Slugs - Uggh

[Linda in San Diego]

I have slugs eating my strawberries and I don't want to let the chickens do the same thing. So if I build beer traps for slugs - do you think I can stll feed the slugs to my chickens?

Here is a description of the process:
Whatever the type of beer you use, you can create your own slug trap. Use cottage cheese, margarine, or similar size plastic containers. Put between 1/2 and 2 inches of beer in each container and place the containers around your garden, especially around plants prone to slug damage. Never sink the containers with their rims flush with the soil level or you run the risk of drowning ground beetles, important slug controllers. The rims should be 1" above the soil's surface. You will probably need to empty the container of drowned slugs every other night.

http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/five-organic-gardening-must-haves

 

[MissPrissy]

Use a low alcohol heavy yeast beer. It limited quantities it won't hurt.

 

[priszilla]

ever hear of drunken chicken (recipe)? this is step 1.

 

[spook]

The one thing I do is use organic soap, 1 tsp per gallon of water, put into one of those hand pump sprayer bottles, spray the leaves, top and bottom, allowing soap to get onto the soil. Do this each evening and morning for a short while and you will be rid of them. Also organic soap is great for most bugs in your garden, we use it frequently, also, have you laid pine shavings down around the strawberries, this keeps the slugs away because the shavings pull the moisture from their bodies.
If you choose to not go that route, pick what slugs you can off (YICKY) and place a peice of copper around the area, the copper gives the slugs shocks...Never actually done this, but I know folks that do for their flower gardens. I even had stumps for marigolds one spring.
I used to use Shaklee Basic H multipurpose soap, now I just pick up organic soap in the local bulk/organic store in my town.
Good luck! (if your not big on organics, use regular dish soap, I prefer the organics so if I eat something I sprayed, I'm not so concerned- or chickens etc.)

 

[spook]

Quote:
BTW, we stopped using beer in the garden...the girls would eat the slugs and drink the beer. They don't lay well after they inject those meals, lol!!!

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
I'm a total garden n00b, but that's exactly what I did at the suggestion of one of my gardening Twitter-buds (good grief I love the internet) when all my broccoli and cauliflower were being devoured. It worked GREAT!

 

[funkychicken]

hey...couldnt you use DE for that too...I read that it is a great and safe insectiside...drunk chicken...that was funny!

 

[Linda in San Diego]

Thanks for the answers. I will try the soap spray and drink the beer myself

 

[naturemom]

I've hand-picked slugs and fed them to my hens, but they don't seem to like them. They might eat 1 occasionally, but mostly they ignore them. That means I need ducks!

 

[hooligan]

Quote:
Or turtles!