# Hung a dead crow in garden



## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

Yes, I think it's kinda gross, but then I am realising there's much to be learned about "the old ways" of doing things such as wearing an Aunt Jemima style head scarf...but, I digress.

My FIL has always shot and hung a crow in his huge garden to keep the remaining birds away as they are bad to pull up his corn seedlings otherwise. Well, he didn't get his crow and he's on his third replanting of sweet corn. 

Our corn is coming up about 5-6 inches now and by chance someone hit a crow directly in front of our house the other day. My husband fetched it and like his Dad, hung the crow by it's feet on a t-post in the middle of our sweet corn rows. Previous to this I had watched 5-7 crows work over the garden for bugs. I stated to my angry husband that I never ever saw the birds pulling up the tender corn plants. Still, crows in one's garden is going to mean damage at some point even so...most likely to maturing vegetables in a month or so...

Well, since that dead crow was hung not a single crow has ventured into the garden. I watched them have a crow hissy fit the day they saw the dead crow, and they do hang out near my goat barn-probably stealing cat food...but so far so good for our sweet corn crop!

-scrt crk
"Swing low, stinky crow that rots, hangin to save the corn crop!


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## megafatcat (Jun 30, 2009)

Is FIL Robinson Crusoe by chance?


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## kirkmcquest (Oct 21, 2010)

Stuff like that does work, at least for a while. 'Scarecrows' were not made as ornaments, they serve a function and the fact that they are so widely known speaks to their efficacy.


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## timfromohio (Jun 19, 2007)

I've read of this in at least two gardening books and have always been interested in the results. Thanks for the post.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

So if we hung a dead guy in our frontyards we wouldnt have.....oh never mind.

Good idea on the crow.


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

I've always loved Crows, I feed them, not 100 ft. from the garden and haven't ever had a problem with them messing in the garden. Now deer , ****, Opossum, squirrels, terrapins are another thing. Maybe i should hand a dead corpse of each in the garden?? Hum? and those neighbor kids? Hum, one of them?? WOW some good thought


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Yep, a dead cow hanging in a garden would keep me out, too. The odor must be fun about a week into it. I'll stick to pie pans and plastic bags, thank you.

ETA: LOL!! I just re-read and realized you said dead crow, not dead cow! OK, I better go get a cup of coffee before I try to read anything else. (Yep, I left my original response as I thought someone else would get a giggle out of my mistake, too)


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## postroad (Jan 19, 2009)

I have had cows in my garden. Made me so mad I could have killed a few.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

postroad said:


> I have had cows in my garden. Made me so mad I could have killed a few.


And grabbing my chicken eggs,I have no use for crows or raccoons.


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

mightybooboo said:


> So if we hung a dead guy in our frontyards we wouldnt have.....oh never mind.
> 
> Good idea on the crow.


I'll have to add that to my prep list......


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

megafatcat said:


> Is FIL Robinson Crusoe by chance?


FIL is 83 yrs young...amazing, resourcful, still rotates his own car tires, bushhogs fields, gardens like crazy, but not online at all, except thru osmosis (me).

-scrt crk


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

mightybooboo said:


> So if we hung a dead guy in our frontyards we wouldnt have.....oh never mind.
> 
> Good idea on the crow.


((((THAT))))) made me bust a gut.
Thanks for the great belly laugh.
-scrt crk


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

Ray said:


> I've always loved Crows, I feed them, not 100 ft. from the garden and haven't ever had a problem with them messing in the garden. Now deer , ****, Opossum, squirrels, terrapins are another thing. Maybe i should hand a dead corpse of each in the garden?? Hum? and those neighbor kids? Hum, one of them?? WOW some good thought


I too love Crows...which is why I wouldn't let my son shot one for our garden. They are so intelligent...but I gotta say they really have been destructive...and this means to our food preps/garden.


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## stamphappy (Jul 29, 2010)

RE: old-timer advice: My older friend's husband says that if a dog kills a chicken, you hang a dead chicken around it's neck for several weeks and they are 'cured'. This of course would be an outside dog.


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## Explorer (Dec 2, 2003)

mightybooboo said:


> So if we hung a dead guy in our frontyards we wouldnt have.....oh never mind.


The Romans did that, but they just put severed heads on pikes at the entrance to the cities.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

stamphappy said:


> RE: old-timer advice: My older friend's husband says that if a dog kills a chicken, you hang a dead chicken around it's neck for several weeks and they are 'cured'. This of course would be an outside dog.


Yep, I've heard of that also. I'm thinking my dog would glory in that new cologne/chew toy.

-scrt crk


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

Explorer said:


> The Romans did that, but they just put severed heads on pikes at the entrance to the cities.



Native Americans around here didn't take kindly to the mistreatment they got from some frontiersman and piked a few folks stem to stern and left them to die...guess that'd be a warning, come to think of it.

