"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"AL_n" wrote

"Bob Hobden" wrote in
As Vicky said, are you sure it's not rats and mice. We have never had
any eaten by birds but we have lost the whole crop to rats and mice in
a couple of days.


I do have mice in the garden. (My cat brings them in, a few per week)... I
only assumed birds, as the corn cobs were well off the ground..

If it is mice, what is the best way to keep them off the crop?


We use bait boxes around our plot and have 3 on the go always. Problem is
with a cat around any poisoned mice may poison the cat if he eats one.
Traps then but put those where the cat can't get a paw to them.

Please everyone, try not to use poison. I lost my tawny owl by poisoning
rats that came around the chickens.
It has a horrible knock on effect.
My cat isn't brave and only catches and eats the little ratties, so these
days if they grow into big ones, I get the terrier men in, they smoke out
under the sheds and a good day is had by all, except the rats. What I like
about this method is that they either escape completely or they don't.
I've had some big bad grandfather rats that even latched on to a terrier's
nose and made it squeal. Didn't make the dog let go though and it went to
that ratty heaven where everything is made of wheat. No cat could have
coped with rats like that. These were serious ratting terriers,
Patterdales, bred for the job. Good with humans but serious about killing
anything in their path. If I knew I'd have a rat hunt I made sure my cat
was shut inside the house otherwise he would be a gonner.

T