[Kajazy]

Those pesky pigeons got at my small brassica transplants (sprouts, calabrese, kohl rabi & purple sprouting broccoli) - my question is this - can seedlings recover from pigeon damage? They're generally about 12-15 cm high, and a few of them have a leaf or a bit of leaf left!

[DD.]

The critical bit is the central growing point. If that's intact they should be OK.

You have to net everything these days.

[aelf]

very annoying, isn't it. They got mine last year, now I have net over the lot.

[bigben]

You have my sympathy I was feeling smug until yesterday. None of my uncovered brasicas had been damaged - I visited the plot yesterday and found the pigeons had trashed the lot almost overnight.

[Flump]

I could have cried this morning! first time I had managed to germinate cauliflowers,everything was netted but the pigeons had decimated the lot overnight.All the leaves are now just stem and they've had a go at the sprouts too.The netting was too close I suppose,or they went under.I was a bit complacent as I had no damage last year,bloomin' things.

[debih]

The pigeons have done the same to ours.

We didn't cover ours this year - just put up poles with cd's hanging off string across them all and all was going well until I got to the plot yesterday and found that the pesky pigeons had eaten the ones planted round the edges.

The cd's do seem to be working for the ones in the middle though.

[JayG]

The pigeons have done the same to ours.

We didn't cover ours this year - just put up poles with cd's hanging off string across them all and all was going well until I got to the plot yesterday and found that the pesky pigeons had eaten the ones planted round the edges.

The cd's do seem to be working for the ones in the middle though.

   Don't you believe it (the ones in the middle are tomorrow's dinner!)

CD's don't work IMO (even the sountrack from "Cats" will be ignored after a time even if they work initially!)

[stompy]

Been on another thread and because of it it has spured me in to trying a chillie powder wash through the watering can.

Im going to water the leaves with dilute chillie powder in a wtering can to see if it puts them off.  

[mumofstig]

but they have to eat some first to taste it, and the rain washes it of 

[DD.]

I can confirm that CD's do NOT work!

[potatogrower]

looks like netting is the best. the heavy winds blew the net away from the soil and they got in and ate most of the brocolli plants. lucky they didn't go for the others.

Something tells me these pigeons are getting rather clever  but try to look dumb, maybe working as a team at night in stealth mode, picking the net up and the rest enter, have a party and have food on the house

[debih]

Oh well.  Off on my hols in the early hours so it looks like the cabbages will have to fend for themselves.

Will see what damage there is when we get back.

I don't like cabbage much anyway.   

[haggis@home]

i found a air rifle worked 

[Endymion]

Been on another thread and because of it it has spured me in to trying a chillie powder wash through the watering can.

Chilli will work with mammals, such as mice and squirrels because they can taste it. Sadly it doesn't work with birds, because they can't taste it. Not so sure they can smell it either.

We tried dusting peanuts with chilli - the pigeons loved them, but the squirrels left them alone.

[DD.]

Oh well.  Off on my hols in the early hours so it looks like the cabbages will have to fend for themselves.

Will see what damage there is when we get back.

I don't like cabbage much anyway.   

Bye bye cabbage!