Is agricultural lime harmful to chickens

[pullorroo]

All the neighborhood cats deficate in an area where the chickens can scratch.
I wanted to dust the area with lime to control the cat odors.
Could this harm my hens ??? They are not confined to this area, but pass through it daily, and sometimes scratch....Thanks

 

[MissPrissy]

Lime should be worked into the ground to 'sweeten it'. Lime will burn the chickens feet if they walk through it.Rake up and clean up all the cat poo and water the ground really well.

 

[justusnak]

We had 7 tons of AG Lime brought in...mainly for the floor of the chicken coop. ( we have dirt floors for now) There is still a pile of lime...and my chickens dust bath in it. They love it. Now, granted....this pile has been laying there just over a year now...and maybe the harshness has been washed away with the rains...but no harm has come to them from dust bathing in it.

 

[LynneP]

The 'safe' lime is hydrated lime or ground limestone.
The dangerous lime is 'quicklime' or mason's lime.
Agricultural lime is usually limestone, but some farmers use quicklime for specific trouble spots.

Be *very* careful when purchasing, as both are often available at the same source.

We once had a teacher at our school purchase the wrong kind to lime a playing field, with the result that kinds got burned and the grass was destoyed. The wrong lime can't we wahed off, it heats up in water. Causes respiratory distress in addition to burns.

If you are worried about choosing, select a product like Stall Dri or Stable Boy, labelled for animal use.