SLUGS and SNAILS

[Highlander]

There was a post on here a while ago about snails in pigeons crops and yes I've seen that but wonder if they're eaten for the shells or the meat so to speak. Farmer asked me the other day 'do pigeons eat slugs' and to be honest I'd no idea. Anyone know?

 

This particular farmer also spread a field of OSR with slug pellets (the little blue ones) and reckons they'll kill anything (pest wise that is). I wonder... do pigeons eat these things and if so do they die? Might explain a few things. Again anyone know for sure?

[Cranfield]

I have never found anything in a pigeons crop other than vegetation, berries or something similar and grit (which has included some small snail shells).

My theory would be that they picked up the snail shells when gritting, rather than seeing them as a source of food.

 

I am almost sure they don't eat slugs, in fact I have never seen evidence that they eat anything similar, like worms, beetles etc.

 

If they ignore granular fertlisers, I expect they also ignore slug pellets.

[invector]

A couple of weeks ago one farmer said he hoped the pigeons were eating the slug pellets. I`ve never seen one in a pigeon`s crop but they certainly do the job on slugs. I often see hundreds of them at the end of an erratic slime trail and very near to a pellet. One farmworker also said pigeons would die if they ate treated grain. I`ve found lots in pigeons crops but they died of severe no.6 shot impact!!

[Highlander]

I have never found anything in a pigeons crop other than vegetation, berries or something similar and grit (which has included some small snail shells).

My theory would be that they picked up the snail shells when gritting, rather than seeing them as a source of food.

My thoughts entirely BUT still nothing definitive on slugs or pellets. Do pigeons eat them and if so do they die? Does anyone have a scientific answer? Has there ever been a study done?

[Cranfield]

There has always been "talk" that any birds eating "dressed" cereal seed and recently, "dressed" rape seed, in sufficient quantities would die.

 

When I have discussed the point with Farmers, (mainly because I was concerned that my dog would eat some, when snuffling around), they have said the "dressing" makes the seed unpalatable to the birds and they leave it alone.

These conversations took place many years ago and agricultural methods do change, but I would be surprised if Farmers nowadays were allowed to sow (often just by broadcasting) seeds that were poisonous to (all) birds.

[High velocity]

I seem to remember quite a few years back that they were blaming the decline in song birds on the use of such pellets.

 

I am sure it would be cheaper for the farmer to invite some of us guys to control the pigeons.

[henry c]

Highlander, Pigeons deafinatley do eat slugs but mainly in Winter when food is scarce. I have shot them on wet grass to find they were full of slugs, they must like the high protein value of them. as for snails i believe that pigeons eat them for the calcium in their shells. Hope this helps. as for pellets i doubt if pigeons would eat them.

Edited October 27, 2005 by henry c

[invector]

I hope you don`t think that pigeons KNOW that slugs have a high protein content or that snails contain calcium?

[henry c]

i belive that pigeons know which foods are nutritionally best for them, that is why the have favorate foods such as peas, these are nutritionally very high compared to weat or rape. if they didnt know one food source from another they would die of malnutrition.

Edited October 27, 2005 by henry c

[invector]

henry c pigeons don`t KNOW that slugs are good protein, nor that snails contain calcium. They are omnivorous and opportunists and will eat whatever is available at the time. If slugs and snails look like a meal they will eat them. They don`t know what is in them!! If you believe they do know then you are guilty of anthropomorphism!!

 

Pigeons go to where they were feeding the day before or follow other pigeons to a food source. They are governed by instinct and manage to eat a fairly balanced diet that sometimes includes slugs and snails. That`s why they come readily to decoys and are easy to fool. It only takes one pigeon to drop into a field, to look around for food, for others to follow suit. I`ve had them drop into my pattern, look at dead pigeons 20 inches up on cradles and just start ripping leaves as if it was normal. We can fool their basic instinct to gather with their mates and feed and we shoot `em. EASY!!!

[ROB REYNOLDS UK]

if i was you i would not tell the farmer that the pigeon are eating the slugs as they are doing him good deed and he may say leave the pigeon alone farmers are funny like that if they think they are doing any good he may ask you to leave them and you could lose your pigeon shooting