Do chickens eat slugs?

[Margery]

Ohhh...Char! I saw Fear Factor once and that was enough for me! yuk...yuk....

[Margery]

Ohhh...Char! I saw Fear Factor once and that was enough for me! yuk...yuk....

[Old earth dog]

@ John! did you, by any chance, lick any of those toads? I've always heard that was a hallusagen. (Sp)

[wild4flowers]

I've seen dogs that catch toads/frogs, and they froth at the mouth. CHAR

[Wanda]

Well, I have to comb toads out of the grass around the edges of the rocks with my (gloved) fingers before I can trim the grass with my hand trimmers...just hate cutting them in half!!! So hard to get out of the mechanism (hehe). Had been using the string trimmer, but the toad puree flying through the air is quite off-putting (hehe).

I don’t mind taking a little extra care, when I can count the holes in my hosta leaves on one hand! They are such good little vermin eaters. I bought some of the “safe” slug bait 3 yrs. ago...and its still unopened.

wanda

[wishiwere]

And that's scary looking with all the rabid dog cartoons as a kid! When I first starting gardening here, I was using a pitch fork to turn over some soil and stuck a toad through and through. I was so grossed out when I picked it up and saw it, I dropped the fork and the twins (which always help me garden quickly went after it. Instantly they looked up and started foaming at the mouth! Then I was really ill, thinking they were poisoned or something! Man, was an ordeal, I remember it like yesterday, calling the vet and such. Felt so bad for that toad. I was careful to kick around the area before digging more later.

[hagranger]

I was going to suggest a wet sand pit ... near to the compost pile ... but that pool thing sounds even better (smile)
... Seriously toads are TOADALLY AWESOME!
... Helen

[Xela]

Ducks and geese do a fine job eating slugs and don't scratch the ground or your garden guests like chickens do.

I woke up this morning and my geese have demolished a dozen or more hostas. The ducks taste tested them when I first put them in and wandered away. I've been fighting the geese off since I started planting hostas in June. Last night they won as they didn't make their usual racket when around the house to awaken me to chase them away. grr Needless to say I've posted a "Free Geese" ad on our local bulletin board. Geese may like slugs; however, they much prefer hostas! They also like Butterfly bushes! I was patiently watching them form blooms excited to see them when one morning every single bloom was gone from the three bushes in that area. I used to love my geese, now I remember why I gave up gardening so many years ago. I had way too many critters around here that wreck havic on everything I plant! I thought since the population was down I could make another attempt at gardening. Now I've decided that the destructive critters will go before my gardens!!!
Sorry needed to blow some steam.

[maidofshade]

My husband has chickens, and we have a fence for them, Do they stay in, NO. They fly over or into trees and scratch the living **it out of my hostas. Always favorite ones too. They also like to use fresh planted ones for dust baths
I have a shotgun and warn him about his critter patrol, but they always seem to hang around the LP tank when I am around. (I know they are stupid, Hmmmmmmmm.)
Ducks and geese -- had them -- don't go barefoot
Toads are fine but never seem to be enough, I am using ammonia spray and picking them YUCK and got some slug bait that is safe for the dogs, The little one likes beer so that is out.
It seems that this is the worst year ever for the slugs and I can't figure that one out cause we were in a drought most of the summer, but I guess with all the watering I do, this must be like their oasis.

JGH, if you ever have a toad rodeo, you should sell tickets!
What a forum, I sure learn a lot from this place!
Cheryl

[Chris_W]

Our chickens are also fenced in, but in a kennel type fence with plastic netting over it so they can't fly out (and predators can't fly in). They are safely away from the plants

We had some bantam silkies for a while, 2 hens and 2 roosters, but one of the roosters didn't get along that well with the others so we thought, it's small, what harm could it do to let it out to give him a break. Wow,what a mistake. He made a beeline for the first hosta he saw, ignoring everything else, and started scratching and eating. That little sh*t couldn't have ever seen a hosta in its life, let alone taste one to know it was edible, yet that's the first thing it started eating once it was out! It's reign of terror lasted about 30 seconds

Found out that chickens also love tomato hornworm caterpillars - not much left of it, though, after they were done fighting over it

[maidofshade]

Hornworm caterpillars and also nice red tomatoes, like to take a bite out of everyone, just a taste mind you!!

