Slugs, an acquired taste?

[Renee]

Yeees, the old "chickens will eat the garden pests" trick.

I fell for it too. Had an idyllic vision (probably from Sunset magazine or some such schlock) of being trailed through the garden, chickens eating every earwig, pillbug and slug I pointed out to them...

Right. My chickens eat the garden. They won't touch the pests.

Oh, except for the praying mantids. They think those are a fine treat.

 

[Im4Eggcellence]

Quote:
Give us your address, I will send you more!

Hmmm.... sounds like a very generous offer, but I hear that postal regulations specifically prohibit the sending of slugs by "snail mail"

 

[m2wandc]

Sounds like the verdict is some do and some don't...

today my chickens were outside for a visit (3.5 weeks old) and one caught a butterfly (maybe moth) couldn't tell...and ran around teasing the other, the other got it ran around teasing back...they did this to each other for some time swapping the butterfly and teasing the other and then eventually they dropped the poor dead thing and left it there on the ground....

 

[amk3000]

Quote:
I think I'm about to get depressed...
Does anyone else have some real experience with chickens and gardens?

Maybe I really should get ducks...

 

[SimplyForties]

Anyone have any experience with snails? I don't have slugs but I have tons of snails. It never occurred to me that the chickens might eat them. That would be great!

 

[m2wandc]

I have LOADS of experience with snails...but unfortunately my experience involves watching my 3 year old save snails from their meanful journey to/from the bushes, sidewalk, driveway and pile them all up on a 'special rock' at our front doorstep each morning...(basically detouring them every morning) and if I were to 'remove' any of them or oops step on them, he would be crushed, so every morning there is a snail colony on our door step...

 

[firedove]

My chickens will eat just about any veggie (they love ripe tomatoes!) and anything green so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they went after garden plants as badly as I have heard. I have yet to plant my garden down by the barn where it's eventual home will be so I haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing my chickens demolish a garden. I have seen my 10 go through a full sized head of cabbage in about 5 minutes.

 

[m2wandc]

my hubby thinks he's going to have a lovely garden in the same area I plan to free range the chickens...LOL

 

[firedove]

Ignorance is bliss! Just so long as he doesn't get too upset when the chickens eat every shred of greenery before it even gets ankle height!

 

[m2wandc]

Quote:
I'm banking on the fact that his thumb is no where near green and he'll think it's his pass history of non-growing plants...LOL