How to keep crows away – 17 tips that work

Crows are the most disturbing birds. They need to get rid of you. You need proper management to deal with these birds. They make a lot of noise and create a lot of mess for you in your garden. These blackbirds not only disturb you but also other birds in your garden that you are attracting. They attack their bird feeder and eat whatever food is present.

When they are near your home they make a ton of noise which disturbs you. Also in tall trees, they can make their nest and will disturb you always. Should you kill them or is there a way to deal with this black bird? Without any harm, you can get rid of crows. Here are the ways that you can enforce to keep the crows away:

1. Using a fake dead crow can keep the crow away
2. An ultrasonic bird repellent can be used to prevent their presence.
3. Bird spikes on roofs can keep the crows away from the roof.
4. Make high sounds
5. Use sprinklers
6. Remove bird baths
7. Change the feeders that are for small birds
8. Cover your garbage
9. Use bird netting to save your plants
10. Remove their nests
11. Food sources should be eliminated
12. Clean your yard
13. Use shiny objects
14. Hang an owl decoy
15. Keep their predators around
16. Play sounds of their predators
17. Use the smell that crows hate

These tips will only work if you implement them properly. Enforcing these rules improperly can attract more birds instead of keeping them away. Every way is diverse and works differently for particular locations.

The one thing you might hate is that they feed on every food available, even the pizza chips, biscuits, and fast food. They are Omnivores. not only do they visit your garden but also make it dirty. On the roof and balcony, they might bring food and eat there. The leftovers might attract bees and tiny insects.

1. Use a fake dead crow to keep crows away

I am living in a village. There are dairy and agricultural farms here. Crows are always present to disturb. Whenever a cow gives birth to a baby. These black birds attack the baby, which is disturbing and life-threatening for the calf. How do farmers get rid of them?

They use dead crows to prevent their presence. Firstly, they hunt a real crow and then hang it on the farm. A dead crow is a sign that there is danger here. Other crows, when they see a hanging crow, they fly away, as it is a sign of threat. They think if they go there, they will also get attacked and this attack may kill them.

They don’t visit those places with a dead crow for their safety. When they watched the site for the first time, they made an enormous noise and alerted other blackbirds and told them not to go there as their one fellow got death issues.

You can also use a fake decoys instead. Don’t go for killing a crow, as it is unethical. A fake dead crow can serve the function. What you have to do is buy a dead crow and place it where these crows are visiting. You can hang it with the tree in your yard or on the roof or balcony to keep them away.

This is the most effective and permanent way. One of the main pros of using this method is that it keeps the other birds in your garden. For example, if you want to attract blue jays or cardinals in your yard, they will not stop visiting your feeder. Only the crows will remain away.

It will cost you only to buy you a dead fake crow or nothing. This method works for me. I hope it also works for you.

2. Use Bird spikes to prevent the launching of crows

Bird spikes are very useful in keeping birds away from unwanted places. You can use them where birds are visiting you frequently. Blackbirds not only visit your garden but also the roofs and balconies. Even if they are approaching your window, bird spikes are a good way to keep them away.

You can use bird spikes on the edges of the roof, balcony, or the borders of the windows. What do bird spikes do? There are sharp edges at the end of spikes. They prevent the landing of crows. When the bird lands, it hurts him. When he gets in pain, he flies away. It discomforts them.

Homemade crow repellents ideas

One of the benefits of using bird spikes is that it is a humane way of getting rid of black birds. It does not make wounds and does not hurt them much. Just a way of discomforting.

How much will it cost you? 10 stripes can cover 11 ft of space. The average cost of 10 stripes is $16. It will cost you around 17-18 dollars to cover an area of 11 ft. and 34 dollars for the 22 ft border. You only need to cover the border of the roof.

As most birds land on the sides of the border, you have to place the spikes there with the glue. It is a one-time process usually good for areas like AC outer or terraces, balconies, and any place where birds love to land.

3. Make noise to scare the crows

Here in my village we also use another way to scare these crows. When we don’t have a dead crow or want to get off them temporarily. We use firecrackers.

When they are in a crowd or group form. They are difficult to manage. Usually, when there is food around, they will come to visit in groups. Firecrackers can help deter a large group of blackbirds. You can also make other noises like you can use kitchen utensils which are made of steel. Take a spoon and big steel or iron plate. Crack the spoon over the plate to make a noise.

One of the cons of using this method is that it will disturb your neighbors. Moreover, it is a temporary method. It will keep them for a few minutes. If the source which is attracting them is not displaced. They will come again.

Remember, when they get used to the sounds you make to deter them, the sound-making process will be ineffective along the time. This will work only in some places where you want to get rid of them temporarily.

