Lead levels in eggs -- how to test and what is safe?

[Tweeks]

Just saw this old post.. and I'm doing the same kind of research now.

[...]
Can anyone point me to any studies that have been done on lead levels in eggs or food? Or if you have come across a place where I can get the eggs tested to make sure the chickens aren't ingesting dangerous levels. I only have a 1/3 acre so I don't have a lot of options about where I could move the coop so that I comply with local ordinances. I will build a chicken tractor to let the chickens graze outside of the run, but I don't have one yet.
Thanks for your input.

There was a recent (2022) research piece our of Australia that detailed the risks of urban chickens and lead in the soil.. However I found two resources here in the US that can receive and test eggs for lead levels. One through Michigan State University.. and one through UCDavis (CA).

MI - https://cvm.msu.edu/assets/documents/VDL/Submittal-Toxicology-Fillable.pdf
CA - https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/locations/davis-lab

To get eggs tested through the MI lab.. they say "they suggested placing 1-2 eggs wrapped in paper towels in a Tupperware which is then placed in a zip lock bag inside a shipping container. They should be shipped with an ice pack overnight to their lab. The MI-link above is the form which must be included (choose test code #70027)."

Hope others find this useful.

T.Weeks

 

[Folly's place]

I think the major risk factor for our chickens and their eggs is old buildings with lead paint and those paint chips in the soil. Lead paint was on everything before 1968 (?) and that lead is still present. Then, lead sinkers, shotgun shells, toys, all available with nobody thinking it was a problem.
With no data to back me up, I think those lead sources are the problem, not so much what might be in oyster shells fed to our birds.
And feeding egg shells back to the hens doesn't give them enough Ca to meet their needs, and if there is lead in the shells, why feed them back anyway?
By all means get the eggs tested, and soil, and know if there's a problem where you live.
Mary