GingerCat Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 So yesterday there were many hundreds of conkers strewn over my lawn down by the stream. Shopping great big ones I intended to pick up today with my daughter. Today there is not one Conker left. Just the empty husks they fell from the tree in. I can rule out my 3 year old as she was making cookies and then eating them. I can't see any prints in the few patches of bare soil and the garden is otherwise inaccessible to people. What eats them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 Only squirrels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted October 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 The airgun shall be getting dusted off then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickyh Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 (edited) You must have been robbed by Kids. Great big Conkers are like having a Ferrari when your 10 years old ! Doubt Squirrels would have taken the lot without leaving burial marks. Anyway Squirrels are not nocturnal? Pigs or Boar ? Edited October 12, 2019 by mickyh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted October 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 No chance of a pig, no kids either. I saw a couple of small piles of husks along the top of the stream and 2 rat bait stations had been moved. I wondered if it was badgers but I can't see any poo or prints and they would have to climb the stock fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 Your opening phrase suggests that for anything small an infestation would be required and which you'd have probably noticed so in order to clear that lot away a smaller number of something bigger would have been necessary. If you get another "harvest", a trail cam might give the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted October 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 5 minutes ago, wymberley said: Your opening phrase suggests that for anything small an infestation would be required and which you'd have probably noticed so in order to clear that lot away a smaller number of something bigger would have been necessary. If you get another "harvest", a trail cam might give the answer. That's the thing, I've not noticed any squirrels apart from in the summer and they had an unfortunate end, the bait stations are for routine maintenance near the chicken run. They have never been moved before, it could have been wind but doubtful. It's looking like sqigs if the mighty jdog says they eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Christopher Jones Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 35 minutes ago, GingerCat said: The airgun shall be getting dusted off then. This ran across the paddock as i awaited Bunnies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 did it have a packet of rennies with it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 Could Bambi clear your stock fence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted October 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 Maybe, not seen any in the garden before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Christopher Jones Posted October 12, 2019 Report Share Posted October 12, 2019 34 minutes ago, ditchman said: did it have a packet of rennies with it ? It wasnt expecting a RWS HP from Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 16 hours ago, GingerCat said: So yesterday there were many hundreds of conkers strewn over my lawn down by the stream. Shopping great big ones I intended to pick up today with my daughter. Today there is not one Conker left. Just the empty husks they fell from the tree in. I can rule out my 3 year old as she was making cookies and then eating them. I can't see any prints in the few patches of bare soil and the garden is otherwise inaccessible to people. What eats them? Toxic to cattle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 The reason they are called horse chestnuts is because they used to gather them up to bulk up the winter horse feed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 1 minute ago, Vince Green said: The reason they are called horse chestnuts is because they used to gather them up to bulk up the winter horse feed they used to make coffee from them in the 2nd world war....and in the first world war they used to ferment acetone from them for munitions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 (edited) Coffee and acetone from the same nut. Don't think I'd want to drink it. Edited October 13, 2019 by figgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 27 minutes ago, ditchman said: they used to make coffee from them in the 2nd world war....and in the first world war they used to ferment acetone from them for munitions.... Also in the first world war Baldrick used to use dandruff to make the coffee frothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 13 minutes ago, Old Boggy said: Also in the first world war Baldrick used to use dandruff to make the coffee frothy Is it just coincidence that they named the 'coffee' before thinking of the type of folk that in the future would be drinking the frothy coffee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRYAN3 Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 Conkerchonkers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Old Boggy said: Also in the first world war Baldrick used to use dandruff to make the coffee frothy he couldnt make a frothy coffee now.....unless he scraped the dead skin from his underarms... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Old Boggy said: Also in the first world war Baldrick used to use dandruff to make the coffee frothy No that was saliva, dandruff was sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 hello, Mr Brock the Badger, ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 19 hours ago, GingerCat said: So yesterday there were many hundreds of conkers strewn over my lawn down by the stream. Shopping great big ones I intended to pick up today with my daughter. Today there is not one Conker left. Just the empty husks they fell from the tree in. I can rule out my 3 year old as she was making cookies and then eating them. I can't see any prints in the few patches of bare soil and the garden is otherwise inaccessible to people. What eats them? Deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Ruler Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 I keep finding the empty husks in my garden but there isn’t a conker tree within about 500 yards. Seems a long way for a squirrel to carry them, especially as I don’t get many of them, they tend to die shortly after arrival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Boggy Posted October 13, 2019 Report Share Posted October 13, 2019 5 hours ago, Mr_Nobody said: No that was saliva, dandruff was sugar. You are quite right, I stand corrected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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