Are steel BB's bad?

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Kids haven't "Shot Their Eye Out" yet, but have left BB's all over the yard from Santa's gift of a Daisy gun for each kid.

The chickens have eaten some. Will the BB's be poisonous? The package says "steel".

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I asked my hubby that question (got the same problem with two boys at home here), and he said for me not to worry - should be fine.

 

[EMAW]

If they are truly steel then you should have no problem. Steel is what the Fed's have made all waterfowlers use to hunt ducks/geese as it is non-toxic. As long as the BB's are still round and have not deformed with sharp edges they should just pass through in a couple days.

Happy New Year

 

[Chris09]

Should be fine, it will be used like grit.

Chris

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

worry-wart-mom here. I can't help it. What if toxic metal was used in the "steel"? With all the recalls on children's jewelry and toys and cookware with "cadmium" etc, I find myself worrying.

I should've thought that through when I thought the Daisy's would be a quick, cheap thrill for Christmas morning!

 

[M To The Maxx]

At least they are getting some iron in their diet.

 

[sourland]

"Shot the eye out" is far more of a worry than ingested BB's. I have a friend who had his right eye destroyed as a child by his brother with a BB gun. Kids will be kids, and mine were never allowed unsupervised play time with their BB guns.

 

[Junkmanme]

Because "steel BBs" are lighter by volume than "Lead BBs"...they are BAD...because they don't shoot as far and they don't carry as much "WHACK" for the "QUACK".

But, insofar as the birds are concerned...they are BETTER.

There are always "trade-offs" in the pursuit of a Better World.

-Junkmanme-

 

[wood&feathers]

If ingesting BBs could hurt chickens there wouldn't be a chicken left healthy in all of Kentucky! Just don't let the kids shoot at birds, pets or each other.

I actually keep our kids' air gun with all the rest of the family firearms and only get it out for target shooting. Their little Red Ryder has a corner in the basement supplied with eye protection. There is a carpeted backstop to pin targets, and if the gun leaves its' "zone" or I find out something unsafe is happening it will go into the safe with everything else.

 

[kla37]

My son has an air soft rifle and he got some biodegradable pellets for it. They are nice and round and smooth, and I hope they are safe for the chickens. He doesn't use it in the backyard, mostly in the woods.