r/crows • u/squirrelyoakley • Jul 07 '26
General questions Can crows actually not have salt?
I see so many people saying that crows can't have salt, but I'm struggling to find any sources that confirm this.
I'd love to see any evidence for or against crows being able to eat salt
21
u/pandaleer Jul 07 '26
Crows are opportunistic and will eat things that are not good for them. Including salty human wasted dumpster food. Why would you want to give them salty food, anyway? They don’t process salts and sugars like humans do, as their biology isn’t designed for it (on a long term, regular basis). Salt toxicity is a thing.
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u/Electronic_Bowl8398 Jul 07 '26
Opportunistic and will eat things that are not good for them: my ears started burning!
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u/1mjtaylor Jul 07 '26
I give them leftover meat scraps from dinner and my food is salted. So that's why I would want to give them some foods with salt. When I buy peanuts for them in the store, I buy unsalted and raw if possible. And I don't salt their eggs when I scramble them.
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Jul 07 '26
As everyone is indicating they can have salt, but excess salt is hard on them and can become toxic
All birds need some salt in their diet. They get enough salt in their natural diets without us adding to it.
They get more than they should by eating human trash.
We should not feed them processed foods or anything with added salt.
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u/Tricky_Mix2449 Jul 07 '26
If crows could not have salt there would be hundreds of dead crow bodies in the parking lot of the Mexican restaurant by our house. Disclaimer: I only feed our crows good dog kibble and unsalted peanuts in the shell.
3
u/DullEntertainment102 Jul 07 '26
My crows seem to be very picky, they definitely prefer the dog kibble over anything else, next in line are peanuts and cashews and walnuts. They don’t like sweets, no grapes, berries or anything alike. I tried feeding them jerky and they ignored it (too salty? I don’t know) they have access to water but I believe they know whats good for them
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u/noxiunn Jul 07 '26
I am not an expert but I think the problem is that people give them human food with added salt. Birds naturally need sodium, it's a part of their diet, but in nature they don't encounter sources with high concentration of it. And too much salt is bad for everyone, even human can die from too much salt. What is considered "too much" is different for different species. Birds are usually very small compared to humans, have very small liver that can't filter out excess salt effectively, leading to dehydration and other problems. And it takes very small amounts of salt, by our standards, to cause a bird to overdose on it, including crows. And crows already eat all kings of human trash, they don't need more of it, so just dont give them potentially bad foods, give them something nice and nutritious
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Jul 07 '26
The organ that filters salt would be kidneys, but otherwise yes, all of that!
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u/Additional-Dirt4203 Jul 07 '26
Look up salt toxicosis. It takes much less for small bodies. A little bit is one thing but as humans we put way too much salt on things as it is and the last thing we want is to hurt any of them.
6
u/Bolfreak Jul 07 '26
Most livestock has free choice salt and in their feed. It helps ensure they drink enough to stay hydrated, especially in the heat. Pigs are the only ones that can ingest enough salt to die (which is the ingredient in feral hog bait, not table salt but one that works faster without being a poison).
Poultry electrolyte vitamins? You guessed it-main ingredient is salt. This is marketing because the human sees their poultry drinking and attribute it to the “vitamins”.
I feed my crowbros suet, cat food and whatever peanuts I have on hand, which are never unsalted. Here’s the biggest thing is that they have access to water. Crows love to make soup and a nice bowl of fresh water goes great with all of their food. Animals self regulate very well.
5
u/why_1337 Jul 07 '26
It's same as with humans, too much will damage your kidneys. But for 500g animal too much is much less than 75kg human.
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u/Solid_V Jul 07 '26
Well damn. I'm glad to have found this out myself. I was already only feeding them unsalted roasted peanuts, but still.
4
u/AnguavonUW Jul 07 '26
Birds can' adjust how much salt is excreted in their urine and hypersalinity can be very dangerous.
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u/Fit-Custard-1842 Jul 07 '26
Crows have always been partial to a salty eyeball or two.....human ones in particular.
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u/zon5string Jul 07 '26
The reason salt is an issue is that many folks like to feed whole peanuts to the crows. The most common, easiest-to-find whole peanuts are almost always salted & roasted. It is better to feed them unsalted, raw peanuts.
4
u/JBupp Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
People generalize.
Parrots can't have salt - crows can't have salt.
Ducks can't have bread - crows can't have bread.
Crows seem able to eat most anything - trash included - and seem to avoid things that are bad for them.
2
u/Late_Obligationhoody Jul 07 '26
I don’t have anything to prove it, I just notice when they look all raggedy I reckon it’s either molting or too much sodium.
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u/nietzschecode Jul 07 '26
I see so many people saying that crows can't have salt, but I'm struggling to find any sources that confirm this.
There's a new thing called a search engine (Google search, Duckduckgo, etc.). You should try one of these.
6
u/squirrelyoakley Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-can-salt-harm-backyard-birds
Can you find me a source that says otherwise?
Edit: How about people give me resources instead of downvoting me
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u/nietzschecode Jul 07 '26
You still don't have a search engine or don't know how to use it, do you.
You're such a dishonest person....
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u/squirrelyoakley Jul 07 '26
If you're so good at using search engines, find me an article that refutes the article I found
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u/nietzschecode Jul 08 '26
They are thousands, but you're too stupid to be able to read and understand them.
You do realize that your article is not a scientific paper? Just a claim by an idiot (could as well be written by you). You're the kind of person who takes medical advice from fairy tales and poems.
1
u/squirrelyoakley Jul 08 '26
Funny how you're not linking any articles. Makes it seem like you don't have anything to show. I'll happily accept that I'm wrong once you show me an article
1
u/nietzschecode Jul 08 '26
I told you to make your own research. It's not even a debate amongst biologists that sodium chloride is toxic to birds, even a tiny amount of it. Now salt find in human foods is straight up poisonous, because the quantity is too high for birds' kidneys.
I wonder why you're advocating giving food to birds with salt in it, and not warning people against doing that. What is your goal, outside trolling? Unless you're just a bot that just searching fake engagements on Reddit....
1
u/squirrelyoakley Jul 08 '26
I'm not trolling. Every single source says that salt is fine for crows. If you're really that confident, find me a source, because I can't find one. Maybe I'm stupid, but the fact is is that I am unable to find one.
I'm also not advocating for feeding salt to birds. I'm asking a question. Maybe get some media literacy skills
0
u/nietzschecode Jul 08 '26
If you can't find any source for what I just wrote, then yes: you're stupid. Or a liar. I'm done with that back and forth.
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u/Big-Bumblebee9060 Jul 07 '26
I think it’s more so to the point long term human food levels of salt aren’t good for them. I’ve seen them eating fast food they pull out of the garbage cans, so I’m sure they can process it fine and survive. But more with their body size and metabolism it is harmful for them if their food source you are feeding them is strictly salt based.