kale or maze

[haydon]

Quick question chaps.

 

I have a cover that is 250 meters x 25 can be a little wet in winter and heavy soil.

We drilled maze in it last year but due to weeds it did not take well not all of it.

My question is as I am a fan of kale mixes (bright seeds "boom" ) would a kale cover 250x25 work or is it to large, may seam a silly question but I have never seen a large kale cover only maze.

I might say we have had great success with our other kale but they are a lot smaller and I can only broadcast the kale.

[kennett]

I have shot fields of kale grown for cattle feed, around 5-6 acres and they held plenty of birds. Could you break the block up, with strips of wild bird mix for instance?

[tiny tim]

maize doesn't like weeds ,you have to either get a clean seed bed or spray with selective weedkiller

[haydon]

I could, do you mean across the 25 or the length.

I was thinking of cutting a 1 meter zig zag down the length ?

[haydon]

Yes i know that Tiny Tim it's more a question of what hold and drives better with the small advantage that the kale cover will last two years which the farm contractor likes !

[scotslad]

Used to beat on an estate that its smallest kale crop would be about that size no idea how big the largest was (30-40 acre mibee more, was a big field anyway) seemed to work well thou. Seen thousands of birds come out of that big crop right throu the season, and generally held up well even with snow etc

 

Whats the purpose of the zig zag? Is it a holding cover or a driving cover? The birds will run down the rows quite easily to a flushing point if thats wot u want or u could cut rides at 90 to encourage birds to flush right throu the crop

[kennett]

That's a good point, if you are only able to broadcast it you may struggle, pheasant prefer any cover when they can run down the rows, if kale is too thick it will be hard for them and for you to beat. Stripsof wild bird mix across the block would give a bit more feed value, and the more open canopy could work as flushing points

[Konnie]

Kale is the top crop in my opinion, the only reason it's not used so much now is the flea beetle treatment (that worked) was banned. And to establish needs a regular flea beetle spraying programme, weeds will also need controlling in this crop it will grow but weaker as it competes for light.

[haydon]

The purpose of the zig zag was to let them have something to move down more freely but not be able to see all the way down it ?

I found that in my smaller kale crops from last year it smothered out the weeds and is still holding birds now but am I brave/stupid enough to try a much larger block and do all shoots just have to have maze in there plan.

[scotslad]

Up here (sw scot) no shoots grow maize as just not got the climate, even the dairy farmers have pretty much stopped growing maize for there cows now due to costs and weather. And it was all the rage for last 10 years

 

Is there no one local and experienced u could ask some advice off? Be a lot easier when u can see the crops/drives.

 

That big shoot used the crop more as holding crops immediately behind woods sou would blank them into the flushing point in the wood, worked really well and that massive field sort of linked 3 drivees so u could sort of move birds about a bit, held loads of birds right throu the season but also easy enough to get the birds to run on nicely into the drives.

I'm sure some natural wild food would improve it but u can always stick some hoppers straw rides in if no feed in mix or ge some of those mixes that has some feed in the mix.

 

Aye understand ur zig zag now,just never heard of anyone doing it, bird do tend to run up the rows quite nice usually, seen small ride cut and stop and start for the exact same idea but usually always in straight lines

[Alycidon]

Maize is somewhat easier to establish but any resident Badgers will murder it in September. Kale does take skill (and luck with the rain) to establish and checks every couple of days for flea beetle, but get it going nicely and it holds well and will stand for 2 seasons.

 

Another option could be Dwarf Sorgum and Millet mix, this neads to go in once the soil temp gets going, usually not before the first week in June.

 

25m wide means a team of 6 beaters are needed, given the sizeof your plot I would divide into two teams and beat from each end assuming the gun line is out to one side. Then with 2 way radios the keeper can easily control where the birds are going by advancing one or other of the beating teams. Helps get an even spread across the line.

 

A