Four new hens and three runner ducks arrived today to join Sally Henny Penny and her friend Salt and Pepper. (The Grandies name our hens, hence they’re so long. 😬)

It’s already obvious the ducks are going to be inseparable — they run around as though Velcroed together at the wing.

I have high hopes for them as our new secret defence against slugs. Apparently they’re fabulous at rooting them out and, unlike the hens, they don’t dig up the salad while they’re at work.

The trick now will be convincing them that I am the main food provider, so they’ll follow me from their enclosure, across the garden and into the allotment… What could possibly go wrong?

I suspect the pond sitting directly between the two locations may prove to be the first major obstacle.

At the moment, though, we are very much at the “run for your lives” stage, so it may be a little while before Operation Slug Removal officially begins.

If all goes to plan, the ducks will eventually be on permanent allotment patrol, keeping the slugs in check in the most environmentally friendly way possible — no more broken eggshells, copper tape, upturned grapefruit halves or beer traps for us.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention… they’re called Pebble, Puddle and Splash.