chickens eating bullet casings?

[DrDean]

I had to shoot a coon who got into my hen house a few nights ago, with my 22. I went the next day to retrieve the casings, but I could not find any of them. Could the chickens have eaten them? If so, will they hurt them and will their eggs be toxic from lead on the casings?

 

[redsoxs]

I would think it unlikely that your hens would eat the casings. Even though .22 casings are small, I still think they'd peck at it, determine it wasn't edible and ignore it. Could they have covered them up with their scratchings?

 

[DrDean]

The chickens covering them up is a real possibility.