Boris70 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Hi, We moved house last week, and have found the garden is riddled with slugs - big fat ones. I thought the girls would have eaten them - but they seem too big. Last night when we shut them up in the eglu, there was a big slug on Dhylis's and Penny's backs, which was dutifully removed. Any idea how I can get rid of the slugs without harming the girls at all? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I hoped my chooks would eat slugs, but they show no interest in them whatsoever - to my great disappointment. Someone on here (Lesley?) reckons that snipping the slugs in half with scissors made them more palatable (to the chickens, that is ) but I can't bring myself to do that. I think the only safe way is to get nematodes, and it might be too late in the year now - however I believe there is a thread somewhere about slug pellets, you could try searching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I find ...these ...good. I got mine from Lakeland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris70 Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Thank you both, Lakeland are much cheaper - so it looks like i'll be getting it from there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlover Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I suffer from slugs in our garden, they get into to chickens and rabbit homes and slime everywhere, they r totally gross ,but i find putting a bowl of beer near to the coop, but somewhere your chickens cant get, a great deterent as they always go to the beer instead. They seem to find it irrisistable, i also use it to keep them away from my veggies, it works a treat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 We can't get enough slugs and snails in our garden. Delia and Darcy love them so much they fight over them. Slugs have no chance in our garden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 salt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissinuk Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Nemaslug works great and is the safest way to get rid of them:- http://www.greengardener.co.uk/slug.htm You can use it up to around October before it gets too cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pearsons Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Toast and Chips love slugs. Mr Next-Door was gardening on Monday and had an old tupperware box (no lid) with him and he put all the slugs, snails and other beasties in it for my girls. Then his wife called him in for a cuppa and when he got back to the garden the box was empty.... when I got home from work he came to tell me and he was so upset I'm afraid I Helen in Hume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 My mum recently bought me a book called '50 ways to kill a slug' and its great! Here are a few tips Grapefruit are good - cut in half eat the inside and create an arch in one side of it so when you put each half 'rim down' it looks like a little grapefruit house. Dot these arround the garden and the slugs will crawl in and then you can dispose of them or feed the smaller slugs to the girls. If you put diatom around your best plants and the slugs crawl across it to get to the leaves the diatom cuts into the slug cuases it to dehydrate and it dies Caffeine is apparently a great slug stopper and it works like a beer trap but it hasnt yet been proved not to harm other garden dwellers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutechicky Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 yeah I suggest what kissinuk suggests. Or you could cut them in half! Then they won't be so big! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 yeah I suggest what kissinuk suggests. Or you could cut them in half! Then they won't be so big! I once cut a slug in half. It was one of the most hideous experiences of my life. Gallons of grey entrails ballooned out. I thought it was never going to stop! I've got a fairly strong stomach but this really put it to the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 It's official: there are far more slugs this year. See this article in The Tmes yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arowland17 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 We're overrun with slugs this year, the last week I've never seen so many on our lawn before!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lera Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Mine do not like the big black garden slugs, they will happily eat snails and smaller slugs. The couple of times that I have seen them eat the black slugs, they have been shaking their heads and wiping their beaks afterwards for ages - those slugs exude a lot of slime when pecked and are too large just to be gulped down. I have been throwing them over a hedge into a field, but I bet half of them crawl their way back to my courgettes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Yep, we are overrun, and if we don't start fighting back, they will all be breeding and we will have ten times as many next year . I use salt on the ones in pecking distance of the hens, but I will be putting pellets down very soon in the borders which are fenced off from wildlife. The big ones in my garden are up to six inches long and ginger brown, the hens won't even attempt to eat them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogs Too Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 We were inundated as our our neighbours! Our four love slugs and snails, any size will do, if too big for one chicken the others all join in it can be quite gross There is talk of my taking the girls into the next door gardens to free range and eat their slugs, we have noticably fewer slugs than our neighbours! As they help out with the girls when we are way I'm sure the chicks will be willing to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...