Guest Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 I was interested to read that some folks are having troouble with their girls who don't want to eat slugs. I don't think mine will either but wondered if this year we shouldn't use slug pellets incase they eat those or do start eating slugs. Would they be poisonous to a chicken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 They certainly are to hedgehogs - I had a baby hedgehog die in my hands at the vets a couple of years ago so I won't have slug pellets in my garden and haven't used them for the last 11 years. I pay my youngest to go round squishing slugs and snails - 2p per snail and 5p per slug as they're harder to spot. My plants stand a better chance and he gets some spends! Unfortunately my chickens won't touch the things ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanne Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 i've posted this elsewhere too so forgive me if youve read it already, but check out www.cat.org.uk (centre for alternate technology) theres a link to a slug page giving 200 'green' solutions/ideas for dealing with a slug problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 Liz You are quite right - anywhere the hens go should be a pellet free area. I won't let my girls go onto anyone's allotment if there might be any pellets or pelleted slugs there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 Please, please don't use slug pellets. One of my cats almost died after becoming addicted to them and she had to move to my Mum's and live indoors permentley to prevent her ever getting near them again. There are many other ways to deal with slugs that are safe, please look into them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 Interested in talk about how to deal with slugs and snails as my garden is full of them . I wont use pelletts as I am sure they are really bad for chickens but unless I can find another solution I won't be planting any vegetables this year as last year only the slugs and snails benefitted! I am off to the garden centre in a minute to see if they can help with any pet friendly advice and will let you know. If you find any solutions please let me know. I have tried sinking cups of beer into the soil which does work but you can't do that all over the garden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Please, please don't use slug pellets. One of my cats almost died after becoming addicted to them and she had to move to my Mum's and live indoors permentley to prevent her ever getting near them again. There are many other ways to deal with slugs that are safe, please look into them All the ones I'm trying seem to be very safe - especially for the slugs However I'm still holding out this year. I've always tried to avoid them, as we have lots of frogs, and used to have hedgehogs. Usually however I crack and secret a few round the lettuces in growbags on the wall when the slugs start to get more than I do. (I think the hedgehogs moved out because of the dog - he went through a phase of fetching them. He would pick them up in his mouth, without seeming to be bothered by the spines, and bring them into the house. The first time it happened it was a real shock to find a hedgehog by the fireplace. After that he had to be frisked as he came into the house. They never seemed hurt by the experience, just a bit shocked, but since the second year of this we haven't seen any.) This year I've used eggshells, coffee grounds and cloches, mainly with no effect. So now I go out to close up the Eglu at about 11 and spend 15 minutes with a fork and a torch hunting them by hand. I don't know if it works but it's very satisfying ! It's very labour intensive though, so if anyone would like to suggest another method to add to the scientific trials I'm doing with the latest seedlings, all suggestions are welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I've found a new way of disposing of slugs - Sybil It started when I realised there were loads inside the lid of the wormery. Too many to pick off so I just put the lid into the hen run. Sybil polished off the lot in seconds -even the big ones I'm now going to do the old fashioned thing of putting turned-down citrus halves around the garden which the slugs will gather in and then I can just put the citrus in the run and Sybil can go to work. Pollo might be a good slug disposer as well, but so far Sybil hasn't let her get near them - greedy girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I'm now going to do the old fashioned thing of putting turned-down citrus halves around the garden which the slugs will gather in Do you do anything to the halves ? I put grapefruit halves out earlier this year, and all I found inside was ants. Didn't get a single slug. (And of course our hens are a bit selective about what slugs they'll eat. Although the one I caught crawling inside their food peanut this morning really wasn't first in the queue when they were handing out the brains.) My overnight patrols seem to be helping a bit though. And it does seem that quite a good way to speed up the process is to concentrate on the plants that are being damaged. There seem to be just one or two slugs coming back to each plant. So if it survives the first night I've usually caught the culprits in the act next night, and the damage has stopped. I'm also using cut off upside down drinks bottles jammed down around the seedlings when I plant them out which seems to work. But of course rainwater doesn't get in directly then. Not that that's been a problem this week. I could probably swim on the grass at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Hi Guest, I methodically did the upside down plastic bottle