Go, Big Bird, go! Really glad it's helping you out in a major slug way, but hey, I am distracted by that beautiful scenery of hostas! Is that a wallflower in front of my nose? Pretty cheerful flowers! Really, really nice gardens you have, Jerry!

Let the poop age...then use it in your gardens broken down with some straw clippings?

Ewwwww, is that for real? Is that a turkey vulture? I would be so outta there. My neighbors backyard is a bird sanctuary. One evening I looked out my family room picture window and there were 8 of those in their trees. OMG I felt like I was trapped in a Hitchcock movie. It was so ominous and creepy. Wendy

It is for real Wendy but like jan said, it is a turkey, kind of peaceful and welcome (so far).

Wow Josephine! You do have an eye for flowers and plants. That is wallflower but I didn't know it until you asked and I looked it up. It came in a package of wildflower seeds I planted last year. Looks like several more unknown will bloom this year. The "poop age" is not really the problem, it's the mess she makes scratching the mulch away.

Ok. Lovely garden btw.

One or two turkeys... not so bad. A few flocks of them will tear things up rather quickly. So long as she doesn't invite friends, you are good :)

Nice pic with all the hostas in the background.... That's a big bird! I think I'd like it because it must be able to eat a lot of snails and slugs. It's always good when the birds help out. I used to throw cracked corn around the hostas so the quails would eat them without any bad effects to the garden. But they're a lot smaller than that turkey. Makes me miss the ring-necked pheasants that used to hang out in my yard.

Unreal! We don't have that kind of wildlife around here. I say "let her eat slugs!"

We have a flock that wanders in town. They are such a nuisance there, the City Council actually organised a hunt and donated the birds to the local food shelf. If I had known they eat slugs I could have requested a live trap and change of neighborhood. I have two acres of hosta and

Turkeys are a familiar site around here. On my early morning walks with Shasta it is not unusual to see a dozen or so. When they first came around they were very skittish. Today they are not. This time of the year you don't see many because they are nesting. Very soon they will be around with their families. 18 to 20 chicks sometimes.

They dig around in piles of leaves and I blame them for scratching some leaves, but they don't seem to be much of a problem. Last Fall Shasta and I surprised a flock of them when we came around the corner. A big Tom jumped up in a big display right in front of us. They get pretty big, Shasta went into full attack mode and they all decided to fly off very quickly.

If they see you coming from a distance they don't flee quickly. I imagine they might be unfriendly if you showed some fear.

Jon

Lol Jon... I had a tom think he wanted to run my truck off, when I was pulling in back by the barn He didn't stand down til I was about 15 feet away. It was comical but I probably wouldn't think so if I had been on foot. They definitely get attitude around their hens. :)

The Tom that we (Shasta and I) came across was about 15 feet away when we came around a corner. It flew up and put its claws up to ward us off. Shasta was having no part of it and went right after it. I imagine that they could do some damage with their feet, but they are easy to back down. When they have chicks they scurry to get them away.

They are more and more brazen all the time. Years ago they would flee at the sight of a person. As long as Shasta is with me they are not going to mess with us. If they did it would be their last mistake. She is extremely friendly and also an excellent hunter.

Jon

Barring the services of a resident turkey, what do people use to deter slugs from eating their hostas? I know about Sluggo but was hoping I could mix up some salt water to spray on the leaves (would that even work?), or something homemade/quick I could whip up. I have a few hostas that are looking ratty due to slugs, and we have had so much rain, they are having a feast!

I use 10%
ammonia / 90% water in spray bottle. I spray the undersides of leaves
and surface of the soil/potting medium around the base of the plant.
This is most effective when slugs are active (in the cooler early
morning).

Some will argue ammonia is effective only with direct contact with
the slug...so your mileage may vary. For me I feel I'm doing something
rather than doing nothing. I've also been known to squish 'em using
twigs, nuts or whatever's handy during morning rounds.

The last few years in spring I've been doing a drench before leaves
unfurl... something like 20% ammonia/80% water. This year I've seen
fewer slugs and damage, even with our very wet Spring.

I agree that it's likely that overly wet weather has multiplied the problems you've been having. Sorry for your troubles...

My mom had great success with shingles. She had leftover shingles after roofing the house, and broke them up into pieces 4 or 5" wide. Place them around the base of the hostas with no gaps, and the slugs won't cross! Works great as long as the leaves don't touch the ground (and she used to tie some of them up to prevent this). She lived in the woods and had LOT of slugs, but was able to protect her favorite specimens.

I hope it doesn't hang around for Thanksgiving!