How to train chickens to eat slugs

http://www.permies.com

Normally, chickens will eat the little slugs, but they won't eat the big slugs. Here, Chris Wolf of Inspiration Farm in Bellingham, Washington shows us how she has trained a group of chickens to eat the big slugs. She calls this "the scissor method".


paul wheaton permaculture

Music by Jimmy Pardo

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• slug
• slugs
• chickens
• organic
• permaculture
• green
• eco
• environment
• gardening

[radtwelve]

I've kept chicken for so many years in our yard. they kinda eat almost anything. i'm surprised you said they don't usually eat big sluts...

[paulwheaton12]

@radtwelve Typo? :)

Slugs?

Chickens raised by hens that go for the slugs will teach the chicks to go for the slugs. In general, chickens will go for the little slugs, but ignore the big slugs. And there will (obviously) be exceptions. Many people with slug problems will raise waterfowl to control slugs even though they are not otherwise keen to raise waterfowl. Now, I think there is a solution for those folks.

[hurchel]

I dust my chickens once a year, for mites and ticks, that is not poisoning them, sevin will not hurt animals. They can bite the ones in the front of them, but they can't do their backs. The mites and ticks are parasites too. Too many mites and ticks can bring them down and kill them also. I am in California, the federal inspectors killed almost all the chickens in the city over the newcastle epidemic,

They tested my chickens three times, 30 at a time we passed each time. It is not poison

[paulwheaton12]

@hurchel your ignorance is astounding. You put the poison directly on your chickens and then you say that that is not poisoning them. How that poison works is that it poisons the mites more than the chicken, but the chicken is still poisoned.

I find this behavior utterly unacceptable.

Google for "sevin msds" and look at the LD50 rate. If "sevin will not hurt animals" as you say, then I challenge you to eat a cup of it.

Well cared for chickens naturally have no parasites.

[hurchel]

If you are going to keep them in a small space, like that, you can treat them to a can of beef dog food, keep them dusted for mites with Sevin, or garden and poultry dust, use Sulmet it is nine bucks and it will last for years, especially when the weather is turning hot to cold, sulpha drugs were used on chickens in the fifties to test drugs for pneumonia, a quarter capful to a gallon of water will keep

any infections away,

[paulwheaton12]

@hurchel and now I have to stop talking to you. You are poisoning your chickens in the name of helping them. No wonder your previous posts did not make sense.

Sorry hurchel, I am years and years beyond using anything as toxic as sevin. You can find my full article about raising chickens at richsoil.

[qhale1]

We have two chickens that run free around the yard. They play with our dog and two cats. They all get a long great; eat together, sleep together, the chicks even walk the dog around the yard when he has his leash on. Anyway, none of the animals know not to leave the yard even though our gate is open all the time, but is there anyway we can train the chicks to NOT go in the house? none of the other animals do, it's just the chicks that come inside..

[yellowmetalcyborg]

@Jefferdaughter Yes indeed, I saw some the other say, but they are no longer than half an inch. They are few, and small, so there aren't enough to feed to a population of chickens.

[Jefferdaughter]

@yellowmetalcyborg - Ah, but there ARE slugs and snails where you live! When the weather is appropriate, place some boards on the ground and check underneath them in the morning. They will likely be smaller than those in this video.

[secondhandedsoul]

i want the chicken at 1:16 he was bossin it up XD

[TheGraniteFlaneur]

Just started to feed mine cut up slugs today.  They are still young chickens and up until now have never touched a large slug.

[illtrax]

Ahhh, so entertaining =]

[tappakeggaday1]

I've heard of flag foot ball but slug football?this is really fun to watch!!thank you for posting it.

[yellowmetalcyborg]

I live in NY and surprisingly there are no slugs or snails where I live. Are there any other invertebrates that chickens can eat besides slugs?

Nice video by the way.

[noahwang615]

better not use the scissor for paper