- Location
- Snodland kent
Shooter brought back a pigeon and opened up its crop. It's amazing how much material they can stuff in it.Out of interest I weighed it, 63g which I'm told they do twice a day.
Pigeons appertite for OSR
- Thread starter Northdowns Martin
- Start date
Shooter brought back a pigeon and opened up its crop. It's amazing how much material they can stuff in it.Out of interest I weighed it, 63g which I'm told they do twice a day.
- Location
- Essex/Herts Border
Fudge! No wonder a flock can do so much damage!!
Hope they brought back more than one!
Captain Mainwaring
Member
- Location
- E. Sussex
If it wasn't Friday I'd be trying to work out the total biomass per ha of my osr, then dividing that by my estimate of how many pigeons were eating it in order to conclude how long it was before there's nothing left!
ZXR17
Member
- Location
- South Dorset
No need to worry about pigeons according to our gamekeeper. There can be loads of pigeons stripping the rape all during the shooting season and apparently they don't need controlling. Then on the 1st February they are a problem and they all want to come pigeon shooting
- Location
- Snodland kent
And long may that theory continue to be exercised on farms growing OSR and running a shoot, makes it easier ti protect my crop.
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
Cracking research. Eye opening. A PhD study perhapd
solo
Member
- Location
- worcestershire
Pigeon noticeably absent here this year. This last week the few I did have have disappeared. Local gas guns have all gone silent too.
This last week the few I did have have disappeared. Local gas guns have all gone silent too. 
timmyboy
Member
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds
My thinking too @static but afraid to say it! My boss says they are eating all the seeds put in the garden for the Robins and will I come and shoot them! Errr. Uhhumm. Bit busy Boss at the mo...
- Location
- northumberland
It would be if they were on your rape [emoji848]
No need to worry about pigeons according to our gamekeeper. There can be loads of pigeons stripping the rape all during the shooting season and apparently they don't need controlling. Then on the 1st February they are a problem and they all want to come pigeon shooting
Oh, I know a keeper like that too. Fortunately he doesn't work here anymore. The current one understands what I need - he needs me for his partridge project so it's not a difficult decision.
I've had a few gas bangers out since Christmas but it has gone quiet - the local ones are on the estate next door munching maize covers designed for their commercial pheasant shoot. I guess once the game season is over they will turn their attention to the grey rats and send them my way.
My thinking too @static but afraid to say it! My boss says they are eating all the seeds put in the garden for the Robins and will I come and shoot them! Errr. Uhhumm. Bit busy Boss at the mo...
Weather hasnt been that cold really, and there is plenty of other greenery for them this year. Makes a nice change really. Couple of gas guns out, but if I had my way I'd stop having long runs of hedges with one massive tree in the middle for them all to sit in. Trees can stay in woods, and not the middle of hedges.
- Location
- In the middle.
I was talking to a lad on a large farm down the road from here. He says they have a flock of about 2000 pigeons and he has been spending all day chasing them around there 1000ac of rape and there still making a mess of it. I'm seeing a few about but not to bad
- Location
- Suffolk
Thats incredible! Dad often tells me about pigeons "exploding" when hitting the ground when out shooting! Never seen it like this.
Try to succeed
Member
I shoot a few pigeons round ours. They look almost twice the normal size when coming in to roost after feeding on osr. I've had them explode it everywhere in mid air with being packed in so tightly once shot. Good fist sized chunk of osr in every bird. Easy to see how they strip it in no time. Had banger ropes and gas guns out here for a few weeks now.