Each corn kernel stolen from ground

[WingItRanch]

Weird question... I have a vegetable garden that's fenced to keep out deer. We just planted corn a week ago and something has systematically taken every kernel. The weird part is, there is no disturbance to the soil. No signs of digging. Just a single hole where there used to be planted kernels. I'm thinking a beak made the perfect holes so maybe birds? Has anyone else ever dealt with this?

Note: nothing else in the garden has been disturbed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sounds like a bird to me. No footprints?

 

[townchicks]

I bet on crows. They probably watched you planting.

 

[WingItRanch]

No footprints that we could see.

We definitely have a few crows hanging around! I haven't discouraged them because they chase off the hawks. Interesting idea that they may have been watching. The crows really do have eyes! (Schitt's Creek joke)

 

[WingItRanch]

I put a couple of those colorful pinwheels out there by the replacement corn kernels. Not sure if that's enough to detract the super smart crows, though...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ha. Crows probably used the pinwheels as little shovels.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Try short row covers while they sprout.

 

[WingItRanch]

Try short row covers while they sprout.

I didn't even know these were an option. Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Also guessing crows, they're such jerks. They used to pull up the plant label markers I'd put out (and I kid you not, they'd rearrange them so I'd find one or two markers in a completely different bed), so I put them right up against the garden bed wall and pushed into the soil to make it tougher. They then went and pulled out started sprouts and left them lying everywhere, as if to say "Ha!"

I now cover my beds with bird netting while sprouts are still young. Raised bird netting, because if I net just inches over the bed they've learned they can just put their weight on it and reach down and move all the bamboo sticks I use to section off each part of the bed.

 

[Sally PB]

I have a similar problem with peas and beans. It's not a bird. I think it's a vole. It goes right down the row underground and eats the seeds.