Badgers

[veggiechicken]

A wild part of my garden seems to have been flattened in the last couple of days.. Bracken and brambles lying flat and it looks as if a horse or a sheep has been through it (both of these have happened)
Could it be badgers? I know they come into the garden as I've found snuffle holes and dung, and my neighbour saw one after a wasp nest in my compost heap 2 years ago.
There are overgrown patches that I seldom go into and they could be in there. Do badger setts smell? Would they be active at this time of year?
I really don't want a sett in the garden

[Linzy]

Could be neveer had a great deal of experiance with them and what to look for My dad occasionally get some walk across his farm and he said there fairly large and dense looking. Def could flatten the bracken

[KittyColdNose]

One of our friends had badgers break in to the chook hoose. Was a solid shed too,

[Verinda]

Hi Veggiechicken,

Badgers are active all year round, they don't hibernate anyway. They also have badger loo's and will only use them not go all over the place! Their sets are kept clean and do not smell. They dig for worms at the bottom of my dads field, I think where there's badgers theres a lot of digging so it might not be badgers if the bracken is just flattened and no digging. They have one large main set which could have several miles of tunnels. Then they have smaller sets nearby and can just decide to move home for a year or two.

I love badgers but admittedly wouldn't want them trampling over my garden!

[Aberdeenplotter]

I'm maybe talking out of a hole in my head here. I think badgers are protected and if they do set up house, you may well be stuck with them

[Aberdeenplotter]

Farmers tried to cull the badgers, but wildlife protection groups lobbied Parliament. Parliament responded by passing the Badgers Act 1973, which made it an offence to attempt to kill, take, injure badgers or interfere with their setts without a licence. These laws are now enshrined in the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.

Above extracted from wikipedia Badger culling in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Darwin.]

I haven't seen a live badger in about 18 years, just the odd one killed on the road. I didn't know a whole pile about them but thanks to Verinda I know a bit more now.

[mothhawk]

Is there anywhere in your garden that looks as if a small JCB has been at work? If not, then probably your badgers are not resident. it's the breeding season now, so the boars will be patrolling their boundaries and getting into scuffles with intruders, which may be why you have flattened areas. Their diet includes eggs, birds (there go your hens), fruit, roots, seeds (and the veg patch), bulbs, worms, insects (and the flower garden), but on the bright side, also rodents if they can catch them

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Verinda and all for your contributions!

I'm maybe talking out of a hole in my head here. I think badgers are protected and if they do set up house, you may well be stuck with them

I know, Ap, that's why I don't want a sett in my garden
I believe there is a sett in a bramble patch in the field behind the house and I'm hoping they've just come for a wander through the garden again. I've seen no sign of a sett so far, only rabbit burrows (and I could do without those too). The fence has been pushed up in several places but that's probably next doors' Jack Russel who has the hots for my dogs
I'll have another wade through the undergrowth tomorrow!!

[Verinda]

You are welcome (: (my laptop won't do those smiley faces!)

[veggiechicken]

In a couple of hours hacking through brambles and bracken all I found were rabbit burrows so I'm hopeful that there are no resident badgers
Once its clear I may turn it into a veggie patch as the soil looks really good - now I need to work out a way of keeping rabbits at bay (other than very expensive netting
Thanks for your interest everyone

[Verinda]

That must have been a relief!

Hmm, digging out bracken isn't much fun, their roots are a nightmare.

[binley100]

I wouldn't worry about them the govert seem hellbent on killing them all anyway, just let downing street know where they are.......job done

[veggiechicken]

Not in Wales, Bins. We've gone down the vaccination route

[binley100]

I know where there's some and I'm not telling anyone...........if needs be I'll relocate them to Wales ......