[Growster...]

We've just lost about twenty broad bean plants, originally sown in small pots and transplanted.

They were under a pretty basic net, but it seems that pigeons have crept up and just hoiked each plant out, and left them to die!

Bad news, pigeons, they're not our favourite bird at the moment..;0(

[Baldy]

Chap at our plot keeps asking 'have I tasted pigeon' - think he might have a plan... (and a shotgun)
 

Cheers,
Balders

[The Golden Heap]

Chap at our plot keeps asking 'have I tasted pigeon' - think he might have a plan... (and a shotgun)
 

Cheers,
Balders

Pigeon is a great tasting meat!

[Baldy]

Have to say that the pigeons in this neck of the woods actually look like they might be quite tasty - not sure I'd say the same about some of the city dwelling ones I've seen (flying rats)...  :blink:

Cheers,
Balders

[Beetroot queen]

Umm i really like pigeon. Free ones all the better 

[Growster...]

Love the replies!

I only ever had pigeon once, in about Spring, 1972, when I went to a restaurant in Soho called "Le Bistingo"!

Never again..;0(

[Beetroot queen]

Love the replies!

I only ever had pigeon once, in about Spring, 1972, when I went to a restaurant in Soho called "Le Bistingo"!

Never again..;0(

I thought that about rabbit and crocodile, oh and water buffalo, any thing else tasty tasty tasty.  pigeon is nice in the right dish. I havent cooked pigeon for ages and ages.

[seaside]

As with many plants, on allotments, good netting = virtually no losses... average netting = 20% losses ... no netting = total decimation. I'm working my way toward good netting practice slowly, but I really don't like it.
It really is a tyranny having to net everything, let alone the ugliness. But then that's the nature of allotment life,  unless we grow crops that other creatures don't eat, which isn't likely any time soon.
Shooting doesn't work. Less effective than netting, and a darn site more labour intensive and expensive

[Baldy]

My last plot was in the Midlands and the birds seemed to strip anything not netted. Birds seem to be less  destructive here - maybe there's more food for them elsewhere... anyhow, for me, netting and fencing ends up being too much of a faff - putting it up and then having to navigate through it to get to your plants and do the weeding... ach... I'm not disciplined enough. It ends up costing me time and produce as I can't easily get to it...
If you are going to net then you have to do it properly - otherwise its just too painful. - Should perhaps point out that there are no straight lines or right angles on my plot so perhaps its just the way I'm programmed.

Cheers,
Balders

[maxie]

I seem to have to net more each year,there was a flock of jackdaws of at least 200 the other night down at my site,rooks,pigeons.No wonder theres not many small birds about with that lot to be fed.

[Sparkyrog]

Pigeon is a great meal but they are a faff to prepare 

[brewerboy]

Beginning to agree with others, everything has to be netted because of the pigeons. I had a couple of pea runners poking through holes in the netting and they were stripped bare. I have tried everything apart from shooting before deciding to invest in a good quality netting, I use wilko's pond netting because it is strong and reusable. I think we might need to rewrite the old nursery rhyme four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie to four and twenty pigeons baked in a pie

[Jackypam]

Well if you do shoot them at least they should be fat and tasty!

[Growster...]

Netting is really the only way it seems.

We've been using ball and cane supports for a few years, and they're OK, and don't get blown over, but they are fiddly when we want to weed and hoe.

The best way is probably to have a standard size of net on a standard size of frame, which you can then drop each net over and leave it, but there again, beans are taller than some veg, and black currants are even taller, so that gets the thumbs down as well!

[allotmentann]

I am afraid I am with Balders, not a straight line anywhere. Even a bamboo cane is too straight for me! If I absolutely can't get away without netting, I use hazel prunings, make a rough circle shape with them around what I want to net. Throw the net over, the twiggy bits of pruning hold it nicely in place and draw it all together at the top with string tied in a bow (for easy access, not aesthetics!).
I had the same problem this year with my module sown broad beans, I suspected pigeons at the time. All pushed over at ground level and wrecked. They didn't touch the direct sown ones, strangely. Maybe direct sown are more firmly established in the ground? Actually, the direct sown are better in every way than the modules, so I think I will just sow a few module ones as back up next year. And if I do put any module sown ones out I will have to net!