Bl**dy Crows!!

[Kleiber]

This isn't so much a question as a vent for my anger. As most of you know, I have a little farm in the mountains of west Wales and I've now got rid of all my sheep except one old ewe, whom I hand reared and who is as much a pet as my dogs and cats are, and her daughter. Well, I went up to their field this morning to check they were OK and I found poor old Molly cast, on her back, but, thank goodness, still alive. She must have gone over only a short while earlier, as cast sheep can die very quickly. Anyway, when I got to her and got her back onto her feet, I saw that the damned crows have pecked her left eye out while she was down. I know they do this, but I've never had it happen to any of my sheep before. The old girl doesn't seem too distressed by it, strange, I know, but she's grazing normally now. Thank goodness they didn't do it to both her eyes, otherwise I'd have to put her down. I just feel so sorry for the poor old thing. K

[albaqwerty]

I know nature is nature and so and and so forth, but poor Molly (and you)
Glad she's back upright again.

Crows are nasty fiendish-looking things. We've too many around here.

[Kleiber]

Damned freezing, Trim, although it's dry here (at the moment!!). Funny you should say we(s)t Wales - my late hubby used to call it "wet Wales" instead of "West" :-). I've actually put the Rayburn on today, for the first time in ages! K

[Kleiber]

Thanks, albaqwerty, we've got too many as well. I'm just going up to check Molly again now. K

[albaqwerty]

I know it's a stupid question, but I'm good at asking them.

Would scarecrows actually help in molly's field? To keep the crows away Trim, before you get all intelligent on me :)

[DTCwordfan]

As young teenagers, we used to shoot the bastards before the lambing season in the Lakes......

[albaqwerty]

good on yer DT.

I don't wish anything extinct, but wasps and crows come high up on my list.

[albaqwerty]

I'm going to dig out my OH's air-rifle. Permission given :)

There's a rumoour that crows lived in odd-numbered flocks. Yesterday I counted at least 10. They were static on my neighbours roofs and tv aerials.

[boxtops]

That is nature red in tooth and claw (and beak, then), kleiber - a nightmare story, but hopefully she is otherwise none the worse of wear. Is the little one OK?

[albaqwerty]

No, fortunately. I don't have any but am anly a 5 minute walk away from a field where the dairy farmer grazes his cattle now and again.If they/he/she wanted to take pot-shots and get'em I'd support that tactic.

[albaqwerty]

I do trim, I do, I don't like their deposits on my washing tho :)

Haven't seen a crow for about an hour now tho. Weird

[DTCwordfan]

for your garden perhaps, alba - there is one in the US that uses 30bars of pressurised water an can nail herons at over 20 yards away.....now that would be fun with crows....Kleiber needs more of a farming solution and the advice would be not to start shooting them in your back yard as to the RSPB.

We used to have the appropriate blessings to nail them before lambing.

One other illegal way is to feed them calcium carbide wrapped up in bread. They flap off and the bread dissolves, the carbide goes to work and their undercarriage is blown out. When we were kids there was one person who did this to the seagulls in St Ives and unsuspecting tourists were treated to "small seagull explosions" and then a stuka-dive as the bird came out of the sky...... Now that is illegal.

[DTCwordfan]

http://www.break.com/...nkler-vs-pigeons.html

forgot the attachment

[Kleiber]

Interesting! I'd definitely shoot the bastards, but my gun's knackered - keep meaning to take it for repair, but haven't got round to it yet...
Boxtops, the "little one" is fine - she's 6 yrs old & has a very bad attitude (just like her dad, unfortunately, as her mum's an angel!! Mind you, the way we're going, mum could soon be an angel...). Just checked them again & Molly's on her feet, grazing. Problem, though, as several buzzards, a kite & those damn crows all circling - they can see her injury. I'm worried about tonight, in case a fox gets wind of it & tries to finish the job. Trim, I'm near Tregaron, so not too far from you!