Chickens and paintballs?

[r709shackleford]

Hello all,
So, the teenage boys next door decided it was a good idea to PAINTBALL my coop and chickens. It was a cold day, about 20 to 25 degrees. They shot up my brand new coop.

• There were many more rounds spread across the chicken's run and surrounding ground areas.
• Probably 20 to 30 rounds of bright blue paint on two walls facing their property.
• I found 3 birds with paint on them. (A large goose, my big rooster, and a laying hen). The goose is a bit loud, nothing major. The rooster hardly crows.
• Also found two drips of fresh blood outside.
• So far all the birds seems fine.

The outer shell of the paintballs and inside paint is everywhere! I am extremely concerned with my birds ingesting the paint, and shells ( I was gone most of the day). The paintballs are biodegradable, but that does not make them food grade, or safe to eat.

Paintball manufacturer says
"Do not ingest. Keep out of the reach of children and animals at all times. If ingested, in the event of any adverse symptoms, please consult a physician."

I am sure the chickens ate at least some. I saw some plucking at it when I walked up. And there were shells even inside the building. My wife is breastfeeding, and my son is only 8 months. I dont think we will be eating their eggs for a while. But the question is for how long?
I will call the manufacturer tmr. But what are your thoughts?


-PS: Yes I have talked to the parents. They were completely a**hole's about it. They just said, they dont know anything about it. Don't care. And they are just young boys. I will likely contact the police at least for vandalism. AND, their dogs always come to my property, circle my coop. I have lost one hen, and a rabit to their dogs. And another hen, that I think their dogs killed, but can't be 100% sure. My patience is up!

Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks

 

[dawg53]

I recommend that you flush your chickens with a laxative: Here's a link, scroll down to LAXATIVE SOLUTIONS. Molasses flush would probably be best.
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.html

 

[shell3]

Well thats just awful!!! what horrible neighbours you have! poor you and poor chickens!
the only thing ive heard for treating posible poisoning in chickens is charcoal, its tasteless and wont harm the chickens as its not absorbed by the body but it removes toxins. i know you can buy a product called 'happy tummy' which states it is for use for chickens. and very safe. people use it mixed into the feed for general health and also making cleaning coops of poop easier as it make the poop dryer and less smelly apparently, ive never had to use it but maybe something like that could help you out here in case they did eat some paint! and then just clean up what you can, sounds like there were no direct injuries but those blood drops are a worry, just keep a close eye on the flock i guess.
i would def report this to the police, its vandalism as the very least. and shame on those boys parents! my children would never behave that way but if they did i would have them over cleaning up the mess themselves on top of an apology and a stern telling off at home! id be mortified! i cant believe those parents just dont care!
i hope your birds will all be ok and your new coop isnt completely ruined!

 

[realsis]

id call the police and press charges! that's animal cruelty! also distroying property. on a lighter note I got my house paint balled once and it cleaned off with water so hopefully yours also will clean up. I'm so sorry this happened! please proscute the kids for doing this horrible thing! paint balls hurt and they could have seriously hurt your animals! they need to be punished!

 

[r709shackleford]

Thanks for all your tips! A state trooper is supposed to talk to the neighbors, but it sound like they cant do much.

I noticed a good amount of blueish and greenish poop today. Also, the chickens didn't seem to eat as much. LOTs of food leftover in their primary feeding bowls. Usually, very little is left.

The paintball manufacturer provided me a complete ingredients list of their product. It is very detailed. I have not done research yet to determine what everything is. However, two of the ingredients in the paintballs are Polyethylene Glycol. Which is anti-freeze. Animals love it and they die from it. The company said they did testing on dog and horses and the worst sideffects were severe dehydration and stomach problems.

My Vet said that only a few drops of anti-freeze could kill a chicken or make them sick. And they advised me not to eat their eggs or meat for a while.

Material Description

CAS Number
Fill Components
Polyethylene Glycol 300

25322-68-3
Polyethylene Glycol 3350

25322-68-3
Water

7732-18-5
Glycerine

56-81-5
Sorbitol

50-70-4
Food Grade Starch


FD&C Approved Colorants

(Varied)
Titanium Dioxide

13463-67-7
Shell Components
Gelatin

9000-70-8
Anti Foam

556-67-2
Soy Lecithin

8002-43-5


​

The box these paintballs come in, claim they are the most "Eco-Friendly" on the market. How is that eco friendly when Glycol is two of the ingredients. Its bad for people and animals and the ground!

And while its probably not related to the paintball incident, I had a crazy egg today. Not sure what to even call this:







That "thing" spirals out and is very 3 dementional. Almost like an umbilical cord.

 

[Suzierd]

This makes my blood boil

what is wrong with those parents! Wow, I would be putting up a tall wood fence on the side their house is on or it could happen again. Hopefully the police scare them they should be fined that might get the parents attention.

 

[LadyofChickRose]

You could charge the boys with vandalism, tresspassing on your property, cruelty to animals, and if a bird dies, destrution of property. You have to have pics and perhaps witnesses though.

 

[shell3]

wow those ingredients dont look very eco friendly
to me!! did you use the charcole or flush? be interesting
to know if either helped. so paint coloured poop! and not
eating well! maybe some favourite treats?just to keep the
paint passing through, and make sure they are drinking,
how many do you have? did you find the source of the
blood drops?
that egg is unusual!not sure how it would be connected
to the paint but stress i guess.
its terrible that the police arnt making a big deal of it! makes
me cross! i hope all your animals are doing well today

 

[jeepgirl13]

I also have been having trouble with my neighbors animals. Click on my name and find the post titled chickens not safe! Bluecoondawg gave me some great advice. I hope your chickens will be ok.

 

[Suzierd]

How are your chickens doing?