sell ppl food, need to hit up a feed supply place!
Do you have a Costco? They sell big bags of unsalted peanuts in shell there.
Check a pet supply place that sells wild bird food. They’ll usually have bulk peanuts in the wild bird section
I get 5lbs at costco for like 6 bucks
I’ve seen debates whether salted peanuts are bad for crows considering most urban crows diet is fast food and other human trash food ?
It was less than five minutes after I threw them out. I saw more crows than were there five minutes prior. Then soft mewling kinda voicing, then full throated caws after that.
They've found their person.
I would go out every day at the same time, and only feed them if they see me. I’ve started making a clicking noise with my tongue and they will show up. I’ve been at it about a year
I do a big wave (like flagging down a plan on a desert island). They see it and come swooping over.
I do the click noise as well. Didn't want the crows think I was messing with them whistleing like a bird.
They honestly don’t have a problem with people whistling to them. In fact, they can hear the frequency of whistling made by people better than many other sounds due to the frequency range
I whistled a bit from bridge on the river Kwai for my guys and they learned very quickly. Some of them even came up with a return call for me 🥰
I whistle at our crows when I walk out to feed them. They used to come every few days but now’s it’s about once a week.
I like to interact with my bros a little more. I'll sit on a particular park bench and toss each peanut individually to each crow.
Cool username btw, OP!
Thank you. A combo of a nickname and a Leo radio call sign.
They arent big fans of prolonged eye contact, so keep that in mind. Once they're super comfy with you it's more chill and you can look at them more. It's so hard not to lol
I buy the 5 lb bag of peanuts with my regular pet food order at chewy, and I give them a handful in the morning, and more treats (cat food, some dog treats that my neighbor's dog didn't like) when they come on weekends.
The head crow will literally wait to eat until I throw the dog treats bc they're his favorite, and he knows he only gets them from me. (Total crow cost is about $20/mo in peanuts, dog treats, and stale cat kibble.)
We just buy unsalted peanuts in a bag and our magpies eat them. Though they will take the ones in shells first if both are offered together.
I order mine on Amazon along with whole unsalted walnuts.
Welcome to the club and the first day of a beautiful long relationship if you stay consistent. They don't all bring gifts (and it's not why I do it, their daily presence and sweet coos, rattles and clicks and head bows are my present) but mine have dropped the sweetest gestures. An earring, peanut shells from the other houses that feed them hahaha and a few mos ago a dollar bill!!!!
Scramble some eggs and some wet cat food and you'll be their favorite person in the world.
My neighborhood crows sit in my front yard tree and yell at me until i throw peanuts or dry dog/cat food.
Hard to tell, every crow is different. Best not to feed them every day though, they’ll develop a dependence on you, which doesn’t sound bad, until you leave home for a while, like on vacation.
What happens to all the other birds though? Do the robins, tits etc get scared off?
Not sure. First come first served kinda thing?
The Crow Tax. I have to eBay order a 10kg bag every month. They have followed me as far a mile and tried to follow me into a supermarket once 🫣
I started with a 400g bag of unsalted shelled peanuts every two days. It rapidly barreled into buying 10kg bags of shelled peanuts. Now I'm at: 10kg peanuts shelled 5kg of shelled walnuts 3kg of whole cashews. No broken ones for my babies 96 quail eggs 2 bags of cat kibble ~15 cans of high quality wet cat food Dried chicken strips 2kg of chicken hearts 200g of mealworms
Whatever other nice treats I find. I've been giving them some dog treats too lately.
And that twice a month 🥰
I went from no crows, only jackdaws to 50+ crows in 2 different murders and around 40 jackdaws as well as 1 or 2 magpies.
Also not relevant to this thread but I also feed pigeons. Around ~350 I never counted them. They go through roughly 75kg of pigeon food and ~10kg of oats
Wow! Have they gifted you a 1oz gold bar yet?
No but no need. Just hanging out with the bros is enough.
Excellent. One could hope though.