Just got ducklings! Hope they eat my slugs!

[sheeshshe]

I got 2 khaki cambells yesterday. I got them because we have chickens, but chicken eggs give me an upset stomach, but duck eggs do not. Duck eggs are hit or miss to find here and it was getting annoying finding some.

I just remembered today that ducks like slugs! I have SUCH the slug problem on my property. I can go out at duck in the summer and get a whole bowl full daily. I can't grow all sorts of things because it is so bad. I am hoping that I can get the ducks out there to dig around, before I get my garden in this year... IF the snow ever thaws out!

Well, of course the ducks will need to grow quite a bit first too

I hope I like having ducks. I didn't want any to begin with because they're so messy, but... I think the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks.. I'm hoping anyways!

[Aida]

Awww, cute duckies!
Some ducks will even get attached to you and be like pets.

I didn't even know they eat slugs, that's awesome.

[tomc]

Keep them warm! Chicks of any kinda poultry chill easily and make bar-snacks for many kinds of predators.

[rainbowgardener]

If you have fertile eggs and let one hatch and you are there when it hatches and stay around for awhile, the little duckling will imprint on you -- it will think you are its mother and follow you everywhere:


https://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/image ... se%20f.jpg

GHorganics has a great page on snail/slug remedies:

https://www.ghorganics.com/page13.html

I thought you would enjoy it for the heading:

"You don't have a slug excess, you've got a duck deficit!"
Bill Mollison Permaculture expert

So maybe soon you won't have a duck deficit any more!

Well down on the page in the section on sprays is this:

Watering the soil with liquid seaweed extract has just enough of an alkaline effect that slugs hate, but not enough to significantly change soil pH.

I remember that your garden had very acid soil and water. I know you were working on that and I don't know what the current situation is, but if your garden is still a kind of acidic environment, that may be helping create conditions conducive for them as it was doing with your fungal problems.

[sheeshshe]

oh man. well, I "thought" I took care of my acidic soil, but apparently not, bah!


these ducklings are in with some chicks under a heat source, no worries there. I raise chicks all the time, just this is the first time I do ducks as well. They are SO funny, they want to cuddle with the kids all the time. the kids put them on the floor, but the ducks run and climb on them. it is so stinkin' cute!

[applestar]

Oh! Oh! Post pictures!

[rainbowgardener]

IME if you are growing in the ground, you will never permanently change the soil pH. Whatever you do to change it, will eventually be neutralized by all the surrounding/ underlying soil. So you will just have to be diligent about regular liming.

But in your situation to de-acidify the general environment, it is really important that what you water with is neutral to a little bit higher in pH. And in contrast to the usual advice, I would water leaves. You want to create a just slightly alkaline general environment. The liquid seaweed extract sounds like a really good plan for you, not just for watering the soil, but as a foliar spray. It is really good nutrient source for your plants and if it is also slightly alkaline, that's a plus for you.

Enjoy the ducklings; they sound really cute!

[sheeshshe]

I do put lime each year around each plant, but perhaps that isn't enough. Our plumber friend, fixed out water so that it now is neutral instead of acid!!!! I made some seaweed emulsion stuff one year, but it is probably no longer good at this point. I will have to get some more seaweed and make up some more this year!

But, while the ground is acid outside my garden, the slugs will breed anywhere, won't they? There are just SOOO many. I will just have to have my ducks get them at dusk each day when things thaw out. that should help a lot!

Here's a cute little video, hope it works! https://s223.photobucket.com/user/sheesh ... Z.mp4.html

[rainbowgardener]

I would work on liming all the garden soil, not just around the plants. Around the plants means they are in a tiny oasis of soil brought closer to neutral, surrounded by acid soil all around. That situation can't last very long.

[sheeshshe]

OK! I used to put it everywhere, but it wasn't enough, so then I started doing some every where and then more concentrated around each plant. then I got lazy and just put them around each plant. Time to go back to the olden days haha

[GuppyGardener]

I would LOVE to have ducks but unfortunately(/fortunately), we go to live in Florida during the summer so I would have no way of taking care of them:( Very sad indeed.

[imafan26]

Ducklings will eat slugs, but they will eat seedlings too.

[sheeshshe]

that's why I'm going to put them out there for some spring cleaning, prior to putting out the plants. In hopes that they'll get rid of some of the slugs ahead of time.