Baby crow in trouble.......HELP!

[chickoo]

i found a crow lying flat on the ground under a tree at my work place.............it was opening and shutting its mouth like a baby, but seems pretty large and heavy..............gardener says its a baby...........it cant fly, and when i picked it up, it tried to bite me...........

i need to know - will the mother come and take it back to the nest?............i cant find the nest as its a very large and tall tree...........

please let me know as soon as possible..............i leave for home in an hour, and if there's anything that can be done, i need to know ASAP!!!

[chickoo]

there are stray dogs around............if i need to put the bird in a safer place than the ground, i need to know now!!!

[CritterMom]

If it is feathered it is probably a fledgling. Mama can't pick it up but she normally does return to feed. It is a dangerous age for them - too young to fly well but still ready to leave the nest. I would absolutely move it to a safer place close to where it is - so dogs can't get it but mama can find it to feed. Do not worry about touching it - birds have almost no sense of smell and the "don't touch it or the mother won't return" is absolute nonsense.

If you decide to take him with you, they CAN eat soft dog food.

[chickoo]

he is fully feathered............

can i move him to the concrete ledge over a window nearby?.............will he try to crawl off it and fall again???

[CritterMom]

Are there any tall bushes nearby? He will grasp the branches and it provides some cover.

[psychobird]

If he is open mouth breathing (panting like a hot dog)
It is a sign of trouble unless he is just doing it when u get close then it's a sign of stress
Look at his tail if it's over 2 inches long he should be able to fly, if it's shorter than that he probably can't yet
If it's a baby the parents should be nearby freaking out that u are near their baby
If none around, it may be a sick or injured adult or a orphan that needs u to care for him
But even if both of his parents are dead the other members of the flock would take care of him
Your goin to have to asses him a little more, be very carefu and quick about it, crows are one of those birds that can die from stress, cover his face if you have to handle him at all
Yes they can bite you pretty good , but can't give u any serious wounds
Let us know what u find out, pictures would be great
If you decide he needs your help and u are up for it, make sure you have a box ready for him to reduce any stress

[virgo062]

If he is open mouth breathing (panting like a hot dog)
It is a sign of trouble unless he is just doing it when u get close then it's a sign of stress
Look at his tail if it's over 2 inches long he should be able to fly, if it's shorter than that he probably can't yet
If it's a baby the parents should be nearby freaking out that u are near their baby
If none around, it may be a sick or injured adult or a orphan that needs u to care for him
But even if both of his parents are dead the other members of the flock would take care of him
Your goin to have to asses him a little more, be very carefu and quick about it, crows are one of those birds that can die from stress, cover his face if you have to handle him at all
Yes they can bite you pretty good , but can't give u any serious wounds
Let us know what u find out, pictures would be great
If you decide he needs your help and u are up for it, make sure you have a box ready for him to reduce any stress

:goodpost

Psychobird is absolutely correct.....Baby Crows are as big as a adult...I would just find a safe place to put him because like Psychobird said other Crows will care for him and mama will find her baby

[psychobird]

Right but if he is way too small to be on the ground the chances of him surviving predators is slim especiallly with wild stray dogs around
if hes weeks away from fledging he would need to be put back into the nest or rehabbed
Problem is you cant raise a single crow and expect to release it, local crows will probably kill him
And they can live for 40+ yrs!
It can be done but he would need to live in a very outdoor enclosure for months to get to know the locals
and u really have to keep your distance when raising a single
They can't be released if they are tame someone will misunderstand his behavior and kill him
Crows are my absolute favorite animal to raise! I think they are the most wonderful creatures on this planet even though I know they do bad things to survive, I try not to think about that, lol

[squirrelfriend]

My mother and I raised a few of them. The first one was an injured adult and could no longer fly. He learned to say goodmorning and hello. He was amazine. They can eat dry cat food or dry dog food. He liked raw eggs whole. I think we had him for at least 25 years. I do not know how old he was when we got him. We had another baby that fell out of our side yard tree. He had a broken hip, was also unable to fly. We had him for more than 20 years. They are amazingly intelegent and gentle creatures. They get a bad rep from horror movies.

