How many crows (birds) would be needed to lift an adult camel off the ground completely?

Question

I have a camel that i need to move rather urgently.

My problem is, it refuses to walk and i only have an abundance of crows at my disposal.

If i tether then all together, how many should i attach to the camel in order to lift it sufficiently that i may move it easily.

Im very concerned and perplexed by this dilema.

Many thanks in advance for your valued answers.

Answer 1

It depends on the species of crow and camel, of course, but the weight capacity of an American Crow should be around 75g, roughly the same as that of a homing pigeon of equal size.  Given that, you would need about 4,500 crows to lift a dromedary (8,700 for a bactrian).  

Of course, these numbers assume that you have properly trained your crows to flap their wings synchronously. If not, you should at least double those numbers. With such large numbers of birds, up-wing and down-wing movements should average out into net lift.

Let us know how it goes, eh?

Answer 2

It greatly depends on the species of crow and camel, along with the air-speed velocity of an unladen crow, and the daily weather, humidity, and the likeliness of the camel enjoying being aerially towed.

The average crow weight tolerability, as probably stated in another answer already, is approximately 80 grams.  This means that to tether them all together would require thin, yet strong string.  I would recommend Kevlar, available at any Home Depot or Lowes near you.

Now, you must take into consideration what type of camel you have.  Is it male?  Female?  Dromedary?  Bactrian?  The heaviest camel ever recorded would take around 10,000 of these crows' weight tolerability's combined to lift. It is therefore in your best interest to attach around that amount, assuming you have a virtually inexhaustible supply, because some crows may die due to exhaustion during the flight. It is for that reason that the best bet would be to get your camel running (they can run 40kph (25mph)) and then, with all of your  crows attached, have them sail as opposed to actually fly.  

Next, let's talk about flight patterns.  For best aerodynamic position when flying in no wind, put the crows in layers of 3,300, one on top of another, each seperated by approx. 30 feet (10 meters.) For flying against the wind, put them all in one giant swarm, for better anti-drag.  Flying with the wind, they can be however they choose.  

Good luck!

PS: It may be better to train the crows FIRST!  Remember, they now have the full cooperative ability to steal your camel.  

Also, you may want to sedate your camel, as he/she WILL NOT like being flown, and will probably also take a couple nibbles from your kevlar strings.

Hope that helped!

~J