None flying crows

[kipper]

Hi, I found a young crow early this year, its feathers had not developed and it could not fly. I took it to the local bird sanctuary and was told that the condition was quite common in crows and that even well feathered ones sometimes can't or won't fly. I was shown a number of crows young and adult that could not fly. and to cut a long story short, i ended up adopting a crow from the sanctuary as a companion for my crow ( i might add that i have a large aviery). Seven months on and neither crows can fly my original one has no tail or flight feathers. They are both fed a good varied diet and have lots of room to 'hop' about. Has anyone a answer to the condition?

[~T~]

I have never heard of this, very interesting.

[davecatt]

Have you tried leaving the aviary door open?
Dave

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by kipper

Hi, I found a young crow early this year, its feathers had not developed and it could not fly. I took it to the local bird sanctuary and was told that the condition was quite common in crows and that even well feathered ones sometimes can't or won't fly. I was shown a number of crows young and adult that could not fly. and to cut a long story short, i ended up adopting a crow from the sanctuary as a companion for my crow ( i might add that i have a large aviery). Seven months on and neither crows can fly my original one has no tail or flight feathers. They are both fed a good varied diet and have lots of room to 'hop' about. Has anyone a answer to the condition?

There are a gang of crows near me, I thought they were Rooks there were so many. They are all short of feathers seen against the sky, you can see the gaps in their wings and tails. Perhaps the mild weather has given rise to very late broods of Crows
hence their lack of feather development

[kipper]

Originally Posted by davecatt

Have you tried leaving the aviary door open?
Dave

They wouldnt last two minutes, can't fly at all just hop about. foxes, dogs, cats, kids with air rifles and sticks.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by davecatt

Have you tried leaving the aviary door open?
Dave

What a stupid thing to say as the birds can not fly.
The sanctuary would not have given the OP the birds if there was any chance of them living a normal wild life surly, and a bird that can not fly is game for the local cats.

I have never heard of this but if this happens regular in the wild the birds will not survive long.

[kipper]

Originally Posted by nightshade

There are a gang of crows near me, I thought they were Rooks there were so many. They are all short of feathers seen against the sky, you can see the gaps in their wings and tails. Perhaps the mild weather has given rise to very late broods of Crows
hence their lack of feather development

The local bird sanctuary has about forty crows that can'tfly, some of them have been in the sanctuary for nine years, still not flying although they are well feathered.

[kipper]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

What a stupid thing to say as the birds can not fly.
The sanctuary would not have given the OP the birds if there was any chance of them living a normal wild life surly, and a bird that can not fly is game for the local cats.

I have never heard of this but if this happens regular in the wild the birds will not survive long.

Yes must happen all the time in the wild and we don't see the results. I have four aviaries, with rescue budgies cockateels and a small parrot but won't part with any birds as i can't stand the thought of breaking up pairs and them going into small cages, as a result i have about sixty caneries and finches, unfortunatly i have to destroy eggs as they are layed or the numbers would be ridiculous. The crows have a sixteen foot aviary to themselve. They hop about on a arangement of branches.

[Jonathan]

Feather de-pigmentation is fairly common in crows (though, thinking about it, I rarely see it in hoodies when I visit Argyll - dietry differences?). Primaries become worn very quickly which can affect the birds ability to fly. Several possible reasons are cited in this blog:

Morgithology: Feather de-pigmentation in Carrion Crow

Cheers
Jonathan

[kipper]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Feather de-pigmentation is fairly common in crows (though, thinking about it, I rarely see it in hoodies when I visit Argyll - dietry differences?). Primaries become worn very quickly which can affect the birds ability to fly. Several possible reasons are cited in this blog:

Morgithology: Feather de-pigmentation in Carrion Crow

Cheers
Jonathan

Problem is the feathers have not emerged from the protective sheaths (pens) only one third of the feather showing, plus the feathers are not waterproof and in the rain the crow looks like a mop.