Veg patch and wild bunnies - not a good combination?

DKLS

Simply the two dont mix, time to borrow a polecat/ferret and a few snares/nets I love bunny burgers.

timmmers

McKneff wrote: »

oooohhhh lucky lucky you.

chicken wire, live and let live,

..and be able to look your kids in the eye afterwards too.

Mind you, they can always watch widlife on telly where most kids think it belongs can't they ? :rolleyes:

t

babyshoes

Well, if you live near me I can offer you a steady supply of ferret litter (I use a litter made of recycled newspaper soit would be fully compostable) - I am sure a border of that sprinkled round your veggie patch would deter most bunnies; however it might deter people too! My fuzzies fill up a carrier bag every few days, so you could literally have as much as you like....

I keep making this offer when people complain about bunnies, but haven't had anyone take me up on it yet, I wonder why? :rotfl:

linlin_3

You'll never grow veggies successfully without rabbit proofing the veggie patch. Three feet high trellis covered with chicken wire which has also been dug in is the only way to go. You might want to consider that not all veggies are prone to rabbit damage - e.g. they don't touch potatoes and onions. Also fruit bushes are pretty much bunny proof.

Encourage the cats as they'll deter the bunnies, but won't get rid of them.

Jue_xx

babyshoes wrote: »

Well, if you live near me I can offer you a steady supply of ferret litter (I use a litter made of recycled newspaper soit would be fully compostable) - I am sure a border of that sprinkled round your veggie patch would deter most bunnies; however it might deter people too! My fuzzies fill up a carrier bag every few days, so you could literally have as much as you like....

I keep making this offer when people complain about bunnies, but haven't had anyone take me up on it yet, I wonder why? :rotfl:

Thank you so much for the very very kind offer, but I think I live just a bit too far away!

(*Fingers and toes crossed and prays that OP does not live anywhere near South Yorkshire!*)

Davesnave

timmmers wrote: »

..and be able to look your kids in the eye afterwards too.

Mind you, they can always watch widlife on telly where most kids think it belongs can't they ? :rolleyes:

t

On the other hand, you could educate them about where food comes from and what is involved in procuring it.

You may not have intended to sound condescending towards children, but having worked with a few thousand, I can assure you that some are as smart as adults.;)

timmmers

It's not the kids that I was being condescending to....but the people who seem to think that wildlife is expendable...yet no doubt crow about being green and eco friendly.

Some people will eat anything, just because they can...a bird..shoot it..a fox..hunt it with dogs (not for fun of course :rolleyes:)...you name it it's one day not going to exist in our countryside. In it's natural habitat. Only at Tesco in plastic bags.

I can see the family sitting down to eat the cast of Watership down far too easily.
I can't imagine anyone sitting down to east a Guinea pig though...they are cheap and tasty too..so why not? Could get the kids to breed 'em as a hobby and skin them for tea so they are aware of where food comes from?

A family of wild beasties living somewhere doing no harm in their natural habitat ...and due to some arrogant humans who are too lazy to protect a few cabbages they need to die ? I hope not.

I hope there is some room on planet earth for at least a few wild things to live unmolested.

t

Kay_Peel

This was the subject of River Cottage on TV last night. Hugh Fearnley-What'shisname had a vegetable patch that was devastated by rabbits, despite the rabbit-proof fence. He called in some experts who went out at night with 2.2 rifles and lamps that made the bunnies freeze long enough for an accurate shot. The marksman then took a knife, gutted the rabbit, and flung it into the Landrover. Gulp!

The recipes were fantastic. The local W.I. made hats, mittens, an Ursula Andress bikini (!), rugs and toys from the pelts.

There were two bits of advice worth telling: (1) use a 2.2 rifle if you're going to eat the little beggars. (2) shoot them from mid-summer onwards, after they have raised their young.

It may seem over-the-top but, quite honestly, the damage that these cute little things did to his garden, after all his hard work, was just awful.

Jue_xx

Davesnave wrote: »

On the other hand, you could educate them about where food comes from and what is involved in procuring it.

...or let them watch the rabbits and educate them about where babies come from!!:D

Jue_xx

Kay_Peel wrote: »

This was the subject of River Cottage on TV last night. Hugh Fearnley-What'shisname had a vegetable patch that was devastated by rabbits, despite the rabbit-proof fence. He called in some experts who went out at night with 2.2 rifles and lamps that made the bunnies freeze long enough for an accurate shot. The marksman then took a knife, gutted the rabbit, and flung it into the Landrover. Gulp!

The recipes were fantastic. The local W.I. made hats, mittens, an Ursula Andress bikini (!), rugs and toys from the pelts.

There were two bits of advice worth telling: (1) use a 2.2 rifle if you're going to eat the little beggars. (2) shoot them from mid-summer onwards, after they have raised their young.

It may seem over-the-top but, quite honestly, the damage that these cute little things did to his garden, after all his hard work, was just awful.

Gosh, I wish I'd seen that, I'll check the listings to see if it is going to be repeated anywhere.

Some strong views here, both for and against letting them stay. Another concern I have is that even if I manage to bunny-proof the veg area, I have plans for the rest of the garden too (at the moment it's pretty much just shrubs, lawn and trees), so the flowers will suffer too. I guess my best hope will be that felling the conifers will encourage them to leave of their own accord - that way the decision will be taken out of my hands. On the other hand, if they're persistent and start to cause trouble....

...I'll just have to take it one step at a time.