Lettuces stripped

[salilah]

I planted out my set of leaves - about 6" high - a week ago - they were surviving the rain OK
Now I get home to find all (except the rocket) stripped completely - no leaves left, just straggly stems.
Is this pidgeons? How can I stop this? I've not had this problem before, in the same raised bed :-(

my next lot is only just sown, so we have weeks now to wait - really annoying...

[Bren In Pots]

If it's birds all all you can do is to cover with netting, I've found nothing else works.

[Mitzi]

Mine are similar but I assumed it was slugs. Pigeons hadn't occurred to me.

[veggiechicken]

Wood pigeons are the problem here - they're stripping all the kale and the fruit bushes.

[Snoop Puss]

It's oil beetles here.

[Perko]

Wood pigeons are the problem here - they're stripping all the kale and the fruit bushes.

This is interesting, we had an enormous cherry tree at our last house and nothing bothered it until the cherrys were a few weeks from ripe and then it would get attacked. I wasn’t too bothered as there was enough to go round. We have a smaller cherry tree now which is a reasonable size but nowhere near what we had before. Thing is the pigeons and it was only pigeons ate all the fruit as soon as the flowers dropped, literally like were like small nuts and the pigeons were going mad for them. We only moved 5 miles across town and they never used to bother at the last place?? Bizarre.

[Jonnyt]

I'm having the same problem and it's mice.

[nickdub]

Usually you can tell on this sort of thing by when it happens - if in the day time then its likely to be birds , if at night then rodents are the main suspect.

[Mitzi]

Mine’s night which is why I thought slugs.

[nickdub]

Mine’s night which is why I thought slugs.

If its slugs you get quite neat damage ie no tearing - as opposed to mice when you can usually see teeth marks

[salilah]

Thanks for info!

Really appreciate all the replies!

I can't tell night or day as we were away for a couple days

I'll check for toothmarks - not had mice before, but you never know
I thought slugs would eat lumps but not strip down just to the main ribs? Also I thought the plants were big enough to stand this (though I do know htere are slugs in the bed as the courgettes are having a bit of a bad time)

We certainly have woodpigeons around, so could well be them

Would the lettuce survive and resprout if I netted them?

[Jonnyt]

If it's mice they are dead. They eat the growing point. Certainly sounds like mice to me.