Best slug deterents

angelavdavis

My chooks like snails if you crush them and remove the big bits of shell first :eek:! In fact, one of them grabs the snail and does a runner with the others chasing after her! They eat the little slugs happily, but run a mile from the big fat dark grey ones with the orange (taste nasty) tummies. Usually, I just walk over saying something "oh my goodness, look what I have got here girls" and they all gather around excitedly.

Prior to getting chickens, I/my Dad used to walk around at dust/early evening with a torch and an empty 4 pint milk bottle which we would fill full of slugs and snails - then put the top on and put in the wheelie bin!

I was reading some tips yesterday (particularly from Sarah at the end of this article) that others might find useful:

http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden-diary/888/slugs-snails-sunshine/

lostinrates

soupdragon10 wrote: »

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.
?

We're getting some orpingtons this year...I will live in hope. But cochins are really big too...they love sloworms and tiny mice (they beat up the cats for them) but not slugs.

ukbill69

cheap cat litter all the way round does wonders I got told.

Kimitatsu

Contact your local wildlife hospital and see if there are any hedgehogs which need caring for/rehoming/bit of extra help to get into the summer.

You will have a slug free garden in no time and if they munch their way through the slugs then for the price of a bit of cat food you have the most natural way to keep your garden slug free.

This winter has been really harsh so there will probably be quite a few which need help.

stumpycat

Kimitatsu wrote: »

Contact your local wildlife hospital and see if there are any hedgehogs which need caring for/rehoming/bit of extra help to get into the summer.

You will have a slug free garden in no time and if they munch their way through the slugs then for the price of a bit of cat food you have the most natural way to keep your garden slug free.

This winter has been really harsh so there will probably be quite a few which need help.

Apparently slugs aren't good for hedgehogs (according to a bloke from a hedgehog sanctuary) as they carry lungworm - but they'll eat a lot of the insects in your garden.
So it's back on the trail of a good slug predator...

Sambucus_Nigra

I have two main methods:

Firstly, i grow everything in modules and give them a good start - which means very few young and tasty seedlings go out there - they are usually stronger and less attractive to slugs.

Secondly, I mulch everything at my lottie with sawdust/wood shavings. I have very clayey soil there so it sits on top, stops the slugs from getting access to the young plants and also keeps the water under the soil.

If I really have a slug issue; I do use organic slug pellets - but it really is only a last resort. I more often use them in the greenhouse around the seedlings when they are small and juicy as every now and then, one gets in and can munch a greenhouse full overnight. Been there, done that, never again.

cootambear

stumpycat wrote: »

Apparently slugs aren't good for hedgehogs (according to a bloke from a hedgehog sanctuary) as they carry lungworm - but they'll eat a lot of the insects in your garden.
So it's back on the trail of a good slug predator...

shush, the hedgehogs don`t know that

Sally_A

I pick up and evict the ones I can find, and use home made slug pubs.

stumpycat

Sally_A wrote: »

I pick up and evict the ones I can find, and use home made slug pubs.

What do you get them to drink? I tried cheapo Tesco lager in slug pubs and they hung around the sides of it and laughed at me. Are they real ale connoisseurs or something?

Sally_A

Any old lager, even some slops from a mate that does homebrew. They are obviously not connoisseurs around here.