Is chicken poop carcinogenic?

[kathleengp]

I wasn't sure which forum to post this, but I figured "diseases" was the closest. My dh had chickens as a kid and he insists that chicken poop is very dangerous and highly carcinogenic.

I can't find anything to back this up other than some reference to feeds having arsenic in them years ago, leading to arsenic in the poop. He doesn't know why he thinks this, just that it was something "everybody knows" growing up.

Do any feeds today have cancer-causing ingredients? (I'm using organic layer feed and my own homemade multi-grain snack made with human food grade grains and beans, so I know my stuff is ok). Could carcinogenic poop exist today because of some chicken feed products? Or is the poop itself a danger in any way?

Thanks!

 

[thecochincoop]

never heard of anything like that. I know it is germy and you should wash your hands, but never heard of it being really bad like that.

 

[BeccaOH]

There is the histoplasmosis fungus that seems to be found in old barns and coops where years of poop buildup becomes a breeding ground. Breathing this kind of dust can injure the lungs, but many people have exposure to it with no real ill effect. https://www.google.com/health/ref/Histoplasmosis

The ammonia build up in a poorly ventilated coop would be the most dangerous thing to you and your birds that I can think of.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
It doesn't even have to be years of build up. It can be an old coop with old dust or dirt packed in a crack or crevice. Then when you put new birds in and stir up the dust when you clean it without wearing a mask, it can hit you. Been there. Done that. However, I have scars on my lungs from tuberculosis that I had as a child. There probably wouldn't have been a problem for somebody with normal lungs. I learned the hard way that no matter how clean you coop seems, wear a mask when cleaning it.

 

[Kanga77510]

Quote:
Not that I know of. I've heard it's really good for the garden, actually. Grandma said she used to till her chicken poop into the garden for fertilizer.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

If it is I have a dog that should be dead

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:

Gross as it is, that is probably the best indicator, isn't it?

 

[ErieSpurs]

Only if you feed them cigarette butts and Red Man.

 

[RanchGranny]

I don't think so ... it IS really "hot" when it's fresh, so it will kill live plants or seeds if you put it in your garden before it's had a chance to break down a bit. Maybe that's what he's thinking about in terms of it being dangerous. You know, if it's strong enough to kill blackberries, ha ha, it's strong enough to kill YOU.

But honestly, my husband helps out on a Foster Farms chickens ranch, where they have 70,000 chickens per barn (x 3 barns). Three generations of family have worked & breathed in there, and no one's gotten the cancer yet. Of course, it does stink to high heaven, & some of them (like me!) wear masks when inside (even though vented & with fresh air fans running, the ammonia feels like it will melt your face off). We do have to step into shallow vats of Iodine before we step into the barns, but that's not to protect us from cancer bugs - it's to protect the chickens from OUR germs! Other than being a highly unpleasant environment, with all the chicken being grown for consumption in the US, you'd think you'd have heard if there was a cancer problem. Certainly, a home based chicken operation should not be cause for alarm. Tell Dad the new chickens being bred are genetically engineered to have safer poop so he can relax & not worry about you guys!

Good luck! Enjoy your chickens without threat of cancer!

 

[cassie]

If you read enough studies over a long enough period of time you will find out that EVERYTHING, including distilled water, is carcinogenic according to one "authority" or another. BTW, chicken manure from the commercial operations is in high demand for fertilizer in this part of the world. I have a neighbor who makes his living driving a spreader truck and he is not dead, or even sick, yet even though he had been spreading chicken and turkey manure nearly every day for well over 30 years.