Hello, Benjamin from Brother’s Campfire here.
Last night was pretty rough. My son was having a lot of trouble breathing and needed frequent nebulizer treatments. I had a lot of congestion and found it difficult to breath, but not as much as to require supplemental oxygen.
Strangely, we all have had significant joint pain and it goes down with Motrin.
My Beloved and daughter are symptomatic and we are awaiting test results.
Quarantine has left me grateful for stockpiling a little. We will be having a lot of beans, rice, and oatmeal. We have some meat and vegetables frozen as well.
To ease everyone’s mind, toilet paper was low on my needs list when this all went down and I purchased beans and rice in fifty pound increments.
I surmised If everything fell apart, wiping will drastically change to cloth or the Sears Roebuck catalog.
So. On to the title. The Corvid family include jays, magpies and ravens, and crows.
I have a particular fondness for birds and crows have value to an urban farmer, or so I have read.
They chase away hawks that prey on chickens and ducks. This is something I have not only read but observed numerous times in nature.
You have to be careful with what you read in feel good posts about urban farming. I have read numerous times that ducks will only gently eat in your garden in search of insects to eat. What I observe is much different than what I read. I am fully aware that it is winter, but my yard is seldom reduced to this level.
I feed these birds so much that there are always leftovers and they fill up on everything else instead.
So, back to the crows.
I have made a habit of talking to every crow I meet in the neighborhood and they appreciate the attention.
They listen to positive reinforcement and will also react negatively if you chase them off. They have long memories.
They have rewarded me by driving off hawks near my house. They are pretty smart.
It has taken months of work to coax them into my yard, and I believe that my stingy attitude of positive verbal reinforcement over actually feeding them was a primary cause, but here they are.
This is well and good in all the almanacs and exaggerated urban farm posts, but they brought a significant concern. They are eating the eggs that are laid in the middle of the yard and the ducks are digging in as well.
I am not sure what to do about the crows, but I purchased crushed oyster shells to inhibit the behavior in my ducks. A calcium deficiency typically is the cause.
I hope they did not learn too much from the crows or I am in deep trouble!
Author: Benjamin
Benjamin Thiel is a community leader, urban farmer, and author of The Ongoing Tale at Brothers Campfire. He might know a guy...
Urban farming can be hell on earth — mainly caused by human greed. I’ve learned not to romantisize.
I enjoy it. A lot. I am a glutten for punishment I suppose.
Me too, I enjoy it. But, there’s struggle and competition involved.
I would very much agree on that.
Stone interesting things you learn hands on rather than just from reading. Nice info sharing
Absolutely. We grow as we go.
Hope you guys will be okay!
Thank you. Three of four of us tested positive number four refused to test.
Tested positive for Corona???
Correct.
Oh, no!
Feel better!
Thanks! Any plans for the new year?
Only plans I have are to go to wildlife refugees and other places to try to see some critters. Trying to keep a distance from people as much as possible in these times. Not sure it does any good. I know people who only went to work and home who wore masks everywhere and still got it.
I am among them. I kept to a small circle and we all got it now. Happy Photo Taking!
Here’s hoping to a fast, easy recovery for all!
Thanks! We need fast recovery!
A beautiful post thank you so much
You are welcome, Abubaker Janden. Thank you for stopping by!
sory about the breathing.. that’s ashame.
Hope it improves soon!
Thank you Cindy.
Hoping for a speedy recovery my friend. It can get tough but I’m sure this will be over soon. Lots of love and hugs from NZ to you all 💞
Thank you Sanjana. How is the Covid situation in New Zealand?
We still have numbers here. But so far in managed isolation. None in the community. Thank God for that because NZ is a small country and community transmission can be very dangerous for us.
No doubt. I am glad you are managing. Is your son attending school?
It’s school break at the moment but school starts from 5th Feb.
Hopefully things cool down by then.
I hope your family gets well soon. And you figure out your crow problem.
Thanks! 🤠🔥Good to hear from you today!
Shucks… hope things get better!
(For you, and the crows XD)
Ha ha! Thanks! “Shucks” is an old school word. Where did you pick that up?
I… actually don’t know. I guess I just saw it in a book or something and it stuck with me?? I’m not sure, XD!
Ha ha! Cool!
