Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[aliwobble]

I've just come back from checking on the chickens and have scooped up 85 slugs from the lawn - on top of the 121 I picked up this morning (yes, I have been counting!!) They are now drowning in salty water

Given that any other creepy crawlie nasty (including large frogs!) are snaffled down in seconds, why won't they eat the one pest that actually causes me a problem?!

 

Hubbie is not impressed as not only did I tell him before we got chickens that they would eat slugs, but we now can't put down slug pellets as the chickens free range most days. We now resort to beer traps around the veg, but given the vast amounts of slugs this summer, it's getting expensive!

 

Oh well, maybe I could come up with some delicious slug-based recipe that might tempt the chickens into thinking slugs taste great after all ...

[Faye&Ant]

I would say post them to me as my girls love slugs!!!!

[Hen Watch]

My girls only eat baby slugs - really weeny ones.

 

The great big, fat, orange ones used to get a peck then rejected. Now they are older and wiser and they don't even bother to peck them.

[abwsco]

Have you tried hand feeding them to your girls or even more gross cutting one up so they know it's food. Mine didn't like snails until I cracked one open for them

[aliwobble]

LOL! I'll need a big envelope! Or maybe you could lend me your hens for a bit so they can 'clean up' the garden for me...

 

Maybe they've just had so many they've gone off them - they don't even eat the ones that crawl into the grub feeder!

[ajm200]

Ours wouldn't eat slugs until they came into lay.

 

Now we have hardly any slugs in the garden. Two of the girls are our constant companions when we are gardening, ready to hoover up anything we find.. The others will only eat big slugs and snails if we squash them first. YUK!

 

The good thing is our son has seen us squashing the snails and does it whenever he sees one even if the girls are in the run.

 

Hasn't helped our veggies though, as the odd weather has caused all the broccoli and lettuces to bolt..

[Stevie]

lol-since getting them in April,mine have reduced the slug & snail population by atleast 90%.

 

They're like a pair of Velocoraptors when i chuck slugs and snails at them!

[Egluntyne]

Mine didn't like them at first. I think they have to aquire a taste for them. A bit like us and Brussels Sprouts.

 

Mine still don't care for the big black and orange chewy ones.

 

Lesley snips slugs in half with a pair of scissors.

 

Go on...try it.

[The Brown Clan]

 

They're like a pair of Velocoraptors when i chuck slugs and snails at them!

 

MINE TOO !! FUNNY TO WATCH EM

[aliwobble]

Thanks for all your replies - I'm going to try cutting some slugs up today to see if that tempts them I think I'll have to dedicate a pair of slimy slug scissors!

[keyhole kate]

Mine think slugs are caviar

 

I go out if its raing to try and find some in the borders I keep netted off as everywhere else is a slug free zone they have gobbled any they could find. Mine dont seem to have worked out how to get the snails out of there shells so i whack them for them

Kitty

[Mutrix Farmers]

mine won't eat slugs either and I haven't seen them attempt a snail!

 

I stopped using slug pellets years ago when we got our resident hedgehog, and we have frogs visit occasioanlly even though we don't have a pond anymore, and the blackbirds eat most of the snails. I've got lacey hostas but a good mix of wildlife!

[mrsallen08]

My girls absolutely love slugs and if I throw a big fatty in there all hell breaks lose for it! Even the little chicks love worms and slugs!

 

I must admit they are a lot more fussy with their greens! Only potato plant leaves and curly kale will be eaten. I think maybe mine are just a little too carnivorous!

[stoice]

Isn't any part or the potato plant poisonous when raw?

[muzzie]

Mine won't eat the slugs either and that was one of the reasons that I got the chickens in the first place. They have also stopped eating earth worms they do however love japanese beetles but I have to catch them the chickens don't seem to look up for food only down.

[chooklady]

Tesco value bitter is pretty cheap!

[Snowy]

I agree they sometimes need to discover the slug's innards before they develop a taste for them. I trod on the snails for them at first, now they go mad for themand only need help for the really big, hard shells. And they also hoover up the big, chewy slugs! I always let them out when it's been raining to clear up.

[Valkyrie]

Our slugs and snails are picky about what type of beer! Gave up testing them - would rather have something for myself than throwing yet another beer away! Our girls won't touch the really big slugs, but when one finds a small one they all want in and then we have something resembling the end of a Benny Hill Show all around the garden!

 

they sometimes need to discover the slug's innards before they develop a taste for them

Ewwwwwwww. Snowy!

[beach chick]

ah, I was thinking about 'humane' slug and snail traps today, so I could catch the beasties and give them to the chooks... ( can envisage gladiator/lion type scenario!)

are beer traps harmful to the chooks if they eat half-cut molluscs? I've tried citrus fruit halves bfore and never caught anything.

[Snowy]

It is ok to feed the slugs from the beer trap to the chooks - supposedly the beer just attracts them, they don't drink it, they drown in it

[beach chick]

snowy, I think my other half may have tried that line on me before...!