Does anyone here have opinions about befriending crows? Whether this is a good or a bad thing, whether there are any particular risks or problems associated with it, etc.?
@joepie91 it's fantastic as long as you make sure to feed them things that are good for them (salt and cyanide-laden almonds are a no-go, bread isn't good because it quells up in their stomachs, making them feel full when they didn't actually get enough nutrients)!
befriending crows is a good way to get out of the house, find a new thing to look out for when outside, talk to strangers, get a better appreciation for biology and meteorology... the list goes on.
I can give you a 101, if you want
@SehrLesbisch Would be appreciated! I know the "slowly feed them" approach but I'm especially interested in knowing more about whether there are any adverse effects to watch out for, eg. disrupting other local wildlife
@joepie91 since this is the most controversial aspect of it I'll just come out and say my piece on the impact of it.
Crows, like pigeons, but to a different extent (and for different reasons) willl live in (and near) human settlements and eat human food. While they may hang out in whatever you or me would cautiously call "the wild" most situations you will see a crow in will be anything but. They are already here, they already have an impact and they are already impactED.
we can just help out.
@joepie91 a crow's impact on the local biome can be predatory (feeding off small songbirds in harsh conditions) or protective (keeping large birds of prey *out* of areas songbirds live in by defending their murders' areas).
it really depends on what ressources they have, how stressed they are etc.
now, the other side of that coin is that a crow that doesn't have to worry about food is one that can get bored. whether the hijinks that ensue are a pro or a con depend on you lol
@SehrLesbisch Hmm, what sorts of things *do* bored crows get up to anyway?
@SehrLesbisch @joepie91 crows are somewhat famous for pulling tails of basically anything that has one - there's videos of them doing that to eagles, cats, dogs, and I'm certain many other creatures too.
That's a powerful beak. One of main reasons why the insect mesh on my window largely doesn't exist anymore on the lower part of the window.
I won't even try to count his many times they've thrown off the water box off of my window, sometimes multiple times a day.
@SehrLesbisch @joepie91 also I've seen a kestrel chasing some crows, apparently because of some of the crows being too interested in investigating the kestrel nest box.
I don't know why the seagulls and crows were engaged in aerial maneuvers.
@SehrLesbisch @joepie91 there's also this story. No idea about wether it's real, but, uh, it's within realm of possibility.
https://old.reddit.com/r/greentext/comments/5mi9nu/anon_starts_world_war_crow/
@SehrLesbisch @joepie91 yeah, true
@SehrLesbisch @joepie91 I've heard people say they like dog and cat kibble. Also I think peanuts? Though certainly unsalted, possibly still in shells.
@viq @SehrLesbisch @joepie91 I've befriended a crow family of 4 and I feed them occasional treats, mostly roasted unsalted peanuts, and some dry cat food, wet cat food. (Our cat died before Christmas so I have leftover food, but before that I'd give crow friends the disdained food.) I don't hand feed them - I'm just not that organized re schedule. I LOVE the fact that they "parked" their baby for a few hours one day in the feeding area, under the big tree.
@joepie91 we domesticated one bird species and then set them free and are now annoyed by them: pigeons.
I guess as long as you don't decide the crows mating for them it's not true domestication 
@joepie91 it's one of the first things I'm going to do when I move house later this year. I saw someone in a park playing with a crow. The crow kept coming back to the human so I'm guessing it got something out of the relationship.
@joepie91 very good thing
don't feed them bread
they love nuts, but make sure to only get unsalted ones
wait for @SehrLesbisch to see this and infodump some more