Grow Your Own Magazine

Will Pheasants eat my plants veg, fruit or otherwise? I was so pleased to see them strutting their stuff in my garden 'till it occured to me that they might actually eat all my plants!

thanks

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Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

No ido not think they will they peck of the ground they dont eat greenstuff if they do i have not seen it i have one that roost's in a large \oak tree at the bottom of my garden i say goodnight to him as me and the growler go for are last walh of the day chuck him a bit of maize down he might bring his mates round to see you

Two plants I know they like for cover is sweetcorn and Jerusalem artichoke. I would imagine they would eat the corn and the JA tubers and possibly seedheads!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

We have a visiting pheasant. they eat seeds and grubs .. and don't appear to touch any growing plants - which is more than be said for the slugs and woodpigeons and the squirrels and the mice...

Here's one we photographed earlier

Terry

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Beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pheasants may look very cute in the gaarden but I had them one year and they completely destroyed my potato crop. They scratched just like chickens and then ate half of the potatoes in the ground leaving me with a whole patch of half eaten potatoes.

I would rather see them on the table Yummmmmmmmmmmm

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

We had 4 in and out of the garden one year. They were concentrating on the fallen bits from the wild bird feeders. In fact, one of the girlies had a nest under the pampas grass (which really IS coming out this year. In the garden when we came and haven't had the time till now to get rid!) They damaged nothing and we enjoyed their presence. I had a full load of crops in the back plot as usual but nothing was touched. Maybe if you have plenty of bird food they aren't interested in anything that looks more like hard work!

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Thanks all for your replies, I love wildlife and birds so I'm glad to have them in the garden, hopefully they'll scratch about for the fallen seed and bugs and leave my crops alone!

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Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Flummery has hit the nail on the head really, if you are worried about what they might eat, give them a treat which is better than your tatties etc.

They are dumb birds really, I rear and release about five hundred a year on a small shoot and they show a good foraging instinct but little intelligence. I love seeing them about and yet they can be dstructve, so I do strike a balance and put down a little wheat for them ( £4 per sack at any grain store) it keeps them busy and distracted if you mix it into a little scattered straw whilst its great to watch them.

Less of a pest if you manage them with a liitle treat and can be great fun
Darren