Fred

I am rarely in an urban area with crows, so I can't comment on the question directly.  We live in what may be considered a "sub-rural" area, with large lots (4 acre minimums due to well/septic regulations) and a combination of homes and parkland.  They eat seed, suet and nuts that fall from the feeders we provide for songbirds.  We have plenty of accessible water and we provide a small portion of the food we expect they need, so most comes from there own initiative.  No garbage or dumpsters are around for them to depend on.  They receive all out protein and fat scraps along with some white bread soaked in cooking fat or juice.  We buy low cost protein (frozen chicken livers or gizzards) and provide perhaps 3-4 oz per day.  They watch for me, call the family and arrive soon after I enter the house.  "Assured clear distance" seems to be about 150 feet.  We don't know if this feeding practice is beneficial for them.  We don't know if we should feed them at all, and if it's OK, what is the best food to provide. We have not witnessed any aggression by the neighbors (in fact one family is as fond of them as we are).  Even the predators don't seem to be a problem (a yearling Coopers hawk has been on the ground among them eating the meat scraps we offer!).

1. Genetic damage and body/mind abnormalities are well known among humans that inbreed, so I suspect crows would suffer the same sort of flaws in the offspring. 2. I have learned that genetic diversity is generally good, minimizing inherited flaws; so I expect that extra pair fertilization would be beneficial.