4. Use colorful flags

Another method I have seen that works for keeping these birds away is by using colorful flags. There is a fellow who adopts this method and successfully not only grows but also other blackbirds and vultures. How did she do that?

She made a fence of flags and covered the area where the crows were approaching. Crows were coming to her Yard daily to eat the eggs of ducks. Then she attached many flags with the sting. Then she made the border of these flags. The crows were scared. They stop visiting the yard.

Unwillingly, when the string broke, and the flags tore apart, the crows came back. This method only works in those areas where the wind blows heavily. because when the wind blows it makes the flags fly away, which distracts the birds.

One of the cons of using this method is that it also keeps the other birds away. Small birds like blue jays and cardinals keep coming to your bird feeders. The flags also will remain for some months, but after that, you have to waste money again on them.

5. Modify the bird feeders

Crows are omnivores; they eat almost everything that humans eat. Even if you place cat food in the garden, they will come for the feast. If you are a bird-watching lover, you will face the problem of crows.

If you are attracting Cardinal and you place their seed in the bird feeder. Rose will come and scare the cardinals. These small birds will scare away and the crows will eat their food. Same problem for the other Birds.

These tips can keep the crows away from the bird feeders.

So how can we keep the crows away from the bird feeders? Firstly, modify the bird feeder. Try to attract only small birds like cardinals, bluejays, finches, and human birds in your yard. There are special bird feeders that only allow a particular bird to feed on that feeder. Other birds like roses will not find the space to land, or their beaks will not be able to pass through those holes.

You can cover the bird feeder that is ready in your garden by forming a cage. A cage must have enough space to pass only those specific birds you want to attract. When the crows will not find the space to enter, the first major source (food) will be out of their approach.

The other small birds may hesitate for the first time to pass through that cage to fill up their stomachs. But as time passes, they will get used to it.

6. Ultrasonic Bird Repeller works for crows

An ultrasonic bird repeller will keep the crows away when the crow enters its range. There is an LED flashing, which is a source of reflection that scares the animals. In order to work, you have to set the frequency from 24.5 to 45.5 kHz.

Every bird and animal has a specific range of frequencies that they can listen to. Some frequencies are audible to listen to. These frequencies can discomfort us. Larger Birds, when there are specific frequencies, get uncomfortable and leave the particular space from where these frequencies are coming from.

These devices are almost waterproof and have the ability to survive in harsh conditions. The cons of using ultrasonic crow repellent are that it is a machine, and the machine has always a chance of being out of order. If anyone in your neighborhood has used these devices, you can go and check there. Although these ultrasonic waves work, they do not work for you in a particular area.

Many people have used them and have had positive results. If you have already used it, you can comment below.

7. Remove bird baths

Bird Baths increase the beauty of your garden. These are also the source of attracting small and lovable birds into your garden. Cardinals, finches, and songbirds always visit you if you have a birdbath.

Water attracts every animal on earth, but it attracts more. Crows love the water. They will always visit you if you have a birdbath in your yard. If it is a hot summer, the crows will be there to quench their thirst. Sometimes they might take a bath there. A group of crows may have a party there.

Having a bird bath attracts more blackbirds. It is like a beach for them. They love the flowing water. You should remove it if plenty of crows are there in your yard.

In summer, it would not be a good idea. Take the water from the birds. I recommend you not do that, particularly in the hot weather. Instead, go for the dead crow Decoy.

8. Cover the Garbage

Crows are one of the greediest animals on earth. They are always looking for food. in the garbage, they know there is food present.. They eat almost everything.

Garbage is present everywhere. Whenever you clean your home. Or when a sweeper cleans the street, all the waste is thrown in the bin. If the bin is uncovered, you will see a lot of crows there. They will be there in search of food.

In short, garbage is the main source of attraction. Cover the Bin to demolish their major food source. If they are still visiting your garden, look around your neighbors.

If your neighbors are throwing waste on the street, it is better to give them a Bin. teach them to throw any kind of waste in the bin. Advise them that after throwing waste, cover the garbage. It will prevent the crows from visiting your garden to some extent.

9. Use bird netting

Bird netting is essential if you are looking for particular location prevention for these birds. For example, if you want to save your tomato garden, you can apply bird netting around it. It will scare away the crows.

The space between the nets should be enough that the bird will not pass through it. You can also cover your balcony through bird netting. One of the cons of using netting is that it will be only for a specific location. For a big house or a garden, if you apply but nothing, it will cost you hundreds of thousands.

10. Remove their nests

Blackbirds make nests in large trees. You can prevent them from approaching you by removing their nests. Look for their nests in the crotch on a horizontal branch, mostly on the taller side. They build their nest higher for safety.

