Chickens Exposed to Lead Shot

[waianuenue444]

Hello, I am very concerned about the well-being of our flock. My family keeps our chickens in an enclosed, fenced section of our orchard which they are free to roam in. Recently, some wild roosters have moved into the property. My parents took it upon themselves to use multiple rounds of lead shot (buckshot) whilst in the section our chickens live in to try and kill the wild roosters. I was not informed about this until after it happened. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the lead pieces, I was unable to uncover any, but I am assuming there are many. Could be in the hundreds. I am now reading about how dangerous these can be for birds, and I am the only one here who is taking this seriously. 1. I don’t know how to go about removing the lead from the ground that the chickens might eat, or if that is even possible. I couldn’t even find one shard when I was out looking, but I am assuming the chickens can pick through the grass and find them as that is what they do. One of the shots was sadly fired just 5 feet from their coop (also in the enclosed space). 2. I am concerned about eating the eggs here ever again, as I have read the yolks will be contaminated with lead at the same levels as the blood of the chickens. I am incredibly sad and feeling alone, as my parents don’t seem to understand why lead is dangerous, let alone lead shot being dangerous for chickens specifically. I have found some posts about similar occurrences here, and I realize now that I am actually right to be concerned. My family often tries to make fun of me and make me feel less than for being concerned about things like lead. I have come here to feel more normal and in hopes of finding a solution rather than being gaslighted. Does anyone have any advice on how to go forward? Is our orchard no longer fit for chickens to live in and now contaminated forever? I am so worried about the chickens and can’t help but feel anxious and depressed.

 

[Coops Dad]

I wouldn't worry about the extremely small chance that a chicken might pick up a lead pellet, eat it and pass on heavy metals to you via its eggs. First off, there are much more appealing things in your field for the chickens to eat. Second, those small round pellets- especially buckshot, which is a ball about 5/16" diameter - is bigger and much denser than the gravel that chickens usually ingest as grit for their digestion. Third, a chicken's gut isn't packed with acid which would etch the lead off into an easier to absorb molecule, lead oxide. Fourth, a chicken's digestive system passes stuff through pretty quickly and the amount of lead it could absorb from the extremely unlikely ingestion of a pellet would be miniscule. And the amount of that found in the egg would be even smaller.

People have hunted ducks using shotguns for 200+ years, and the shallow water where ducks are hunted are also the same waters where those ducks feed. Ducks rummage through the mud and muck in that shallow water and eat countless lead pellets, yet wild ducks are completely safe to eat since they have not been found to be even an insignificant contributor of heavy metals in the hunters' diets.

In my youth, I was poor and a large part of our protein came from wild game. I've eaten probably 1,500 wild ducks and geese in my life, and I've spat out a great many lead pellets. I can't imagine how many I DIDN'T spit out. My industry works with heavy metals and other toxins so I have to have my blood tested twice a year. So far, no detectable lead has been found in my blood in spite of decades with wild mallards, teal and geese on my table. And, ironically, I used to carry .22 cartridges in my mouth so I could reload my single shot rifle faster- open the bolt, spit a fresh round into my hand, load the rifle and get back into business quickly, no rummaging through my pockets for a bullet. I might be indestructible.

 

[mintyivyy1]

Hello, I am very concerned about the well-being of our flock. My family keeps our chickens in an enclosed, fenced section of our orchard which they are free to roam in. Recently, some wild roosters have moved into the property. My parents took it upon themselves to use multiple rounds of lead shot (buckshot) whilst in the section our chickens live in to try and kill the wild roosters. I was not informed about this until after it happened. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the lead pieces, I was unable to uncover any, but I am assuming there are many. Could be in the hundreds. I am now reading about how dangerous these can be for birds, and I am the only one here who is taking this seriously. 1. I don’t know how to go about removing the lead from the ground that the chickens might eat, or if that is even possible. I couldn’t even find one shard when I was out looking, but I am assuming the chickens can pick through the grass and find them as that is what they do. One of the shots was sadly fired just 5 feet from their coop (also in the enclosed space). 2. I am concerned about eating the eggs here ever again, as I have read the yolks will be contaminated with lead at the same levels as the blood of the chickens. I am incredibly sad and feeling alone, as my parents don’t seem to understand why lead is dangerous, let alone lead shot being dangerous for chickens specifically. I have found some posts about similar occurrences here, and I realize now that I am actually right to be concerned. My family often tries to make fun of me and make me feel less than for being concerned about things like lead. I have come here to feel more normal and in hopes of finding a solution rather than being gaslighted. Does anyone have any advice on how to go forward? Is our orchard no longer fit for chickens to live in and now contaminated forever? I am so worried about the chickens and can’t help but feel anxious and depressed.

The other response is a lot more uplifting, but I'll just say that our chicken was just found to have lead poisoning from buckshot in her gizzard and it's been pretty terrifying. She needs to be treated with chelation therapy and we're very concerned. Looking at your text-- are you sure it was lead buckshot? It's not legal in many places any more, so it may not have been lead shot at all. That being said, small metal pieces are exactly what chickens look for to eat, and I believe it does pass down into eggs. I'm not trying to concern you more, but rather to say that your concerns are totally valid.

 

[McChooky]

If ingested, since the metal is so dense and not easily oxidized, it will remain in the chicken's gastrointestinal tract. There it will slowly get absorbed and released into the bloodsteam, resulting in anemia and interference with the bird's ability to absorb calcium (leading to hypocalcemia, especially in hens).It can also be detected in their eggs if ingested.

See more at: http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/lead-poisoning

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you check with your parents to see exactly what type of shot they used, whether it was lead shot or more modern steel shot? Here is some reading about the changeover to steel shot:
https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/lodge/lead-vs-steel-shot/