Can I find out if the soil in my run is safe?

[HollowOfWisps]

Note that I didn't cite any specific users or comments. But this is a very common attitude on this forum and beyond, and yes a lot of implied superiority and shaming of people for keeping their chickens "locked up" in "jail" and not letting them be "free". Which results in a lot of heartbroken people, especially children, who keep losing beloved pets to hawks as the price for this freedom, or who feel guilt and shame for keeping their pets "in jail". So I'm just trying to put their mind at ease, that they aren't going to mess up their chickens if they keep them in a run and feed them a commercial feed. The chickens will be just fine.

Ahh yes then I agree. My apologies I thought you were referring to this specific thread.

 

[Chickenman1220]

Hi, I am chiming in here not because I feel this might be your problem, but because it may be my problem and I want to share. I have had 2 chickens die with cancer 3 weeks apart from each other. 1- lymphoma and leukemia, 2nd was different cancer, but I forget. One of the suggestions was to check my soil for lead, arsenic, Mercury, dioxins, persistent pollutants, and glycophospate. (I think i spelled that right) - the reason is we have no idea what is in our soil. None. And, I get a lot of runoff from my neighbors every time it rains. So, it is good you are asking these questions. I will never again assume any soil is safe, but will test it. I am currently researching labs I can send soil samples to. I never thought I would do this, but we eat our eggs and could be eating eggs tainted with lead (or something else) and frankly, I am concerned. Editing to add - I think it's Pennsylvania somewhere that lead is a very common problem in the soil of backyard flocks.

You know, that's funny you mention that. Not saying this is relevant but we had to tear a hole in our concrete floor in our house to fix the drain in the kitchen. We'll our grandkids just happen to b living with us at the time. And the oldest boy got lead poisoning cause of the concrete dust in the house. Keep in mind the house I live in was built by my wife's great grandfather in the early 1900s. And we just recently started raising chickens at this house. And as soon as we started within 2 months we had already lost 3 birds. We have not had our run tested for anything. Sorry just kinda rambling on now but it is a real concern of mine.

 

[K0k0shka]

You know, that's funny you mention that. Not saying this is relevant but we had to tear a hole in our concrete floor in our house to fix the drain in the kitchen. We'll our grandkids just happen to b living with us at the time. And the oldest boy got lead poisoning cause of the concrete dust in the house. Keep in mind the house I live in was built by my wife's great grandfather in the early 1900s. And we just recently started raising chickens at this house. And as soon as we started within 2 months we had already lost 3 birds. We have not had our run tested for anything. Sorry just kinda rambling on now but it is a real concern of mine.

You are right to be concerned. Lead contamination is a widespread issue, which most people don't even know about. Our house was built in the early 1900s, too, so when we moved in, I had the soil from several areas in the yard tested. The results were chilling. There were high levels of lead everywhere, but the worst areas - closest to the house - were so bad that we jokingly started calling them "the EPA areas", because the advice listed under their ranking was "contact the EPA immediately"..... We had several tractor trailers full of clean soil delivered and laid on top of the entire yard, covering it by about half a foot. It was a massive operation, but that was the only way we'd feel comfortable raising children in that yard, not just animals. We now have a strict rule of no digging in the yard (except when we plant trees, carefully, but absolutely no digging by the kids). We don't have a dog yet, but when we get one eventually, we'll need to do some serious "no digging" training. Our chickens don't dig deep enough to reach the original soil of their run, and they don't leave the run, so they've been healthy so far. Periodically when I have a sick chicken that merits a blood test at the vet's, I've had them check for lead, and the results have been normal, so that puts my mind at ease that our efforts (and expenses) have helped.

Our neighbors across the street were planning on having kids around the same time as us, so we told them about the lead and advised them to have their yard tested, too. And sure enough, they had dangerously high levels of lead in the soil as well. So they did the same thing and brought in clean soil to cover the yard with. Our yards aren't all that big, so it wasn't an impossible task. People on more land will find it more expensive, but also the areas with more land (out in the country) aren't as polluted as small yards on the outskirts of big cities like ours.

