Crow Moves Into Texas Woman’s Yard. Then She Learns How To Befriend It: 'They’ll Protect You'

Texas woman and homesteader had a murder of crows move into her yard. So, she consulted TikTok and discovered a few neat tricks to befriend the birds.

“I saw a thing on TikTok that said If you give them an egg, they'll protect you. So I'm gonna [give] 'em an egg” said Lacey (@heritagehousehomestead) in a video with over 1.9 million views.

As soon as she placed the egg down, crows appeared. They quickly found the egg and started nibbling on it. Eventually, one crow grabbed the egg and walked away from it.

The experiment was a success, so Lacey went back inside her house to grab some more eggs. Over the course of the coming days, she continued feeding the crows in the hopes that more would appear at her doorstep. Ultimately, she ended up switching to different foods, like cheese puffs, to feed the birds.

But can feeding a crow an egg actually make them “protect you?” And is there any evidence that concludes that regular

Do Crows Actually Eat Bird Eggs?

Crows do eat bird eggs, as they’re an omnivorous bird species. That actually makes them a threat to native birds, as they’ll pick at the birds’ nests and destroy their eggs.

As a workaround to protect small chicks and eggs, some homesteaders and farmers feed crows a small amount of bird eggs. The offering “protects” the chickens, both from the crows and from other larger bird species, at least according to those who engage in the practice.

“I have chickens and I give my murder of crows eggs ALL the time. They are territorial and will stay around if they know they will get food from you. They chase the Hawks off and protect my chickens,” one commenter said. “One time I had a pair of red tail Hawks hanging around and trying to get my chickens and I kid you not, the sky all of a sudden became dark and 30–40 crows came out NOWHERE and chased the Hawks off. So, they always get eggs now.”

Another viewer described the exact process to make crows protect chickens, saying homeowners should “make sure they see [a person] get the egg from the chickens. Don’t wash [the egg]. This will help them realize eggs come from the chickens, and they will protect them.”

It’s worth noting that this method can backfire, at least if the crows depend on the coop as a reliable food source and they stop receiving food. An underfed crow may target chicks and eggs. In that regard, crow-proofing coops is essential. Keeping some shiny objects or distractions around can deter a murder of crows from staying near the coop, while having safeguards can help protect against any predation.

Any crow feeding should also be done far away from the coop, not around or inside of it. Eggs should also only be offered occasionally, with other food sources supplementing them rather than every day.

What Else Can You Feed Crows?

Crows are incredibly snacky creatures. They enjoy mealworms, seeds, small fruits, and other edible treats, and they aren’t incredibly picky.

However, some commenters mentioned that crows may actually have “favorite” foods and dishes they get excited for. As one viewer claimed, “Peanuts are their favorite, but make sure they are unsalted. Everything needs to be salt free.”

They also recommended dog or cat kibble, berries, scrambled eggs, regular bird feed, and foods softened by water as amazing snacks. Other viewers even recommended feeding the birds meat scraps, whether that be chicken, beef or pork trimmings.

What is a Crow Box?

Some TikTokers recommended that Lacey purchase or build a crow box, but Lacey and a few others had no idea what a “crow box” even was.

That’s partially because crow boxes are a relatively new invention designed to exchange items with crows. They train crows to leave certain items in exchange for food. Since crows are highly intelligent birds, the box uses a puzzle, which they solve to receive a treat.

Designers can build these boxes with relatively simple puzzles. One of the most straightforward and well-known designs works by having crows drop coins into a deposit slot in exchange for food. Usually, peanuts or cat food work well as rewards.

We’ve reached out to Lacey via email for more information about her murder of crows. We’ll let you know if she responds.

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