Slugs...what to do?

[kuntrychick]

I know chickens probably love slugs, but the only time I ever see slugs is at night & that's when the chickens are roosting.

I mostly notice the slugs in or around the dog food. All I see in the morning is the slime trail they left.

I've had luck in the past (before having chickens) of making a barrier around the dog food bowl with used coffee grounds. But, had to put them out every evening. Not sure if the chickens would eat the coffee grounds if I tried that now or how it would affect them (one of the dog food bowls is in an enclosed pen where the chickens are during the day)...my chickens definitely don't need any caffeine...LOL

I've also heard of putting broken egg shells, which I thought might be an option since it would be ok for the chickens to eat those, but not sure how they'd work on slugs.

Is there any way to trap these slugs at night to be able to feed them to the chickens in the morning? I've read something about using beer....but my chickens don't need beer....LOL

Also, when feeding chickens slugs...how do you get the sliminess off? It's gross!

 

[clairabean]

My Mama would go out really early in the morning with her ziplock baggie and a pair of tongs. (Tongs, like pickle serving tongs.) She would pick off every single slug from her flowers, walkways, everywhere and put them in the baggies. When finished she would toss the sealed baggie in her freezer. Next time Mama came to visit she would bring my chickens little baggies of slug popsicles! They went nuts for them.

Right now we are in the middle of a snowstorm, so I wish I can feel your sluggy pain a bit.

 

[kari_dawn]

if they are coming to the dog food, couldn't you just pull the dog food bowl in at night?

 

[Zonoma]

It's not the beer that the slugs are after. It's the vitamin B (insert number here, I've forgotten which) that's in the yeast of said beer. Bury a small container flush with the ground and line the bottom of it with a little beer. It doesn't take a lot- certainly not enough to harm your girls. As an alternative, go to a home brew store and purchase some brewer's yeast itself and mix with a little water. No alcohol and the same vitamin that the slugs love will be good for your birds.

 

[kari_dawn]

Quote:
wow, thats cool info! I will have to file that little tidbit away.

 

[Fierlin1182]

I've heard the pot tactic used for snails as well, it's really pretty good.

A pot buried in the ground with some slug bait and you'll have a collection in the morning for the chooks.
We always used to use salt to kill ours, but that was before we got chickens so I suppose it's no good for feeding them afterwards.

 

[Zonoma]

Quote:
wow, thats cool info! I will have to file that little tidbit away.

I'd actually forgotten I used to do it. I should be thanking the OP, I suppose, for jogging my memory. I think I'll put a beer trap in the hosta bed come spring. I can't tell who did more damage to them- the slugs or the chickens. Either way, they were rather "spotty".

 

[kuntrychick]

Thanks, y'all! I know I shouldn't leave the dogfood out at night, but it's what they have left over and every morning it's gone, so...

But, I don't get up & around early enough to go around getting the slugs in the morning. So, I guess I'll have to pick them up at night when I see them & try the slug Popsicles lol. & I will have to find some kind of tongs that I can use for slugs only cause they are gross & slimy. I'll see about making one of those traps as well. I don't know how much longer we will be having slugs...supposed to get much colder this week

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

I've still got slugs here and we've had heavy frosts and freezes.

I sure didn't know chickens could eat them. I just stepped on about 10 last night. Figured it would be 10 less of the awful things.

They creep me out so much I don't think I could pick them up w/tongs. Shewwww. Anyway looks like they would slip out.

 

[jpsbcfc]

would it work by putting the slug trap inside the chicken run?

the slugs would fall in and the chooks could help themselves the next day?