LEAD found in coop and we've been eating the eggs !Freaking out !

[NYREDS]

I grew up an old farm where our water came from a spring via lead pipes which were once very common. None of us seeem to have suffered any problems as a result of this. My IQ was tested at 155 & I managed a couple of college degrees.
I'd by all means take care of the loose flakes of lead paint but I don't think you need to panic.

 

[kristen2678]

A simple blood test can check for lead levels. Make a doc appt if you're really concerned. I think checking lead levels is standard at checkups for little ones these days anyway. I wouldn't make a habit of eating eggs from lead paint eating chickens, but I'm sure you are fine.

 

[FaereChicken]

Rather than scrape the windows, use the stripper that actually encapsulates the paint.

It's called Peel-Away, and take the windows off to use it. Works like a charm, no lead dust.​

 

[SillyChicken]

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I was going to suggest the same, strip the windows rather than scrap off and paint over whats there - eventually the leaded paint that is still there will flake off and your back to square one.

 

[B'villechicken]

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I was going to suggest the same, strip the windows rather than scrap off and paint over whats there - eventually the leaded paint that is still there will flake off and your back to square one.

The lead paint left behind will not necessarily flake off again. All loose lead paint is usually scraped off and when the latex paint is applied, it encapsulates it and prevents further flaking and deteriation. If, however, the latex paint is interrupted, I agree that there is danger of re-exposure to the lead. This is why the health department allows encapsulation above the four foot level but suggests complete removal below that because of the risk of young children chewing on the woodwork.

 

[bel]

I was going to suggest the same, strip the windows rather than scrap off and paint over whats there - eventually the leaded paint that is still there will flake off and your back to square one.

I was going to recommend the same, weve been researching this because my house is a year shy of turning 100 and its exterior is lead city (insides redone mostly) and the best stripper for lead is the Peel away 1 (lime based one) its best for lead paint removal and not got all the nasty vocs and fumes most strippers have.

Another thing you can do to strip old windows is use a clothing steamer, like a jiffy steamer if you can get ahold of one. It will steam off the paint without making dust, and is safer than a heat gun because its a wet process.

Never sand, dry scrape, or use a regular heat gun to remove lead paint, you don't want to risk breathing in dust or fumes.​

 

[norcal]

Just have to say that your coop is gorgeous! Is that a round wall inside the run? Neato. Where's your coop page w/ pics?

I have a question though. Many here have said that the egg passes through the chicken quickly. ? I thought I read that chickens were born w/ all of their eggs inside of them (like women)? And they can be fertilized up to weeks after mating - right. Something is off?


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hahaha! The government is crazy sometimes, especially child protective services, I'm sure there was someone more worthy of their visit than your sister.

 

[riftnreef]

I wouldn't think too much of it at all. If we knew half the crud that entered our bodies from the foods we eat, we would all become anorexic(sp?). Just fix the problem (cover, not remove!, airborne lead is much more dangerous) and move on with life. Short term limited exposure is not normally a problem.

On another note, in children the primary effects of lead are not so much nerological, but manifest in the skeletal structure...the young human body mistakes the lead and other heavy metals for calicium and it ends up stored in the bones of children. Well, you can imagine later in life when bones start to break down what kind of problems that causes.

I want to stress again...please do NOT go out and sand and scrape the old paint off the windows! Only someone certified for lead abatement should be doing that. Its best just to cover it up with something safe, and keep up on it so it don't peel in the future.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Lead is the reason Lunchables and other prepackaged kids' foods are supplemented with calcium. The county health department taught us that for our RN refresher course, just 7 years ago! The kids who have adequate iron and calcium won't attach to the toxic heavy metals like malnourished kids will. AND MOST LEAD IS BREATHED IN, NOT EATEN. The air in agricultural counties contains heavy metals from decades of chemical fertilizer/soil conditioners/heavy machinery stirring it all into the air.

There, I hope this helps you relax.

They also told us that most county health departments have records showing which counties have the highest levels of lead in kids.

If you are in a public school system, lead testing may be part of the mandatory school physical. How convenient!

So if you find your kids have lead in their blood, it is not very likely caused by your eggs so much as by the dust where you live.

AND IF YOUR CHOOKS ARE EATING CALCIUM FORTIFIED LAYER FEED, I WONDER WHETHER IT EVEN BECAME A PROBLEM? TRY LEAD TESTING THEIR POOP. SEE IF THEY EXCRETED IT, INSTEAD OF ABSORBING IT.

 

[Oopoo]

Don't scrape the windows!!!! Go to the paint store and find out what they recommend to cover the lead. It's only dangerous if you can ingest or breathe it Scraping will put lead everywhere. Lead is naturally removed from the body so over time you should be fine. We lived in an old house and I was doing work while pregnant and my child had a slightly elevated level of lead when born. Not trying to spook you here, but Dr. said we wait it out and don't do anymore paint work. She's fine, I'm fine, it's all good. I would give your chicks a couple weeks before eating eggs again.