Fireworks residual power

[NNYchick]

Grrr, my husband set off fireworks last night, now there is a black powdery residual on the ground and grass. I’m concerned that the chickens will get sick if they peck around it. I’m not sure how to clean it up. Any thoughts?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there.

I'm certainly no scientist and got no degrees... But I THINK that's just burnt carbon.

I usually hose it down, but it's also not in the same yard as my chickens. It might sweep up. As long as they aren't locked in with it, I wouldn't really sweat it, same as the MANY plants in my yard.

Curious to seed other answers though!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Hi there.

I'm certainly no scientist and got no degrees... But I THINK that's just burnt carbon.

I usually hose it down, but it's also not in the same yard as my chickens. It might sweep up. As long as they aren't locked in with it, I wouldn't really sweat it, same as the MANY plants in my yard.

Curious to seed other answers though!

X2. I probably wouldn’t really be concerned but you could always hose it off or sweep it up.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Maybe find out on the internet how to clean up after fireworks? I would just hose it off really good, and keep your chickens away from that spot until you feel safe about it. Tell your husband to clean up his own firework mess next time.

 

[adickenscoop]

I would be too. Why not keep them away from it by putting up a barrier?

 

[NNYchick]

I did look it up on the internet, it is highly toxic to animals. I swept up all that was on the cement and hosed the ground really good, I set a upside down chair over the area. Hopefully that will keep them out of that spot.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

I would tell your husband to set off his fireworks away from your yard next time.

 

[NNYchick]

Yes we just had a conversation about it. He didn’t realize it was anything more than ash. He will now be setting them off on the black top driveway in the front where the chickens don’t go and sweeping up afterwards.

 

[Henriettamom919]

As someone who grew up lighting them off I can assure you that hosing it down, along with the rest of your yard so as not to draw attention to that *one* spot, is sufficient. Chances are they'll give it a pass as it will smell heavily of sulfur. If they do ingest some it would be fine in minimal amounts.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The explosive mostly used in fireworks is ordinary gun-powder, comprised out of charcoal, sulphur and salpeter (potassium nitrate) plus some other salts in minute quantities to change the flame colors (usually only in rockets). All of those chemicals are not toxic at all, if ingested in small amounts, in fact ground charcoal is used as an anti-toxin to flush bad stuff out or birds. Sulphur-powder was used in the past around fruit trees to prevent insects from climbing up the stems and potassium nitrate is a fertilizer…
I would be more worried about pieces of burnt paper or plastics that the chickens could swallow than this residue. That black stuff is mostly just unburnt charcoal, the powder used in fireworks has more charcoal than gunpowder, so that there is a brighter flash of light during the detonation. It is also known as "Hollywood gunpowder", so that gunfire is more visible in the movies.
Hosing it away with plenty of water is sufficient.