Eeuuuuwww this thread digressed deep...and I (the OP) just added to it.
-scrt crk


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## hsmom2four (Oct 13, 2008)

Ohio dreamer said:


> Yep, a dead cow hanging in a garden would keep me out, too. The odor must be fun about a week into it. I'll stick to pie pans and plastic bags, thank you.
> 
> ETA: LOL!! I just re-read and realized you said dead crow, not dead cow! OK, I better go get a cup of coffee before I try to read anything else. (Yep, I left my original response as I thought someone else would get a giggle out of my mistake, too)


I totally thought it said dead cow too. :smack


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## megafatcat (Jun 30, 2009)

LOL, the castaway Robinson Crusoe hung dead birds around his crops to keep them from being destroyed. Book was published in 1719.
Glad to hear that it works. I file away bits of info like the above, but I wonder if they work in reality. I cannot test them all.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

mightybooboo said:


> So if we hung a dead guy in our front yards we wouldn't have.....oh never mind.


LOL. I bet that would put a stop to JW stopping or door to door salesmen bothering you. We get those silly meat sellers with the deep freeze in the back of the trucks every few weeks here.


I think the crow idea is fascinating. Thanks to the OP for posting about your experience.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Last year all but 2 of my peaches were stolen by squirrels. 
This year I have Irish Spring Soap chunks hanging in pantyhose from the branches so far the squirrels and blue Jays are keeping their distance. 
But if that stops hubby scored a havaheart trap that he'll set up. Hopefully the trapped squirrel will hollar back to his gang. If not I'm not opposed to hanging a dead squirrel from it's tail.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

megafatcat said:


> LOL, the castaway Robinson Crusoe hung dead birds around his crops to keep them from being destroyed. Book was published in 1719.
> Glad to hear that it works. I file away bits of info like the above, but I wonder if they work in reality. I cannot test them all.


I wasn't sure if you were ref'ing the book, or possibly a HT poster you wondered about. ) My FIL was born a little after 1719 LOL...but he is a wealth of knowledge ranging from Depression era thinking--Plus--- bonus as he grew up on a farm, lived frugal, and is a Chemical Engineer who does plumbing, carpentry, wiring, car mechanic repair work, gardening, roofing, canning, church work, etc... Last week he unwound/unrolled a 4000 foot length of high tensil that had accidently sprung...ever do that???? He saved the whole roll. Whew. He does all this on a bad heart that as Atrial Fib problems.

-scrt crk


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## Wanderer0101 (Jul 18, 2007)

Pelenaka said:


> Last year all but 2 of my peaches were stolen by squirrels.
> This year I have Irish Spring Soap chunks hanging in pantyhose from the branches so far the squirrels and blue Jays are keeping their distance.
> But if that stops hubby scored a havaheart trap that he'll set up. Hopefully the trapped squirrel will hollar back to his gang. If not I'm not opposed to hanging a dead squirrel from it's tail.


That sounds like a good idea. I've had quite a bit of trouble with squirrels but never heard of the Irish Spring thing. I'll give it a try.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

I adore animals...but I also learned that as cute as I might think they are ( and truth is they usually are not the cartoon lovey, generous critters we imagine) if it comes down to me or them eating fruit/vegs'...it's going to be me if I can possibly help it. Someone once posted a video of a squirrel pulling a fellow car-squowshed-flattened squirrel off of the road. The video had a big "awwwww so sweet" factor until it was revealed that squirrels will cannibalize to gain needed minerals (salt, etc..) ...Haha talk about burst bunny hugger balloons. The squirrel wasn't showing valor to a fallen comrad...it was looking at it as a food suppliment. Us crazy humans love to anthropomorphize.....me included!


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## Debbie in Wa (Dec 28, 2007)

Good grief, I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it said dead cow! I had to take my glasses off and clean them just to reread the post!


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## Cascade Failure (Jan 30, 2007)

One heck of a t-post to hang a dead cow...


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Wanderer0101 said:


> That sounds like a good idea. I've had quite a bit of trouble with squirrels but never heard of the Irish Spring thing. I'll give it a try.


Anything that has a strong scent that keeps will work. Urine soaked socks are great but since my backyard is only 35' wide by almost 40' long I'm saving those socks for a full on invasion. 
Doesn't help that there is a Walnut tree less then 10' away or that neighbors feed squirrels. I'm usually able to get almost 2 bushels of peaches of my young trees so that's anywhere from a $45 value to more depending on the local peach harvest. 
This year we will be also having a small apple harvest so I want to put the word out to all those wire rats there's no free lunch here. 
I'm actually sorta surprised that the soap is working since squirrels are use to living with people. I wish the 4 families of spotted skunks would relocate.


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## NewGround (Dec 19, 2010)

Debbie in Wa said:


> Good grief, I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it said dead cow! I had to take my glasses off and clean them just to reread the post!


I read somewhere that's a symptom of Mad Crow Disease...

Better get checked out, LOL


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I maintain an open season on Crows

Destructive buggers..............


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