OK so my current passions are, not in any order, peafowl, gardening, horses, & cooking. I LOVE to watch the peas wandering around the property, but....my lettuce is GONE, my flowers are mutilated or GONE. My winter sowing plants are about to be set out.
I don't want to have to pen them. Are they smart enough to stay away from an electric fence?
Boo Hoo, torn between two loves...what to do?!?
LOL
So you have to chose between pleasing your eyes, or pleasing your stomach?! With this economy, I'd place the priority on the edibles. ;)
I have seen birds try to land on electric fences. I am not sure if they learn or not. I know what you mean though. My chickens love to get in my landscapes. AGH!!!
I am going to build several nice looking pens in the garden with plants all around so they can nibble and hide. I still have chickens running loose and that is about all my DW can take. Peafowl are much more destructive. My only other suggestion would be to plant enough for all. Good luck.
The problem with peas is that they are such good flyers. Mine manage to get into the garden too, but haven't been all that much of a problem...yet. My hen nests in the asparagras bed and they have flown over every fence I have put up. Right now, my male is standing on top of the roof calling to his mate. Sure glad my neighbors don't mind.
I've decided that the only answer for me is to cage the plants. The chickens are even jumping up and eating the cherry blossoms.
This message was edited Mar 27, 2009 1:53 AM
Caging the plants is a good idea. Make sure it's a sturdy cage.
I lived on the Central coast awhile ago. There were feral peafowl in the area. Stripped my garden clean in no time. I was amazed at what they would eat, and how well they could manouever their beaks through the chicken wire.
They'd all fly up to a branch in the cedar tree. The branch would start to bend as each additional bird landed on it. Eventually the weight of the whole family of peacocks would be so great it would bend down and then they'd all slide off. Maybe it was a game they played - they kept repeating the act.
My retriever bonded with the birds of course, so he was no help with the garden.
Great, then they had an accomplice!! :D
My husband says that this is the only yard where animals are free and the plants are in cages. It works for me, most of the time.
Yup I am progressivly caging my plants, but my garden is at least 2500 square feet. I will need to pick and choose who to protect.
The peas in the tree story is great!
You could make a PVC or rebar greenhouse frame over large sections and throw bird netting over it rather than plastic...
The plastic/nylon bird netting tears easily and is no match for a determined pea hen. Mine plowed through the netting and got it tangled around their necks.
Get pheasant netting, then. FarmTek has some very nice stuff that even a goat can't get through. =0)
Oooh! I never thought of pheasant netting!
They also have deer netting that looks heavier than that wussy bird netting (hadn't taken into consideration the size of a peafowl).... hmmm.... ah, the pheasant netting is cheaper.
Farm Tek, I could do some damage with that catalog!
Oooooh Yeah... =0)
An "old timer" told me to make a hot pepper spray and use it on the plants. The first taste is suppose to cure them??? I am having the same problem with my peafowl and guinea. I am going to give it a try. My poor Cole crops were found today by them. : (
George
Cayenne pepper is fed to canaries to improve their plumage. Birds are supposedly immune to hot peppers. Still, it's worth a try. Let us know if your peafowl become brighter after eating the seasoned plants.
Yeah, I used to feed hot peppers to my parrot. The heat didn't seem to affect him. I'm still working on the cages.
I tried rubbing a cut jalapeno on my chair legs the puppies were chewing on... cured one, the other developed a taste for it. LOL
