Foraging Chickens eating bugs that have died from Insect Sprays

[want2know]

Does anyone know if Foraging Chickens eating insects that have died from Insect Sprays, like Home Defense, etc. be effected adversely?

 

[Folly's place]

The idea is to keep your chickens as 'product free' as possible, and only use products out there that are actually approved for use around them. I'll use that stuff in places where the birds aren't, not places where they have access.
The same for herbicides; you have a choice, either have food animals (chickens, for example) or not. Products available to laying hens will be stored in their egg yolks, sometimes for life.
Mary

 

[Pghelp]

Think of your chickens and your family as part of the same food chain. The chickens eat insects that have been exposed to pesticides. When they produce eggs that your family eats, the residue of the pesticide remains in the eggs or in the meat if your raising them to eat. It's pricier to go all organic and sometimes you have to get a bit creative with solutions to problems, but that's the choice we've made for our family's health.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Even if I knew the active ingredient in that spray I would not know enough to answer your question. To get approval they probably have to run toxicity tests on those poisons so they may have some data. Probably on songbirds, not chickens. If you read all the fine print and warnings you might find something that helps. Probably not but that would be my first check. You should read the warnings anyway.

You could contact the manufacturer and ask your questions. My questions would be potential harm to the chickens and potential harm to you if you eat the eggs or meat.

You can wait until Monday and contact your county extension office. They may be able to give you guidance on that specific product or maybe point you toward another product.

 

[centrarchid]

I have lost multiple chickens after they consumed insects killed by a commercial insecticide used around my lab. The applicator stated the insecticide is safe around animals that are not arthropods. It kills chickens, songbirds, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads very quickly. The applicator I make certain applies the insecticide only in certain areas.

Chickens exposed to the stuff through both ingestion and contact through feet get into trouble quickly, and in three instances I know it occurred the birds were dead by heat of day (exposure early in morning) or dead by dawn when exposed later in the day. They got slow, lay down, and died. The applicator claimed different materials used each time and neither cause issues.