Is my pekin bantam male or female?

[Jenthelibrarian]

Has anyone tried, or have anything to say about, Slug Gone wool pellets, please? Are they safe to use around hens? I mostly want to use them around greenhouse crops like my cukes and courgettes and in planters, but I can't be sure the hens won't get at them. Last year they learned to open the sliding door of the greenhouse to steal ripe tomatoes, cheeky madams

 

http://www.sluggone.com/

 

I am plagued with slugs at the moment, I guess it's the wet after some warm weather and the mild winter not killing them off

 

They are getting into my Eglu and the hens' food as well as colonising my compost bins. My chooks will eat the small black ones, but are quite wary of the big spotted ones, as well they might be, poor girls

[Mrs_B]

I feel your pain with slugs - they're a nightmare especially when it's wet

 

The only safe thing I have used around chooks are small sharp stones scattered around my plants - anything else my chickens would definitely eat. I haven't heard of the wool pellets or the Slug Gone so I can't comment on those, hopefully someone else will give you further advice

 

x

[patsylabrador]

NEMATODES!!

I'm 'shouting' because they are brilliant. Look for Nemaslug on Amazon. I use them every year, they are so child/pet/wild animal friendly and totally not slug friendly. Again this year slugs have disappeared from my garden and I can't understand why everybody doesn't use them.

Please try them, evil little tiny creatures that I love!

[Hayleybug]

do the nematodes work on snails too? just found a small colony inside the flowers of my clematis and I've had enough of the little blighters! usually chuck them over the hedge into the farmers field but I swear they are coming back!!

[Beantree]

Chickens will eat anything that looks attractive to them Jen. Usually they know bad plants, but anything else is fair game. Remember that they can not only be poisoned but they can die from gizzard impaction due to eating indigestible objects.