Persephone wrote:
On Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:53:00 +1000, BlackShadow
wrote:

arky wrote:
PIGEONS they are driving me MAD eating all my sprouts,cabbages etc.
I love the birds on my allotment but these buggers are eating more veg
than i can grow. I have put up a net but these buggers carry baseball
bats and eat viagra. everyone on the allotment is having the same
problem so would welcome any help !!!!!!!!!! I could try pigeon
pie ?

I used to have constant pigeon problems until I introduced chickens. I have
chickens roaming all over my gardens and they eat every insect that is a
problem, deliver fresh eggs, add to the soil nutrient levels AND drive off
all other ground feeding birds. I have a mix of bantams (aggressive little
critters) and various full sized breeds.

BlackShadow

How do you keep the chickens from eating your veggies?

I used to keep chickens in back of the yard. What eggs! The neighbors
used to line up to buy the extras.

The chickens had plenty of room in their habitat, but being a big
softie, I would sometimes let them out to play in the yard -- under
supervision, so they wouldn't get into the veggies.

Don't tell me chickens are dumb! The minute the phone rang, and
I went inside to answer it, they headed STRAIGHT for the veg. beds!
I wonder how many innocent callers were startled to hear me yell
"Get the hell out of there!"

You're 1000% right about the "soil nutrient level". After I quit
keeping chickens, that soil back there was so fertile, when I sowed
seeds, the plants just LEAPED out of the ground.

So anyway, how did you manage to keep them from eating your produce?

Persephone


I feed them well, possibly if I didn't they might have been foraging for
more than insects. They'll peck through the mulch etc., looking for
insects, but certainly won't eat it. The only downside was that they'd eat
worms and I have a lot of worms in all beds, covered with mulch and
straw/hay. They didn't manage to damage the worm population too much unless
it rained heavily, bringing the worms to the surface. I couldn't use seed
directly, had to be well established seedlings from a propagation area kept
chicken and duck proof. Their foraging has never been a problem of any
note. I am more into permaculture & aquaculture than organised garden beds.
It is a bit of a jungle out there. I live on a river bank in a
semi-tropical zone (Queensland) and most things grow so quickly they can
catch up with you and tap you on the shoulder if you don't keep moving
rather briskly.

BlackShadow