Topic: Feeding slugs to chickens

[Unwashed]

(image from wikipedia)

I've got quite a few of these chaps this year.  Question is, is it all right to throw them in with the chickens?  i ask because they're increadibly slimy and I wonder if it might be too much for a chicken.

[small]

Our chickens would catch and eat the occasional mouse.  They didn't think twice about slugs, I used to run them onto the veg patch every now again to clear it up. 

[Sholls]

Drop them into boiling water first? It's more humane (well, quicker) than some methods used & if the wee beastie is dead before it reaches the hens does it matter what they do to them?  :-\

As for too much for a chicken... I had 17 Blue Tits fighting over one lightly poached slug today.  ??? That was ,until they spotted a small bird that had been turfed from the nest. :( (It lasted 90 seconds. )

[delboy]

My 5 girls are very fussy and although 4 of them will go for any snails or worms I throw them(the latter is really entertaining as they try and get into a corner to eat the worms befor the others nick 'em), slugs are left alone.

I'll have a go at poaching the slugs now.. but didn't Hester Blumenthal have trouble at the "Fat Duck" at Bray(Noro Virus..)with such culinary delights?

Tee Hee

[Unwashed]

Thanks guys.

I'm not sure about poaching them though, I don't think I'd have the stomach for it.

If chickens are smart enough to leave them alone if they're too slimy then that's OK, I'm just bothered that they'd be stupid enough to eat a big slimy slug and then get ill.

[manicscousers]

ours eat all our slugs, unpoached  ;D