 

[Chickenman1220]

You are right to be concerned. Lead contamination is a widespread issue, which most people don't even know about. Our house was built in the early 1900s, too, so when we moved in, I had the soil from several areas in the yard tested. The results were chilling. There were high levels of lead everywhere, but the worst areas - closest to the house - were so bad that we jokingly started calling them "the EPA areas", because the advice listed under their ranking was "contact the EPA immediately"..... We had several tractor trailers full of clean soil delivered and laid on top of the entire yard, covering it by about half a foot. It was a massive operation, but that was the only way we'd feel comfortable raising children in that yard, not just animals. We now have a strict rule of no digging in the yard (except when we plant trees, carefully, but absolutely no digging by the kids). We don't have a dog yet, but when we get one eventually, we'll need to do some serious "no digging" training. Our chickens don't dig deep enough to reach the original soil of their run, and they don't leave the run, so they've been healthy so far. Periodically when I have a sick chicken that merits a blood test at the vet's, I've had them check for lead, and the results have been normal, so that puts my mind at ease that our efforts (and expenses) have helped.

Our neighbors across the street were planning on having kids around the same time as us, so we told them about the lead and advised them to have their yard tested, too. And sure enough, they had dangerously high levels of lead in the soil as well. So they did the same thing and brought in clean soil to cover the yard with. Our yards aren't all that big, so it wasn't an impossible task. People on more land will find it more expensive, but also the areas with more land (out in the country) aren't as polluted as small yards on the outskirts of big cities like ours.

Right, I think that might be my problem but I live on a few acres on a farm outside of town so this will be highly expensive for me.

 

[K0k0shka]

Right, I think that might be my problem but I live on a few acres on a farm outside of town so this will be highly expensive for me.

The worst is probably just around the house and near any roads - from paint, pipes, leaded fuel etc. Have a few different areas tested and see what's worst. It would still be worth it to remediate just the areas around the house, which are most contaminated and also which you use most often, even if the rest of the land remains as is.

 

[Chickenman1220]

The worst is probably just around the house and near any roads - from paint, pipes, leaded fuel etc. Have a few different areas tested and see what's worst. It would still be worth it to remediate just the areas around the house, which are most contaminated and also which you use most often, even if the rest of the land remains as is.

Right, my run is only about 1/4 to 1/2 an acre. So if I was to bring dirt in I would atleast want to do the whole run. To b on the sfe side. The kids don't live here anymore so that's not a concern of mine anymore. But now I gotta get my chicken run taken care of. So, new plan. Ty for the info.

 

[Chicken_Labyrinth_Seer]

You know, that's funny you mention that. Not saying this is relevant but we had to tear a hole in our concrete floor in our house to fix the drain in the kitchen. We'll our grandkids just happen to b living with us at the time. And the oldest boy got lead poisoning cause of the concrete dust in the house. Keep in mind the house I live in was built by my wife's great grandfather in the early 1900s. And we just recently started raising chickens at this house. And as soon as we started within 2 months we had already lost 3 birds. We have not had our run tested for anything. Sorry just kinda rambling on now but it is a real concern of mine.

I understand. I think I am going to take the route of my own blood test. If I show lead, then I may check my soil or get my birds blood checked, which is easy enough to do with a draw at the vet.

 

[The Good Grumble]

Don't feel guilty if your flock doesn't free range, or doesn't do it often enough. A lot of science and money has gone into developing commercial poultry feeds, which are fully balanced and supply everything that a chicken needs for a healthy life. It may come from different sources or be in a different format, but the nutrients are still there. A lot of people like to feel superior for free ranging their birds, or claim that their birds (and eggs) are superior for that reason, but that's not true. If they have a nice, spacious, predator-proof run and quality commercial feed, chickens that don't free range can still be perfectly healthy and robust. They even live longer than free ranged birds, because they don't run the risk of predation, and the risk of contracting avian-borne illnesses goes down as well.

It’s the natural vs c-section argument of the chicken world lol.

I occasionally free range. I used to more often until my neighbors across the way decided they didn’t want to leash their pitbull mix. I would be a wildly irresponsible owner if I were to free range them now. I came close to losing a chicken, and aside from that I have coyotes & fox.

They’ve been in their run which has a ton of enrichment, lots of roosts and hideys, different materials for scritch scratching and all the fun things for chickens.

Guess what? They’re perfectly healthy & robust, and I have beautiful yellow yolks, (I don’t supplement artificial things to do this either)

At the end of the day I worry a lot less. My Nextdoor neighbor has decided to put up a fence since the chickens abut our properties and the girls (and guy) will be able to go over there after it’s done. She can’t wait lol. In the meantime. My flock is doing great and safe.