Can chickens eat aquarium snails?

[blissfulbirds]

After being mislead on what snails i got from petsmart, and some problems that have come along with that, i have come to the decision i have to get rid of the snail. I don’t want to kill it for no reason so i’m wondering if my chickens will enjoy it as a snack. Can they eat apple snails from my aquarium?

 

[alwaystj9]

ewww. My chickens do not eat slugs, is that similar? Ducks eat snails & slugs.

 

[Folly's place]

Find out if that snail variety is toxic, some are, and your chickens won't know. Also it's possible to have bacterial diseases in the aquarium that your birds shouldn't interact with. If you want that snail gone, can you return it to the store? Or kill it yourself.
I don't use aquarium water in my veggie garden or on any plants I plan on eating. Separation is a good thing!
Mary

 

[nuthatched]

Snails and slugs often carry parasites, I wouldn't.

 

[Folly's place]

Right, I forgot that one.
Mary

 

[Brown Chick]

That could be the Apple snail which got released into all the waterways in the south. They are taking over and carry some strange parasite. But they can be eaten safely if cooked I read somewhere.

 

[KingD]

After being mislead on what snails i got from petsmart, and some problems that have come along with that, i have come to the decision i have to get rid of the snail. I don’t want to kill it for no reason so i’m wondering if my chickens will enjoy it as a snack. Can they eat apple snails from my aquarium?

If you don't want to kill it for no reason then why are you giving it to your chickens? They'll kill it.
Nothing wrong with that though. Just trying to figure out the logic.

 

[thelkkl]

What did you end up deciding to do?

I brought home an Apple Snail for my “native” aquarium, thinking it was gonna be a great unique addition. I had never seen a snail so large and just cruising right along my neighborhood drainage
system. I was stoked. But immediately after figuring out what kind of snail my new friend was, I realized I done indeed messed up. Not only did I break some rules, I am now forced to kill the poor thing, and I hate that.
For some reason the idea of giving it to my chickens as feed seems to make his death more meaningful. The parasite factor makes me super hesitant though.

I’ve been trying to find information on this, it would honestly be super beneficial seeing as the Apple Snail threat is truly a problem, and becoming worse. This could be such a ideal solution, letting your chickens help eradicate such an invasive species.

 

[Folly's place]

I don't know anything about specific snail species, except that some are edible, and some are toxic. Best to find out about any before feeding them...
Mary

 

[Krugerrand]

That could be the Apple snail which got released into all the waterways in the south. They are taking over and carry some strange parasite. But they can be eaten safely if cooked I read somewhere.

I like my chickens plenty ... but I'd have to draw the line at cooking up snails for them.