Best slug deterents

lostinrates

Chickens? mine a terrified of slugs. Ducks on the other hand might be worth a go. But then....I doubt the garden would look any better!

Invalidation

lostinrates wrote: »

Chickens? mine a terrified of slugs. Ducks on the other hand might be worth a go. But then....I doubt the garden would look any better!

Our chooks love slugs and also snails. Not too big though. They also seem to find the slug and snail eggs that we cant see.
Their favourites are woodlice and Earwigs.
Were getting a dozen ex-battery hens too in march to add to the 4 we have already.

lostinrates

Invalidation wrote: »

Our chooks love slugs and also snails. Not too big though. They also seem to find the slug and snail eggs that we cant see.
Their favourites are woodlice and Earwigs.
Were getting a dozen ex-battery hens too in march to add to the 4 we have already.

Ours like woodlice, earwigs and worms, and mothers and various flies. But not slugs. Only one in the several dozen, that have passed through here in recent years (we've been staying under defra register numbers for a couple of years) has shown any interest it was so notable we all went out to watch her. And it was only the teeny ones that interested her!

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

Chickens? mine a terrified of slugs. Ducks on the other hand might be worth a go. But then....I doubt the garden would look any better!

Chickens love slugs, that's very strange.

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Chickens love slugs, that's very strange.

I used to wonder if it were just cochins when thats all we had, but none of mine do. I know several people who say the same. Some having bought chickens as garden birds partly to be slug eaters. Its not that uncommon...I think people might not like to admit their birds aren't up to slug eating!

shellysue

misskool wrote: »

Nematodes are stonkingly expensive. They work very very well, but the coverage is not very large and it only lasts 6 weeks.

I'll be buying some again this year but going to try to do a whole range of other techniques as well.

I am thinking of just using it in the poly where this year I will grow the sort of things slugs/snails/caterpillars love. I hope the once treatment will be enough to give the plants a head start. If it seems good enough I will try it outside along with barrier methods on the raised veg beds.

stumpycat

lostinrates wrote: »

Chickens? mine a terrified of slugs. Ducks on the other hand might be worth a go. But then....I doubt the garden would look any better!

:rotfl:
I just assumed that all chickens loved them! My ex-batts trample each other other underfoot to get at them. There's nothing like the sight (and sounds!!) of a chicken gulping down a 5 inch slug - it's truly disgusting! :eek:

soupdragon10

My Buff Orpingtons used to gorge on them if I let them, but they are very big birds and would eat an adult slug with no problems.

I've some old 13 amp wiring that I'm intending to strip the insulation off the copper and use that on my pots - not sure if one strand would be enough, or two a distance apart would be better. Anyone recycled old wiring like this?

shellysue

soupdragon10 wrote: »

I've some old 13 amp wiring that I'm intending to strip the insulation off the copper and use that on my pots - not sure if one strand would be enough, or two a distance apart would be better. Anyone recycled old wiring like this?

No, but I may have just found a use for all that wire DH likes to save in the loft:T

Lotus-eater

I think the copper idea works better when it is wider, I've tried 2 strands of very think wire and it didn't seem to work.
So no I don't think it would work, but don't let me stop you trying.