how to outsmart birds - and eat the figs you grow?
ashleysf
14 years ago
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14 years agoRelated Discussions
Can you help me outsmart my chicken?
Comments (12)The main thins is to tame them. Our hens are so tame that when ever you go into the coop they will fly up on your shoulder like a parrott and will ballance themselves there as long as you let them. My 9 year old son has taught one to balance on his palm and we pick them up and pet them everytime we go into the coop, while we are doing this we are checking wings /legs and bottoms and checking for mites and parasites ect.....we also give them all kinds of goodies from corn on the cob to weeds pulled up from the garden/they love cucmbers/tomatoes/swiss chard/pumpkin and their very favorite is a Japanese Beetle soup that hubby gives them after a sucsessfull hour of grabing Japanese Beetles off the fruit trees and plants in the garden. He drowns the beetles in a 2 liter bottle filled with water then just pours the drowned beetles into a aluminum pie pan and they go nuts.........lots of luck...with Polly....Josette...See MoreBirds eating fruit off the tree
Comments (4)I use bird scare. I tried the netting but when its all done it just pulls off the leaves and breaks branches. The bird scare comes on a large roll like masking tape, but looks like xmas tinsel and just ties on(w/long streamers) and can be used re-used. The bird don't like it. If you ever take a ride down through the center of California this time of year you would think it is Christmas. All the large ranches use it. I bought mine at Home depot. PS if you have birds nesting in places you dont want them, use it there too....See Morehow to attract birds for eating bugs?
Comments (19)As someone said much earlier in this post, insect-eating birds don't go for birdseed, except for the chickadees. For insect-eating birds, you want a birdbath, and suet. Many more birds will use the birdbath than either suet or birdseed. You will want a shallow birdbath with a rough inner surface, your classic concrete birdbath. Birds won't go in water that's more than a couple inches deep, and they want a rough surface so they don't slip. These are not the easiest to maintain - I've seen birdbaths on the market that are deep and smooth and people think they're better because they won't have to fill them so often, and they'll be easier to clean, but the birds won't touch them. I get birds at my birdbath year round, even when it's been raining for weeks. Robins, jays, towhees, finches, sparrows, warblers, chickadees, bushtits, juncos, you name it. Place it a few feet from shrubbery or a tree, so they can see any cats coming and dive for cover. I love watching them, especially in late summer when the new fledgling birds are learning how to use the birdbath. For suet feeding I have what's called a 'crow cage' from Wild Birds Unlimited. It only allows smaller birds to get to the suet. Means the towhees and woodpeckers can't get it either, but it's necessary to keep the crows and starlings off. I have the suet cage itself suspended about an inch from the bottom of the cage so the flickers can hang from the bottom and reach the suet. The starlings can just barely do that too, but it's hard enough for them that they rarely do so. Ask to see their suet cage setups that keep the starlings off, and you'll see what I mean. I also take down the suet when the starlings are nesting, usually April, and don't put it back up again until they're done in summer. To minimize seed waste I buy straight black oil sunflower seed. It's more expensive than the mixes, but the birds toss out much of what's in the mixes....See MoreGot figs?? I do, yea! How do you eat them?
Comments (12)This is a canape recipe I think would be wonderful! Prosciutto and Caramelized Fig Tidbits Recipe ingredients -2 Tbsp. (30 mL) butter* -3 fresh figs, cut into 8 wedges each -Small amount of sugar -3 Tbsp. (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil** -1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Modena balsamic vinegar* -8 slices prosciutto*, cut lengthwise into 3 strips -Watercress as needed -Salt and pepper to taste Preparation In a skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add figs and sprinkle with sugar. Cook about 1 minute per side to caramelize. Remove from heat. Whisk olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, season and set aside. Lay a piece of fig and some watercress on a strip of prosciutto and roll up. Repeat. Sprinkle a few drops of dressing on each tidbit and serve immediately....See Morerafed
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