[Floody]

Hi, I'm growing Chard for the first time.  We have a problem with wood pigeons on our site.  My question is, do these critters like to eat Chard or is it safe to grow them without netting? 

[AnneB]

I have never had to net chard or leaf beet.   We also have pigeons on our site, but they confine their attentions to the cabbage, sprout and cauliflower plants of the brassica family round here.   They also omit turnips, kale and purple sprouting broccoli except in the depths of winter.

[surbie100]

I've not had a problem with pigeons eating my chard, but the local sparrows treat it and the beetroot like their local salad bar.

[Flowertot]

We have a problem with wood pigeons too. I net chard when it is very little as they like the baby leaves. I then let it grow uncovered until about January as they leave it alone until then. When they run out of other nicer things at that time of year and start stripping it, I cover it again until spring brings them tastier treats.

[LottyLouis]

Ooh - I love my chard - leaves the size of dinner plates at the moment!  I find that birds leave it alone and slugs aren't interested! Maybe they can't be bothered to crawl up the stems to get to the leaves.

[New shoot]

Mine doesn't get touched by pigeons but the muntjacs on site love it.  Left unprotected, they chew it down to stumps 

[madcat]

The only problem I have with pigeons and chard/beet is they try and land on it, which can break the odd leaf.  Otherwise it is blissfully trouble free once past the baby stage (when it is a slug magnet).

[lettice]

Been growing chard for a few years now and not seen any pest touch it.
Do see some odd few snails on it through the season, but they seem to be climbing over to get elsewhere.
Tends to be pest free for me along with my perpetual spinach that I grow beside it. Do see an occasional nibbled hole, but rare.

We have plenty of pigeons, but they feed from my two high feeders at each end of the garden, they seem to like my homemade bread, rolls and cakes I place out daily and ignore anything in the garden. Daily check my cctv to witness this.
In the spring, when many birds (blue/green tits, wrens, sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, robins, the occasional song thrush or chaffinch) dive into my feeders for seeds/mealworms, the pigeons sit and wait on the roofs and trees till they are finished and then attack the bread. They all seem well behaved here.

[LandShark]

I've never had a problem with pigeons till this year. They've eaten kale, cabbage, pak choi and chard so I've had to net just about everything including new sowings as they've been pulling seedlings out as well!!