AT A GLANCE
Do chickens eat snails in the garden?
Do chickens eat snails?
Most Chickens eat snails namely different types of snails. Smaller snails and snail eggs are particularly popular with chickens, which prevent a plague of snails. Large slugs like the Spanish slug are only eaten by a few chicken breeds.
In addition to snails, other pests are also on the menu of chickens:
- grubs
- caterpillars
- Beetle
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By the way, snails are in no way harmful to chickens.
Which chickens eat snails?
It probably is not racial, but depends on their size, whether chickens eat snails, and above all a question of habit. If you offer your chickens snails when they are chicks, they will accept them more easily. You can also collect snails and offer them directly to your chickens to get them used to the slimy food.
According to experience, mainly eat young chickens like snails. Larger chicken breeds such as B. Orpingtons will also eat larger nudibranchs. Smaller breeds only eat small snails.
How and when do I use chickens against snails?
Since the slugs, which are less popular with chickens, in particular cause damage in the garden, it is worth putting the chickens on the eggs in particular.
Not all snails overwinter, but all snails lay in late summer or autumn Lay eggs to provide for offspring next year. So when you've harvested the crops from your vegetable garden, it's time to deploy the chickens:
- Dig that garden floor around.
- Immediately after this, release the chickens to the vegetable garden.
- The chickens now scrape the freshly dug snail eggs and the larvae of other pests out of the ground and eat them up.
What alternatives are there to chickens against snails?
Not only chickens like to eat snails; are the number one snail killer ducks. The advantage: ducks love slugs and, like chickens, lay numerous eggs. The big disadvantage: Ducks need a water point like a pond or a water basin.
In addition to ducks and chickens, hedgehogs, moles and bigger birds on snails.
What problems can occur when eating snails?
Snails are carriers of parasites. If your chickens eat a lot of snails, you should regularly deworm them to prevent your animals from becoming ill.
Tip
Rent chickens
If you are struggling with snails in the garden but don't want to get chickens, you can hire some. As mentioned, this is particularly effective in late summer or autumn after you have harvested your beds. After digging, let the chickens out onto the beds and let them do the tasty work.