[virgo062]

I love Crows they chase away the Hawks:multi

[psychobird]

When I talk about the bad things they do in the wild, I'm talking bout when they prey on other species, or attack them
But like I said I try not to think about that, lol
What a brave person to have had 2 pet crows, they are the messiest little *bleeps*
the babies I had last summer would just destroy their cage the minute I cleaned it, lol
Tore it all up, water everywear, flipped dishes, man they were a riot
Worse than racoons!

[jlynratcliff]

I too am a fan of crows! I sadly don't really know much about them (care &rehab etc). Would a crow have issues being raised in with chickens? I didn't notice the location of the original post so I don't know if I live close enuff to help...I've got a large coop 12'x24' with an attached outdoor covered with shade cloth &wire that is 40'x12' ...not sure how it would do in there with my chickens (about 15) and my peahen (female peacock)....

J

EDIT TO POST:

Just looked at your location...india...i wouldn't be helpfull to u where I'm at. Good luck with this little guy!

[Tickle's Mom]

You aren't close to her at all.....she's in India :D
But it's sweet of you to offer:thankyou

[Scooterzmom]

Baby crows are as big as adult.... one give-away is, if the eyes are bluish instead of black then for sure it's a baby.

I would not know what to tell you except, you might have to keep him inside tonite - might be best because at night the parents and/or the others will not be coming back for him - so, place him in a box, covered so it's in the dark, and somewhere where there is no noise. You can offer wet cat food (present it to him on a stick) and some water (with an eye dropper). Keep him calm, warm for the night and at the very crack of dawn take him outside and place him atop some branches, or in a tree near where you found him... not on a ledge, he would try to fly off that, will fall to the ground and either hurt himself or fall prey to the dogs.

Here is a phone number you can call.... they are known as the best refuge for birds in north america - the lady who runs it was the one who went down to help set up the rescue for the birds after the Gulf spill... it's a long distance call, to Canada, I know, but well worth it because they really do work wonders with birds: 1(450) 458-2809

I don't know if you can reach anyone at night but after 8 am for sure you can.

[psychobird]

I keep checking back here, what happened with the crow???????

[chickoo]

hi guys.............sorry for the LATE update!!!............my internet was down and i couldnt get to another one to post...........

good news!!!...........

asked a construction worker in a nearby building to help cos i couldnt climb up to the ledge with birdie baby in one hand...............

he scooped the little fella up, suffered his bites (and claws!!) and put him up on a ledge about 10 feet from the ground.........

i sat a little distance away to watch what he did next.........

much to my dismay he merrily hopped to the edge of the ledge..........

and........

tried to TAKE OFF!!!!!...........

landed on a fence 5 feet above the ground...............

tried to take off again..........

landed on a pile of bricks 3 feet off the ground............

determinedly hopped back up onto the fence and sat there for a while............

all the while i was shaking my head and kicking myself for interfering with nature...........

and then something happened to cheer me up so good that i havent stopped smiling since............

he judged and judged and measured the distance by bobbing his head up and down...........

and TOOK OFF AGAIN...........

landed happily on the lowest branch of the nearest tree...........

i think i witnessed his very first successful flight!!!!!.............

he seemed ok after that, so i left him there and went home............

sorry for the LONG update, but i thought i owe you all this story for being so kind and willing to help me out at any time of night or day!!!! :thankyou

[chickoo]

in answer to all the other queries.........

he was fully feathered, size about the same as an adult crow, with beady black eyes........pretty plump and HEAVY!!!

he was opening and shutting his mouth only when i came close.............i thought it was hunger but now i know it must have been fear..........

i found him splayed on his tummy on a grassy patch under a tree, with wings spread out on either side, and refusing/ unable to fold them..........

i initially folded them back with a stick, and checked his belly and feet for injuries (none that my untrained eye could find)............

i initially picked him up and put him on the fork of a nearby tree, but he started slipping off..........

crows were circling and sitting in the highest branches (it was a HUGE tree), and making a racket!!!.........

when the construction worker picked him up, he was not very gentle, and baby started squealing for his dear life...............crows above got noisier............funnily, he didnt make a peep or bite me when i picked him up (lucky me)...........

anyway it was a happy ending after all, and i hope he survives to live a long and happy life.........