thing this weekend when I planted out my sunflower seedlings and this morning went out to find a slug happilly chowing down on one of them It is now an ex slug I was so mad it didn't even make it to the chickens I am destined to have no luck with that particular border as last year I bought sweet peas to plant along it as it is a south west facing border against a wall but it was so wet I got lots of leaves and about 6 flowers so this year I though sunflowers as they are so cheap and easy to grow and now I will have to do battle with the slugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I tried the crushed eggshell trick last year as the garden centre said it was really good but it was absolutely useless so this year I am hoping for the best and just avoiding their most popular plants. What with the slugs eating the plants and the chickens scratching them up I am not holding out much hope for a beautiful garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 It started when I realised there were loads inside the lid of the wormery. Tell me more about the wormery - or perhaps start a new thread on it. How big is it ? What will it take ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I've got the can-o-worms which you can read about and order from the link http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/ I'm quite pleased with it. We left it outside all winter in our tiny sheltered courtyard, but I think the worms would have eaten and increased their numbers more if we had had them somewhere warmer for the winter, like in the garage. You can feed them cooked vegetables as well as the normal stuff you put on a compost heap and there is no smell. Some people make their own version for a lot less than you pay for this one, but in our confined area I wanted something compact and discrete looking and this does very well. At a guess (pouring with rain so don't want to go out with tapemeasure) it is 18" diameter and about 3ft high with all trays on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowcloud Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 I will have to try the half-a-grapefruit trick to attract the slugs and snails, our girls are really developing a taste for them. As a matter of interest, I noted that Leanne mentioned the Centre for Alternative Technology. If you do get a chance, do visit them. My parents live near there and we went up to see what it was like, and it was really good. Very friendly people aching to talk to you about their ideas and what experiences they have had. They have lots of geese, chickens and even goats and pigs too. It is a great day out and lots to learn if you like that sort of thing. The only problem is that it is a bit out of the way if you are not in the area already (North-West Wales). But most recommended if you are on holiday in Aberystwyth or Cardigan or Newquay etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 I've got the can-o-worms which you can read about and order from the linkhttp://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/ Thanks for posting that. They look great. Quite expensive, but I want one of those ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 Murdo - there is one which has a window so you can see what the worms sre up to - great if you have children - i'll look out the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Murdo - there is one which has a window so you can see what the worms sre up to - great if you have children - i'll look out the details. Yes, I saw that one, but it didn't look nearly so useful. We already compost most things, but cooked food and old breakfast porridge, and other things that stink still go in the bin, so I like the idea of the can-o-worms. Staggering back on topic for a moment - does anyone know to what extent slugs contribute to the compost heap ? If I go down on a damp day the largest and most scary looking slugs are sitting there guzzling. That probably means more little slugs, so every now and again I massacre them. Am I doing myself a disservice, or can all the other organisms in there get on with it on their own ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 I scoop up all the slugs from our compost heap and wormery and throw them in for the girls - they can see when I tend to the heap and wormery and start getting excited in anticipation. Both seem to be working fine with no slugs. I think it is mostly worms and bacteria that do all the work producing compost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 I tried putting broken egg shells round my veggies the other day, but l never got to find out if they worked or not - Jason my Cocker Spaniel ate them all!! I am going to try putting beer in sunken jam jars next, but he likes beer so he'll probably drink that as well!! Mel pink eglu and chickens very soon hard-working husband 2 lovely little girls age 5 and 2 Daniel, 8 yr oild Tibetan Spaniel Jason, 6 yr old Cocker Spaniel Barney, 2 yr old Miniature Lop rabbit who would love the red eglu Nana, 1.5 yr old hamster Roley, 6mth old budgie Horatio and Gil, goldfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happymama Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 SLUGS: BLACK ONES eat grubs and bugs, NOT YOUR PLANTS. BROWN ONES eat plants. ORANGE ONES eat plants. My hens eat the baby ones but not bigger ones. We get hedgepig under the fence so perhaps they would oblige? Oh, and BTW, the above slug info is on good authority from a National Trust gardener. It was news to me, black and brown and orange all went over the garden fence to next door (yes, I know you think that was naughty, but you don't live next door to them, do you?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
