Crows love Sluxx

[Fat hen]

It has become obvious to me that crows love eating slugs. Just recently drilled then immediately palleted a field of wheat. Within an hour Crows arrive on the field, The next morning it’s covered in crows constantly pecking. As if to prove it my agronomist has wiped blue bird sh!t off his car!

I complained to the manufacturer. They take the attitude that it’s a pasta based pellet so there’s not much they can do about it. I said that it’s basically expensive bird food. And it’s also costing me with the slugs that are being killed. He argues that Metaldehyde is the same because it’s pasta based. Has anyone had this experience?

The field in question is a light soil but because it’s been direct drilled it does get some slugs nothing serious. Within a week most of the pellets are gone and I don’t think it’s the slugs are eating them! Anybody have thoughts on this?

 

[Gav]

As far as I’m aware most of the Metaldehyde pellets had Bitrex added to them to make them less palatable to wildlife and birds, I can see no mention of that being in Sluxx on the label so maybe if that’s the case it ought to be looked into. Not a good response if the manufacturer doesn’t see an issue with birds eating them with all the hoops we have to jump through to be able to use them.

 

[CJS]

It has become obvious to me that crows love eating slugs. Just recently drilled then immediately palleted a field of wheat. Within an hour Crows arrive on the field, The next morning it’s covered in crows constantly pecking. As if to prove it my agronomist has wiped blue bird sh!t off his car!

I complained to the manufacturer. They take the attitude that it’s a pasta based pellet so there’s not much they can do about it. I said that it’s basically expensive bird food. And it’s also costing me with the slugs that are being killed. He argues that Metaldehyde is the same because it’s pasta based. Has anyone had this experience?

The field in question is a light soil but because it’s been direct drilled it does get some slugs nothing serious. Within a week most of the pellets are gone and I don’t think it’s the slugs are eating them! Anybody have thoughts on this?

Pigeons cleared up mine last year Agronomist won’t believe me but shot a couple and they were full of it

 

[Fat hen]

Interesting. Pigeons are keen on it too. It’s such easy food for them!

Do you know if any of the non Metaldehyde pellets On the market differ in their consistency to sluxx? Ie anything to deter the birds.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Horrible.

Why do you need slug pellets?

 

[Fat hen]

Horrible.

Why do you need slug pellets?

Sluxx is only toxic to slugs, as far as I gather so it makes good food for birds.

I’ve found that slugs will decimate the crop if left to their own devices especially late drilled wheat.

 

[Clive]

I take an iron supplements daily so you are doing the crows a favour not harming them

 

[Bury the Trash]

Sluxx is only toxic to slugs, as far as I gather so it makes good food for birds.

I’ve found that slugs will decimate the crop if left to their own devices especially late drilled wheat.

Oh I see.
Sounds expensive.

 

[Wombat]

Oh I see.
Sounds expensive.

Yup when it’s wet like this they will destroy crops and leave nothing left

 

[Bury the Trash]

Yup when it’s wet like this they will destroy crops and leave nothing left

I havnt used slug pellets since the early nineties iirc.
all straw removed for feeding and bedding on the farm, then ploughed and pressed in good time.

 

[michael N123]

I havnt used slug pellets since the early nineties iirc.
all straw removed for feeding and bedding on the farm, then ploughed and pressed in good time.

I’ve never used slug pellets in my life

 

[Wombat]

Some years like this they would hollow out seeds as fast as you can drill them. If you walk on cultivated or uncultivated stubbles all the volunteers have been stripped. We have a light field that will grow beet and that never has any slug issues apart from a heavier corner but anything with any clay content would be ravaged at the mo

If it looks like it will ever dry up I have ferric phosphate ready to go on pre drilling

 

[Exfarmer]

Sluxx is only toxic to slugs, as far as I gather so it makes good food for birds.

I’ve found that slugs will decimate the crop if left to their own devices especially late drilled wheat.

Iron phosphite is as poisonous as metaldehyde to mammals, well certainly dogs.
not sure the effect on crows, would love it ifit controls pigeons

 

[yellow belly]

if there are slugs on the field the crow will eat them
as long as the seed bed is firm the slugs will be no problem until the crop emerges by which time the slugs will have been eaten by the crows

 

[Laggard]

It has become obvious to me that crows love eating slugs. Just recently drilled then immediately palleted a field of wheat. Within an hour Crows arrive on the field, The next morning it’s covered in crows constantly pecking. As if to prove it my agronomist has wiped blue bird sh!t off his car!

I complained to the manufacturer. They take the attitude that it’s a pasta based pellet so there’s not much they can do about it. I said that it’s basically expensive bird food. And it’s also costing me with the slugs that are being killed. He argues that Metaldehyde is the same because it’s pasta based. Has anyone had this experience?

The field in question is a light soil but because it’s been direct drilled it does get some slugs nothing serious. Within a week most of the pellets are gone and I don’t think it’s the slugs are eating them! Anybody have thoughts on this?

Could you mix the slug pellets in with the seed then they would be mostly covered by soil. Might make it harder for the crows to find them, easier for the slugs. Don't know if the pellets would last as long underground, at least they are protected from these heavy downpours.

 

[primmiemoo]

As far as I’m aware most of the Metaldehyde pellets had Bitrex added to them to make them less palatable to wildlife and birds, I can see no mention of that being in Sluxx on the label so maybe if that’s the case it ought to be looked into. Not a good response if the manufacturer doesn’t see an issue with birds eating them with all the hoops we have to jump through to be able to use them.

Is there much point in adding bitrex to deter birds, though? I read somewhere that birds don't experience taste in the same way as mammals.

 

[FarmerBruce]

if there are slugs on the field the crow will eat them
as long as the seed bed is firm the slugs will be no problem until the crop emerges by which time the slugs will have been eaten by the crows

Bit difficult firming up seedbeds this year

 

[Buggerallbandwidth]

Iron phosphite is as poisonous as metaldehyde to mammals, well certainly dogs.
not sure the effect on crows, would love it ifit controls pigeons

Iron and phosphate are not toxic to mammals per se. But anything taken to excess can have serious consequences. Would be nice if it did control those varmints! ?

 

[David.]

It'd be nice to think that the rooks will suffer the hellish constipation that follows excessive consumption of iron supplements. I'll be listening to check if they are Gaww-ing more than usual first thing in the morning.

 

[Exfarmer]

Iron and phosphate are not toxic to mammals per se. But anything taken to excess can have serious consequences. Would be nice if it did control those varmints! ?

Its the chelating compounds which do the damage
i suspect if wildlife start dying after ingesting slug pellets they will be off the list very quickly ?