Old Boggy Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Having just breasted out a few pigeons from yesterday, one young bird`s crop contained 37 beans. They were still finding beans on a field of winter wheat, as rightly observed in another post by JDog. Not a huge amount for beans, granted, but it got me thinking about how many acorns that a pigeon could hold in its crop. Chatting to my farmer friend yesterday, he confirmed that he once shot one with 46 acorns in its crop. I`ve only shot them with a maximum of a dozen or so in their crops, but I`m sure others out there can confirm greater numbers. Perhaps a record holder even !! Maybe I should get a life other than counting out numbers of crop contents, but always find my self doing it on a random selection of shot birds, if only to check out feeding patterns etc. OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 I have never counted acorns in a crop, but I have often wondered how the shot bird managed to fly with such a bulging crop, I will now start counting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good shot? Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Have counted 17 in a Jays' crop a long time ago but never pigeon.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 46 acorns.......................thats nearly the size of the pigeon....................youre avin a larf surley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooder Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Having just breasted out a few pigeons from yesterday, one young bird`s crop contained 37 beans. They were still finding beans on a field of winter wheat, as rightly observed in another post by JDog. Not a huge amount for beans, granted, but it got me thinking about how many acorns that a pigeon could hold in its crop. Chatting to my farmer friend yesterday, he confirmed that he once shot one with 46 acorns in its crop. I`ve only shot them with a maximum of a dozen or so in their crops, but I`m sure others out there can confirm greater numbers. Perhaps a record holder even !! Maybe I should get a life other than counting out numbers of crop contents, but always find my self doing it on a random selection of shot birds, if only to check out feeding patterns etc. OB Shot a field of newly drilled wheat yesterday, blagged a half day, as i had been watching the field since Tuesday when they drilled it, previously had beans on it, only had a dozen birds and one bonus crow in three hours, all contained beans and some drilled wheat no acorns,.considering the field is surrounded by woodland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead eye alan Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 One for the bean counters i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konnie Posted October 14, 2017 Report Share Posted October 14, 2017 Don't have many acorns around here but when it gets to roost shooting the size & quantity of some of the bits of sugarbeet in their crop is amazing, some splitting on impact with the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted October 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2017 46 acorns.......................thats nearly the size of the pigeon....................youre avin a larf surley Well Ditchy, call me sad but I`ve just collected 46 acorns and as a ball they measure approximately 3 1/4 inches in diameter, so I don`t think that it`s such an impossibility for a pigeon to have this in its crop. However, they weighed 7 ounces, so whether it could fly particularly well is another matter. Oh, and by the way, stop calling me Shirley !! OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 Well Ditchy, call me sad but I`ve just collected 46 acorns and as a ball they measure approximately 3 1/4 inches in diameter, so I don`t think that it`s such an impossibility for a pigeon to have this in its crop. However, they weighed 7 ounces, so whether it could fly particularly well is another matter. Oh, and by the way, stop calling me Shirley !! OB just out of interest...........i wonder how long the bird would take to process all them acorns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 Maybe I should get a life other than counting out numbers of crop contents, but always find my self doing it on a random selection of shot birds, if only to check out feeding patterns etc. OB Have you tried counting a full crop of Rape seed OB ? , just in case you have got a few days spare and looking for something to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Have you tried counting a full crop of Rape seed OB ? , just in case you have got a few days spare and looking for something to do No, I'm not that sad, or bored, but watching one of Chris Green's DVDs, he counted out the number of wheat seeds in a pigeon's full crop with a view to approximating on the amount a whole flock would eat and therefore the total loss to the farmer !! On a similar theme, it always amazes me when you see a completely green field of volunteer rape after harvest, how much seed must be lost or not picked up from the combine. The cutter bar must knock quite a lot of seed out that obviously cannot be collected. Not complaining, as that's what gives us our great sport on the stubbles and even after discing. OB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) No, I'm not that sad, or bored, but watching one of Chris Green's DVDs, he counted out the number of wheat seeds in a pigeon's full crop with a view to approximating on the amount a whole flock would eat and therefore the total loss to the farmer !! On a similar theme, it always amazes me when you see a completely green field of volunteer rape after harvest, how much seed must be lost or not picked up from the combine. The cutter bar must knock quite a lot of seed out that obviously cannot be collected. Not complaining, as that's what gives us our great sport on the stubbles and even after discing. OB Pigeons eating wheat seeds from drillings will not cause a loss to the farmer as they are on the surface. Wheat seeds from laid wheat is a different matter. Another point from your post always causes me some head scratching. Why have I never seen pigeons on volunteer rape after harvest? One would have thought that the plants would be succulent enough. Perhaps it is the amount of other food available at the time? Edited October 19, 2017 by JDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Preferable food with a higher nutritional value perhaps. Pigeons eating wheat seeds from drillings will not cause a loss to the farmer as they are on the surface. Wheat seeds from laid wheat is a different matter. Another point from your post always causes me some head scratching. Why I have I never seen pigeons on volunteer rape after harvest? One would have thought that the plants would be succulent enough. Perhaps it is the amount of other food available at the time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 There's a really heavy acorn crop here this year. Pigeons never cease to amaze me as to how greedy they are. These two were caught scoffing grain near one of our feeders. They were that stuffed they could hardly get off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Good picture. Talking to a keeper round here last year he told me that when the immigrant pigeons arrive they get onto his feed rides in such numbers that he has to put in an extra food run during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good shot? Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 It's been at least 5 years since i have seen so many acorns around my permissions, most years there have hardly been any at all to notice. Really bumper year for acorns this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted October 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Pigeons eating wheat seeds from drillings will not cause a loss to the farmer as they are on the surface. Wheat seeds from laid wheat is a different matter. Another point from your post always causes me some head scratching. Why have I never seen pigeons on volunteer rape after harvest? One would have thought that the plants would be succulent enough. Perhaps it is the amount of other food available at the time? You are quite right of course about seed on the surface, but fortunately for us, farmers invariably still see them as a threat to their crop when they see them on drilling. As already said, it would appear that volunteer rape does not figure in the pigeon`s diet due to other more nutritious food available at that time. As we all know, they have to eat rape in the winter during most daylight hours to sustain their condition so the nutrition in rape must be pretty low. Also as Ditchman has said, I wonder too, how long it takes for a pigeon to `digest` a full crop of acorns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted October 19, 2017 Report Share Posted October 19, 2017 Good picture. Talking to a keeper round here last year he told me that when the immigrant pigeons arrive they get onto his feed rides in such numbers that he has to put in an extra food run during the day. Thank you There has been days when we've called ours "pigeon feeders". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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