Chickens are eating Styrofoam!!! HELP!!!

[TheLilRedhead]

Okay, funny story. So, my dad is an inventor and his latest project is styrofoam puzzle-piece like blocks for building temporary homes. He's in the process of patenting it, the pieces are covered in wood but the base of the structure he is building is styrofoam. Our chickens are free range and that range includes the garage area which is where the styrofoam is. So our chickens have taken it to mean an all you can eat buffet. There are big ol' chunks missing from the structure. I find it hilarious, my dad, however, does not.

 

[TheLilRedhead]

So, my chickens ate part of a styrofoam take home container. They seem fine. But, should I discard their eggs for a while now until it clears their system?

Thanks,

Neil

Well, I don't think you need to get rid of the eggs, I mean if you're planning to eat chicken poop I would stay away for a bit, but eggs aren't poop.... soooo

 

[ourFarmNC]

I posted of this yrs ago. After harsh comments I went to my local ag office this is what I learned :Styrofoam contains styrene, which can be released during digestive transit and mimics estrogen. According to this person, the absorption of even small amounts will effect chickens. Not advised but intact will cause an effect.

 

[tamiep]

I posted of this yrs ago. After harsh comments I went to my local ag office this is what I learned :Styrofoam contains styrene, which can be released during digestive transit and mimics estrogen. According to this person, the absorption of even small amounts will effect chickens. Not advised but intact will cause an effect.

What kind of effect? Does it get in the eggs? Also please explain the last sentence I don't understand it.

 

[tamiep]

I found this on davesgarden.com

I was wondering about the different experiences people have been having with styrofoam and their chickens.

Mine attacked my homemade hatcher like ice cream when I left it out to sterilize in the sun. So I could see why it might be a good thing to use to distract chickens from plucking each other.

Other people report their chickens were seriously sickened or killed by eating it.

I think the confusion may be from the general term "Styrofoam". It is a registered name for the insulation "polystyrene". Polystyrene is the substance they make coffee cups and disposabel fast food containers from (or did). It is also what they make the styrofoam coolers you can make into incubators. It isn't, in itself, considered toxic (although some of the chemicals used in its manufacture are) but it takes forever to breakdown and is not very environmentally friendly for that reason.

Unfortunately, polystyrene is highly flamable and is usually not approved for use as insulation in building construction. Solid building insulation is made from "isocynates". Isocynates are very toxic and can have many long term health consequences. See this link: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ohb/HESIS/iso.htm

So I wouldn't panic if your chicken attacks a styrofoam coffee cup--but I would be very careful with them around solid building insulation.

 

[atalanta]

Two of my 4 day old serama chicks (the dark ones) ate polystyrene (styrofoam) that flaked off their hovabator. They are sooooo small (like the size of full grown finches) that I just left them in it after they hatched. I was even fighting with one to get it from them before they swallowed it...oh too slow.
1) Does this stuff come out the other end?
2) Will they grow out of it?

 

[duckma]

My goose and chickens have entirely destroyed the foam insulation panels under 2 cabins. Sigh.... I don't get it. It was not very secure. Now we're nailing it up, piecing it together seamlessly so no tags hang down, covering with Visquine and then covering that with chicken wire... But these things take time, and I can't keep up with their appetite for the stuff. Ugggh. I don't know if they are actually eating it, or just destroying it. I'll hope for the latter! Goose is worst offender.

 

[thecityman]

I had a bunch of styrofoam tobacco plant trays in the back of my property that I rarely go to. My chickens are free range and apparently discovered the styrofoam some time ago. It is absolutely unbelievable how much they have been eating, and now that I've known about it I've paid attention and find they are eating it in massive quantities every day. I'm getting rid of it because it just doesn't seem right, but I can tell you that it must be pretty harmless considering my chickens have been eating it for months and in huge quantities and have suffered no ill effects at all that I can see. Again, I'm going to move it because it just isn't right, but for those here who are worried because their chickens ate a little (or a lot) of it, I can tell you that it hasn't hurt mine one bit that I can tell!

 

[Marymc31]

I found this on davesgarden.com

I was wondering about the different experiences people have been having with styrofoam and their chickens.

Mine attacked my homemade hatcher like ice cream when I left it out to sterilize in the sun. So I could see why it might be a good thing to use to distract chickens from plucking each other.

Other people report their chickens were seriously sickened or killed by eating it.

I think the confusion may be from the general term "Styrofoam". It is a registered name for the insulation "polystyrene". Polystyrene is the substance they make coffee cups and disposabel fast food containers from (or did). It is also what they make the styrofoam coolers you can make into incubators. It isn't, in itself, considered toxic (although some of the chemicals used in its manufacture are) but it takes forever to breakdown and is not very environmentally friendly for that reason.

Unfortunately, polystyrene is highly flamable and is usually not approved for use as insulation in building construction. Solid building insulation is made from "isocynates". Isocynates are very toxic and can have many long term health consequences. See this link: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ohb/HESIS/iso.htm

So I wouldn't panic if your chicken attacks a styrofoam coffee cup--but I would be very careful with them around solid building insulation.

Thank you for pointing this out. I just lost a healthy girl out of nowhere (it took only 2 days) and am almost positive it was because she had eaten some styrofoam type insulation from the outside of our house. That insulation is VERY different than your basic styrofoam cup. (Obviously because humans regularly eat and drink out of styrofoam!)

 

[Kimber321]

My hens ate styrofoam and I think one has it stuck in her craw. I've noticed she seems to be losing weight and is constantly holding her beak open. She did lay her first egg today though, but it isn't hot out. It's in the 70s. Is it possible to get styrofoam out of a craw, if that is what is needed?