Protecting sweet corn.

[Car Doc]

I just now have corn ready to pick and I am seeing what sounds like you are saying on the ones that are ready or real close. I dont remember seeing it before but I may forget this by next year also.

The tops are showing signs of being opened like the ones I open to check how far along it is, I may need to put my trail cam out there also.

We have an awful lot of bluejays and they love corn so thats my thinking at this point my problem may be time will tell?

 

[BeezFun]

Thanks for all the info friends. My wife went out yesterday and did some close inspection of the corn stalks where the corn was damaged. She fount small claw marks going up the stalks. So I guess it is the wiener rats.

Rats!

Our dogs are **** on mice, chipmunks, squirrels. We don't have that kind of rat, but I would guess any dog worth his salt would tear them up. And dogs don't like corn.

 

[ruralruss]

Our dogs are **** on mice, chipmunks, squirrels. We don't have that kind of rat, but I would guess any dog worth his salt would tear them up. And dogs don't like corn.

Our dog loves corn and I have seen a rat run right under her without being noticed. We have a little calico cat and she is a killer. She kills anything. Some times she catches the rats and does not kill them and she will give it to Sally the dog. Of course it is wounded and dog grabs and takes full credit for the kill. By the way, we always try to have a calico because they seem to be the best hunters I have seen of the cats. And she is the sweetest little thing too!

 

[Car Doc]

I now have coons getting my corn they are pulling the ears down and eating 1/2 and getting another one and this is besides whatever is opening the tops up.

I have my trail cam strapped to a tree trained on an abandoned house next door trying to catch some thief's that have been taking car parts over there so I cant use it for critters yet.

I set short glasses 1/2 full of ammonia out along the rows with a cloth wick hanging over the edge for now but plan on putting an electric twine fence around the whole corn patch later this week.

 

[Car Doc]

Well the electric fence is working so far.

I picked up a 660' roll of poly wire (electric twine) $14 and a bundle of 20 4' fiberglass rods $24 at the farm store and set it up took about 1 hour total and since I had the fence charger the cost was only about $40.

Very easy to install the twine a single wrap around the rod is all thats necessary no brackets etc the twine holds on real well I set the twine level at about 6-7" above ground.

They were in there every nite until I put this fence in and tearing the heck out of things but no more so hoping all I have to tend to is the bugs and have a good full term corn crop.

 

[MotorSeven]

And how much corn can you buy for $40

Been there, done that. I have spent way more trying to grow some things that it worth. Ringtailed bandits ate a entire crop of corn 2 days before we were going to pick it. They also really like chicken....laying hens that is.. along with the opossums, so I spent a day and a half building a predator proof chicken coop.....electrifyed perimeter fence hooked to a solar charger.

I'm thinking Foo Gas trenches, Concertina wire, Spotlights, Claymore mines w/trip wires, and Rifle Towers are next..................

 

[BeezFun]

Well the electric fence is working so far.

Not sure if you've seen them, but they make little portable fence chargers that operate off a few D cell batteries. Makes it real easy to setup something temporary where there's no power. I've used it to keep a coon out of the tree by our house, wrapped chicken wire around those plastic posts at the base of the tree trunk. Should have heard him howl. Also used it to keep coons out of loft in barn. Suspended chickenwire at base of stairs and used metal pan out of a dog crate as the ground. So Rockie was standing on a metal pan when he touched that chicken wire, now that's a complete circuit right there.

In case you think that little charger can't bite, I know it can knock down a man if you're grounded and standing close. I've stopped climbing that tree outside our bedroom window.

 

[Car Doc]

I've stopped climbing that tree outside our bedroom window.

I dont even want to know hahaha not touching that one no sir! :laughing:

And no haven't seen them thanks for the tip but I did see the price on solar powered ones yikes!

 

[jonyyuma]

Car doc, It sounds like my having small hardware cloth fences, that I put around each melon, so I can get one to eat. The varmits eat a lot of my canalope and watermelons if i don't fence them..

 

[HiTechTed]

Take some fly bait, get a disposable aluminum pie tin, pour a good pile of the fly bait in there and mix in a can of coke. Coons will gobble that stuff up like crazy. Then they will walk about 10 feet and drop dead. Keep it where your dogs and kids can't get in it and maybe set a couple of marshmallows close to the pie tin to lure the coons in.