[eastwood2007]

This is a funny thread!!!! I hadn't seen it before.

Guineas are very good at eating slugs. I didn't really realize how good till I visited my DIL's house the other day and her hostas are FULL of holes....I hardly have any. Some people like to get a little vengeance by sprinkling slugs with salt....there's nothing more fun to do with a slug than to drop it into the guinea pen. Sometimes you don't even see it hit the ground!!!

I've had my guineas over a year now, and although they can be noisy during the day sometimes, they don't do the damage the other fowl do, and their poop is very dry and we just don't hardly see much of it. They don't bother the hostas. They even gently pick around in the potted ones getting critters.

Predators are a problem so I keep them penned at night, but actually lost one the other day while I was gone during the day....first time that has happened, and I don't quite know what to think, or know what got it.

Other insects, especially ticks, are way down this year, too.

I'm going to get some more next spring...

Thanks for all the laughs everyone!

[Xela]

Other insects, especially ticks, are way down this year, too.

I'm going to get some more next spring...

Thanks for all the laughs everyone!

*rotflmao* Sorry eastwood2007 for laughing so hard. When I read your last line I understood what you meant, but it hit my funny bone big time! "Other insects, especially ticks, are way down this year, too. I'm going to get some more next spring..."

I'm happy to report that my marauding geese are now at a new home. I put the ad on the community bulletin board on the weekend, it was posted on Monday, the geese were gone by 7:30 p.m. Monday. I was walking down a slope to open the gate for the people leaving with the geese. The next thing I knew I was flat on my back the people staring wide-eyed through their windshield at me. I got up and looked down to see what I had wiped out on...a huge goose poop. What a fitting good-bye from the geese. I smiled to myself knowing that soon it would be the last time I would find myself flat on my back because of that crap. Regardless, I was a little sad to see them go, especially knowing what their plight will be. I was told otherwise; however, I'm doubtful! When asked why I was giving them away I walked them over to the hosta area that was half eaten by the little sh*ts; nothing left but pathetic stumps of Dick Ward, Niagara Falls, Regal Splendor, Francee, Paul's Glory, Minute Man, Sum of All, Sum of Substance, Night before Christmas, Sagae, Earth Angel, Blue Angel, Krossa Regal, and Parhelion. Half the area was totally demolished! Not to mention chew marks on all of the other hosta's. If I had any HVX amongst those plants it is now spread throughout. grr
I pray that my 50+ free-range ducks leave my gardens alone. They are welcome to the slugs and other critters just don't ruin my plants! Otherwise, their plight will be the same as the geese. So far the ducks have done minimal damage. Maybe it's time to look into guinea hens? Nope! It has been too peaceful around here without the geese why torture myself with more noise.
Chris...you are right! Chickens and ducks love tomato hornworms and every other disgusting thing crawling in the garden. I pick and toss all these critters to the ducks that surround the garden area in hopes of the treats being tossed their way. I can't trust them to pick only the bugs themselves so my veggie garden remains fenced. The fox and coyotes ate all my chickens, all two hundred of them, over a couple of years, now they are working on my female ducks. Anyone know of fox/coyote repellent? That doesn't contain lead???

Have a great pest-free day everyone!

[eastwood2007]

rotflmao* Sorry eastwood2007 for laughing so hard. When I read your last line I understood what you meant, but it hit my funny bone big time! "Other insects, especially ticks, are way down this year, too. I'm going to get some more next spring..."

Good catch, Xela!

I should have read that again before I submitted it! I think it is one of the those things where I will get more next spring...whether I like it or not!!!!

Gonna get some guineas, too, though....

[Xela]

lol...yes eastwood2007 I think you will get more! Have a great day!

[Mark Raw]

frogsa and toads do not need ponds to live they only need them for breeding toads are better than frogs tho they walk not hop