Can Roundup Kill Chickens?

[Silkie-lover33]

Around 4 months ago our next door neighbor sprayed roundup on our fence base to kill off weeds. Ever since then we've been having chickens die mysteriously. Most of them seem to have breathing issues and then stop eating. We've always had a healthy flock before. We gave Sulmet to a couple sick chickens but it didn't help one bit. Our most recent death was yesterday when I found a large, seemingly fine, rooster on the coop floor dead. The day before he acted completely normal and didn't have any wounds on his body. Do you think roundup could had killed them?

Thanks,

Silke

 

[FiveHens]

I found this at http://www.scottsaustralia.com.au/FAQs/Roundup...

3. Will Roundup harm pets, birds or other wildlife?

Laboratory and field testing indicates that pets and wildlife will not be harmed by feeding on or coming into contact with plants which have been treated with Roundup used according to label directions.
That said, I am naturally skeptical about these high-power weed killers. I'm not saying they're bad, but they just can't be good. Do a little more googling and you'll probably find out more. Sorry about the loss of your chickens!! It might be a good idea to check them for other common chicken diseases and ailments, just in case. Best of luck,

 

[Silkie-lover33]

Ok, Thanks!

 

[suebee]

You probably don't know Wes-in-TX...a long time member of original board. He sprayed "Round Up" and it killed his dog.
I would cover it with tarps/plastic for at least a week before exposure to animals...especially chickens.

 

[RedIII]

I agree with FiveHens. I would be VERY leery of feeding anything that has been sprayed to your chickens. If it's something you don't want to get on your skin, don't feed it to the animals, just to be safe. I used to work around horses and would occasionally take them weeds or grass I had pulled up as treats. However, anything that had been treated with weed killer went straight to the dumpster, and not the corral.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Any chance of mold in the coop or moldy feed? That can kill chickens too.

 

[Silkie-lover33]

The feed is probably not moldy but there is a chance the hay or the coop it's self could be moldy. What would I do to prevent mold or get rid of mold in the coop?

 

[Silkie-lover33]

Oh, and about the roundup it's been 4+ months since it was sprayed. I highly doubt it's still killing my chickens...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

The feed is probably not moldy but there is a chance the hay or the coop it's self could be moldy. What would I do to prevent mold or get rid of mold in the coop?

Yes I just had a major problem in my coop with mold. I put bleach/water mix in a sprayer and sprayed my whole coop - ceiling, walls, floors and everything (be careful of fumes- I held my breath and ran out of the shed to get a breath- it was bad!). I let the whole thing air to dry. This was before I put chickens in it again. I have done this in the past, too...but not with the sprayer- just by hand. Then the chickens are back in it by nightfall. The mold smell is gone now. It worked great.

My shed coop is all metal. If you have wood then you will need to seal it somehow by killing the mold, letting it dry, then painting it with something like kilz paint. But even then the mold can come back with wood, since the mold roots are down in the wood, unlike metal.

I find it helpful in the winter to run lights in there...keeps it drier for sure. Must be careful to prevent fire though.

Also might be good to rule out mites and worms. Some vets will do a fecal test for worms for a small fee if you just bring the poo in.

Here are nice websites in case it is something else:
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/dissymp.htm
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/diseases_poultry_diagnosis_symptoms.pdf

 

[Silkie-lover33]

We have a light in both coops and all of our other friends in this climate have wood coops. Is the stuff for getting rid of mold safe to breath if you have a mask on? Can you see the mold in the coop?