Sure, Chickens eat slugs, ticks, and just about any other insect they can get hold of. But they don't do it delicately, and they also like to eat vegetable matter, like hosta leaves, so the chickens can do more damage to the hostas than the slugs would. Of course, then you don't really have to worry about slug damage any longer LOL

I have chickens, but they stay penned up.

HMMM....thanx ctopher, you brought some things to my attention that I wasnt thinking of, like chicken scratching and eating other things I dont want them to. There goes my cute lil Henny Penny plans! I think you just saved my marriage!

Hey Upnort,
We live in the woods,and on occation,we get wild turkey come through,be careful what you wish for!
A few years ago, we had a bird feeder hanging by our front porch,a turkey came along and was pecking on the ground for seed, i thought "Oh, how cute is that, to be so close to nature,and right here,by our porch,so we can see them up close and personal.It was a real treat!
About a week later,i came home, and a prized hosta ( because it came from a good friend ) was shredded,made in to cole slaw!You should have seen that pooor thing,just cut up ribbons.
Moved the feeder real quick!
I think chickens might do the same?
Don't you just hate them there slugs?

Carol

Turkeys, yes! The DNR in our area decided to let 7 turkeys go in the county south of us about 4 years ago. Well, they didnt like south and didnt stay long. We now have so many that they can stop traffic when they go across roads. Theyve also gone through patio screen doors and demolished the insides of houses. Theyre quite the menace. So, after the cole slaw incident, did you have turkey dinner?

Organic,just what we want!!

Menu for this year,ha ha

Carol

Toads!...little and big hoppy toads!...zap with that tongue and by-by slimey toad!
Linda C

How do you attract more toads? What are the disadvantages of having a bunch of toads and advantages?
Jill

IMO, absolutely NO chickens! My neighbor's chickens get loose once in awhile and cause a lot of damage to my flowerbeds- scratching the mulch away, making holes, and laying eggs in hostas. If you want a slug-eater, a guinea hen is better. They eat bugs all day long but don't scratch nearly as much as chickens. I had one for two years...no problem. They are a little noisy however, particularly when someone drives up to the house...like a watchdog. Don
PS Yeah, they occassionally laid eggs in the flowers too.

loveofmylife680,
Toads just come with the territory here in the woods but when I used to live in the city I would find a lot of toads under street lights sitting right on the sidewalk. Just pick them up and put them in a bag and take them home. You might want to wear a latex glove because until they get to know you they will pee like a cow on you! They like hiding places like under a big Hosta or under stones . They also prefer a ready supply of water. A little pond or pool that is sunken in the ground will keep them happy. If you have a light source at night they will hang around it and eat bugs by the millions. I looked out the back door the other night and saw six kittens and four toads on the sidewalk by a landscape light.They were living in perfect harmony all just waiting for a big ole juicy bug to land! I had to chuckle to myself at the sight that I was beholding! My slug and vole army all side by side working into the wee hours to ward off my Hosta enemies! I love them all!
Denny

chickens-toads-chickens-toads which to choose-chickens-toads. Dont guinea hens fly? I dont want to give my neighbors dog a free lunch. I did have a good supply of toads a couple years ago but then that turned into a good supply of snakes, funny how that works. Do chickens eat snakes? I could get a couple of them so they eat the snakes, then eat the chickens and THEN get toads! OR I could forget the whole thing!

If you go with the guinea hens, clip the wing feathers on one side, then they can't fly into your neighbor's yard to provide free lunch for the dogs :-)

Funny how your toad supply turned into a good snake supply.... isn't nature grand???

Upnort,
Reading your post reminds me of the 30 second barrage I get from my DW The minute I walk in the door after work! What Thu??
LMAO,
Denny

Hey upnort, a really good friend of mine has 4 (well now 3 chickens, one his dogs attacked one and killed it, but for some reason leaves the other 3 alone?), and has a fantastic yard!! I dont know anything about chickens, but i did hear good things about that guinea bird somewhere, and even contemplated that one, but this yard is to small. any who, my friends yard looks great all the time, well he is on over an acre, and the chickens probably have enough room to rip some unobscure weeds apart. But my friend is so anal about his garden that if the chickens tore the plants up he would probably have a chicken roast!! the garden has been on many tours. like I said not a farmer here. only relating a friends experience. I think guinea foul look nicer tho!! just my thought, and might be closer to making a thanksgiving meal than a chicken LOL

Paul

I agree with you Paul, i love the looks of the little guinea hen,even 2 or 4 together make such a nice little flock to eat up all the slugs,i have thought of getting some myself, we have 5 acres,but i worry the hawks would take them,and, i believe you have to be zoned for such.
Then there is the question , what do you do with them at night and during the winter?Nothing is easy is it.
Carol

I'm an avid hosta gardener, and we had a couple guinea hens for 2 or 3 years. Yeh, they do occassionally fly a little. But for the most part, they're very good about staying right around the house. At night, they'll hop up on a tree limb to roost, or will roost on top of the peak of the house or my shed. During the Michigan winters, we just leave the door of the barn open a crack. Sometimes they'll stay in the barn. But often, their favorite place to be during the cold winter days is sitting in front of the dryer exhaust or my water heater exhaust, which come out on the side of the house. Basically, any spot out of the weather is sufficient. They're a low maintenance pet (if there is such a thing). Don

Don, where are you in Michigan? Not the UP by any chance?

Don, you never worried about the hawkes getting them?
Carol

Hawks...foxes...coyotes...wild dogs...yeh, it's always a possibility. We had a couple disappear when they were still quite young, along with some ducklings. After they got some size (2 or 3 months old), we never had a problem. But still could happen. I've heard the coyotes going after my neighbor's chickens at night.
Just in case I didn't mention it, guinea hens are a little noisy...great "watchdogs" when someone drives up to the house! Don

I have been reading about rat lung disease in slugs. My two questions relate to chickens eating slugs. Will chickens eggs carry the rat lung disease from eating slugs? Are the chickens digestive system harsh enough to exterminate the rat lung disease in their excrement?

Thank you.