Grow Your Own Magazine

having just acquired 4 chickens, I would like to find a way to CATCH slugs, so I can give them to the chooks...
any ideas? I had thought of upturned orange halves, but don't know if that actually works.
not sure a beer trap would be good for the birds?
draw line at going round with a torch at night...
any method that pref. avoids me having to TOUCH the little beasties would also be good!!

Hi

Just put a piece wood or cardboard down and then look underneath the next day. Or maybe cabbage leaves, they do like cabbage.

Tigerella

Hi Beach Chick, think the upturned grapefruit/orange peel halves or Tigerella's idea of cardboard etc. are your best bets, you're right the beer traps wouldn't be a good idea - your chooks would be staggering around drunk afterwards!

__________________
Into every life a little rain must fall.

alternatively, the grapes could catch them for me, and then post them c/o Chardonnay, Mercedes, Paris & Tara, somewhere near the sea, Kent!!!!

Hi I use squash in my traps, ha maybe I spoke too soon, I've just remembered that so far all I've caught are Red ants, altho they were the ones doing to damage, I wonder if slugs soaked in squash would be alright for the chooks tho and I have been told undiluted squash does work on slugs. Just an idea anyway. Good Luck!

Beach Chick
I rather went off the idea of feeding slugs to the chickens when I read on another website that they can get worms from slugs. So you do need to keep up witht worming the chickens, twice a year seems to be the recommended way to go.
Picking up slugs is horrible, all that sticky slime, why not use rubber or latex gloves? With all the rain lately they are everywhere.

I have a slug "prison" - a large ex-waste bin, set on bricks in a tray with water in so they can't escape, every time I find one I lob it in there, I've filled it with weeds so they can eat them and every now and then cream off a few of the slugs for the hens. I've had this for a while and the bottom weeds are now looking like compost.
Sue

Sue - ugh!!!! to the slug prison I mean. I used to have a slug bucket - filled with salt water, and I'd chuck them in there. smelt disgusting, and some of them still managed to escape!
put lemon halves out last night, and nothing in them this morning, praps slugs dont like lemons, or maybe I shouldn't have squeezed them first?

No, slugs don't like lemons (or oranges come to that) it's the acid, it dehydrates them, same as when you pour salt on one and it shrivels (not that I would ever be so cruel). Seriously, you will find slugs under any stones, paving slabs, bits of wood or whatever is lying around. Simply turn them over, harvest the slugs (preferably wearing rubber gloves) and feed them to the chooks.

Beach Chick
I'll have you know that my slug prison is an innocent looking big pot! It's only when you look inside you can go urghh and that's because it's been raining, usually they spend the day down in the stones at the bottom and you never see them.
Sue

slug farming then Sue??? do you get an agricultural subsidy?? (if not, you should!)
rustylady - I cant face touching them, gloves on or not. wet, I know! inspected lemon halves this morning armed with tupperware pot and a stick to shove any victims off with...

Beach Chick
I started off gardening being very squeamish, ran from spiders, couldn't touch slugs etc, you do get a bit more blase, somehow spiders in the garden aren't as bad as in the house and the slugs are damaging my plants so they have to go, I have to pick them up, with gloves. And the other day was so cross about the greenfly on my roses was picking them off and squishing them before I realised I wasn't wearing gloves.
But until then, a nice long plant label and a plastic pot with a lid are all you need! a quick open of the pot, a flick with the label and down with the lid, a nice little snack for the hens.
Sue

Someone on here uses rhubarb leaves to 'catch' slugs for their chickens. ( sorry- can't remember who suggested that little gem )...but it does work!!