You should find them and remove their presence. If you can’t do it by yourself, you can call pest removal companies to do that stuff for you.

No nests mean fewer birds will visit you. Although crows travel longer distances in the search of food, you can reduce their presence, at least for some time.

11. Use motion-detecting sprinklers

Another thing you can do is use motion-detecting sprinklers. When you adjust them in the yard, they will automatically detect the motion of the birds. As the birds, like crows, will land in the yard, this device will sprinkle water on them and force them to fly away.

There are many sprinklers on the market. You can choose any of them. Some have different ranges and may cover up to 70 ft. of distance. You can use them for scaring.

One of the demerits of using them is that they will also prevent other birds from staying away from your garden. If you are looking to attract small birds like cardinals or hummingbirds, I recommend not using these sprinklers. You can use another way I discussed earlier.

12. All food sources should be eliminated to prevent blackbirds

Food sources are the main attracting points of blackbirds. I already told you they love to feed on everything. Even from the garbage, they will find their food.

You should analyze your area and what are the sources present there which are attracting them. Remove all the food. Cover the garbage bins with the lids. Tell your neighbors to also do that. Guide everyone to not throw the food in the open area.

If you have small chicks. Try to hide them, as they are always there to attack them. Also, help them to nest under their shade where crows can’t find them. These big birds also love to eat their eggs.

You may be surprised to hear that they even take away lies and chips from small children. Be careful!

13. Use shiny objects

Shiny objects create an illusion for the birds. They scare them as the light reflects on their backs. You can hang anything that is shiny. Most CDs can be used. You can hang them on the trees or on the balcony. When the crow will fly into your yard, he will scare away as he would think someone is trying to attack him.

He will fly away for his safety. But remember these birds are so smart, you need to change the location of the shiny objects from week to week. When they visit your garden, again and again, the shiny object will lose its value. For this, you need to keep changing the location.

14. Hang an owl decoy

Every animal on earth has a predator. Crows might be big birds, but there are some more birds that have the ability to scare them. These are owls and hawks. They are the predators of most of the birds. You cannot buy them in real life as they are very expensive and training them is hard.

But you can buy their decoys. Their fake presence is enough to scare these bully birds. All you need to do is buy a fake moving decoy and place them in an area where they are visible to them. You should also keep changing their location as crows are very intelligent. They will spot a fake bird in a few days if it is there for a long time.

You can also use speakers to make them hear the voices of owls. It would make the whole scenario more realistic. One demerit of using them is that maybe other birds will also scare them away as they are the predators of every bird.

15. Clean your garden

Crows and ravens love to visit dirty places. If your area is not clean, there will be plenty of crows. Not only them but also other predators will love your area.

It is better to keep your environment clean. A clean area will help them to make your area less visitable. Always through any kind of waste in a particular bin. The cleaner your garden will be , the more chances that they will avoid visiting you.

16. Use the smell that blackbirds hate

Crows also have a sense of smell. Due to these, they can search for food. There are certain smells that they don’t want to smell. You can use them to keep them away.

Peppers, cedar, garlic, and pungent all have the ability to prevent them. You can also use lemon. Onion smell and cayenne pepper are also hated by them.

17. Play sounds of their predators

You can play the sounds of their predators as they scare them. Whenever they will hear the sounds, they will fly away. Before playing, it is better to ask your neighbors if they don’t mind using this method. Owls, hawks, eagles, and even cats and dogs’ voices can serve the function.

How to get rid of crows on the roof?

You can get rid of crows from your roof by placing dead crow toy on the roof. They will scare away. Other thing you can apply is the reflective CDs or spikes on the roof.

Here is the detailed guide to keeping crows off the roof.

How to get rid of crows in trees?

You can keep the crows out of trees by shedding the extra branches. Remove nests from the trunks can prevent their nesting. Fake owl decoy can also serve the best results.

Summary

The best method to avoid and scare the crows and ravens is to place the fake dead crow in your garden or house where they are coming again and again. While doing this you should keep the area clean as they are more attracted to dirty places. Along with shiny objects and owl decoy and their voices in the speaker can help you to keep the crows away.

What is the best deterrent for crows? A fake dead crow is the best repellent for the crows. Whenever they see a dead decoy, they consider it a sign of danger. They think it will harm them and flew away.

What is a natural way to repel crows Do wind chimes keep crows away? How do I get rid of crows but not other birds? What smells do crows hate? What sounds do crows hate? How do I get rid of crows around my house? Will cayenne pepper keep crows away? Do dead crows deter other crows? Do ultrasonic pest repellers work on crows? How do farmers scarecrows?