No matter how sick you are, somebody has to take care of the critters. It’s a strange and interesting problem you have there. Find something the crows like better than eggs and feed them it? I don’t know. I know you have done and are doing all the homework you can.
Ha ha! An interesting concern indeed!
Hope you don’t have to suffer from this bad passage.
All my encouragement to the family and your boy.
This covid episode is a test for humanity …
Thank you for your conversations with the crows. I had read that crows practice very codified rituals when one of them dies. Here is a link, it will make a nice read and help pass the time of waiting and recovery.
Have a lovely day everybody
Corinne
https://sain-et-naturel.ouest-france.fr/voici-pourquoi-les-corbeaux-organisent-des-funerailles-pour-leurs-morts.html
Corinne, it may be a test for humanity, or a wake up call of sorts.
I talk to all the birds to be friendly, not necessarily because I believe they understand me. I have attracted a variety of birds to my house through talking with them and food incentives.
Thank you for the link! It was just enough to make me hungry for more information on the topic.
Benjamin,
Brother’s Campfire
Oh man – hope you all get through the big C okay!
Feel better soon!
Thank you Zoewiezoe. We are all sick here at the Campfire.
I didn’t know that jays were corvids like crows but I believe it! They have similar behaviors. I too have watched the crows in nature. They are a sturdy lot against predators like hawks and they’re very talkative. I wish you much luck with them. As I kept on reading through your post I did ponder this though – crows take good care of each other just as you and your family are doing right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you all for your health and safety. 🌷
Thank you! I believe only a poet could compose such a paragraph.
I like the corvid family and rescued a jay a couple years ago. He and his mate visit our yard nearly every day.
Thank you for your kind words friend. Have a beautiful day!
How wonderful to have such visitors! The animals know. ☺️
Thank you! You as well!
It is wonderful to be sure. Balancing it all out has proven a challenge! It is good to hear from you!
😊
Hang in there. Fascinating about the crows. I’ll be interested in the updates on this situation.
Thanks. I am curious as well.
I hope everyone feels better soon!
I love crows. I think they’re my favorite bird. I’m glad we have quite a few that come visit. 🙂
Thank you Michelle. I like them as well, but I need to manage my eggs better.
Well wishes to your family. Keep safe, productive and happy. Birds are nice and interesting. Cheers!🙏🫖🕊🍂🫖☕️
The birds occupy a portion of my time here in quarantine. I like watching them. Be safe as well!
Lovely little creatures that bring morning to life. We are all in quarantine. Are you in the us?
I am in the USA, and a proud American.
🇺🇸👍👍
The crushed oysters should work–I think.
I hope so. The calcium should be 3 percent of the diet. I believe that due to corn being available as a carb supplement, they are eating it like junk food, causing a deficiency. I plan on making the flock food readily accessible and throwing the corn about they yard so they have to work for it.
Sounds like a great idea. I grew up with chickens who roamed free in our yard and the adjacent plantation (not ours), but not with ducks–to learn that they eat their own eggs (!) is quite shocking–although I’ve seen a pigeon do that.
Typically, it is due to a deficiency. I have met some evil chickens in my day that destroyed for the sake of the pleasure it brought them.
The evil chickens needed some good grilling, I’d say. 🍖🍡🍢
I made a few chicken enchiladas in my day. I found you have to pressure cook yard bird to soften the meat.
In their second year they could already be a bit tough (so we only kept the good ones for breeding). The best are those which just reached their full growth potential (a little less than a year, if I remember it right –their meat is still tender. We keep talking about food–‘hoping you get to enjoy your food again soon, bro. 🍲
Ha ha! I cannot taste a jalapeno, just the warm sensation that reverberates! Crazy!
Thanks for the finer points of yard bird consumption!
🥚🐣🐤🐥🐓🐔🍗
I read that crows also tell each other about good/bad humans.
No farming at my house so crowsy are mainly a noisy nuisance. But humans are too. I don’t chase either off them off.
I like the crows. They got mad and left after telling them that they cannot eat the duck eggs.
They know you’re a hood man… they’llbe back!
Good or hood?
Ahhhaaaa… freudian typo? I live on the border of “the hood”.
Good!!!
I was raised in the “hood” haha!
But the hood SnoopDog is from?!? He was raised a few blocks from my place. Which makes me now wonder if he was a member of the “Insane Crips”, the name of the local branch.
Nah.