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

[AllTheseCreatures]

Thanks for the heads up on the oyster shell. This is also a bit off-topic, but since someone brought it up, I ran with it.

I did a simple google search and found a paper on Lead in Calcium supplements. HERE. It is written with human consumption in mind, but it mentions oyster shell supplements. It says:

"In addition, the exposure risk from lead in calcium supplements may be relatively small, even though the contribution of lead from a daily dose of those supplements (median = 2.38 µg) to the average total daily dietary intake (5-11 µg/day) may be relatively large (29). This disparity is due to the much higher supplemental concentrations of calcium, which decrease gastrointestinal lead absorption (30). Several studies of factors that influence the dietary assimilation of lead show this decrease in lead absorption (31)."

I don't know that phenomenon relates in chickens.

 

[indio]

Thanks for the link to the study. Since chickens are much smaller than humans, then they must be absorbing more of the lead.
I will definitely try using the eggshells instead of the oyster shells. Bad timing for me, I just bought 20 lbs of oyster shells last weekend. I guess if the egg shells are baked they will crumble to a finer dust that the chickens might not recognize as being their eggs. My compost pile and worm bin are going to be out of luck for their calcium fix now.

 

[AllTheseCreatures]

I honestly don't know. The link posted earlier by annaraven references only two studies (and apparently the only two the author could find) done on chickens and heavy metal toxicity. It doesn't at all address the rate it's absorbed. Just that it is.

I've read you can use limestone grit for calcium as well.

 

[rancher hicks]

This is the first I've read about lead in the oyster shells. However it seems that some folks aren't aware of the "TWO" types of grit. One being "soluble" oyster shell and "insoluble" (granite/stone).

Now i did do a research paper for college that covered drinking water and leaching and the like. I would think that as time went by the lead in the soil would decrease each year as it leached out. Unless your chickens hang out 24/7 in your neighbors yard I wouldn't worry.

If you feed them the right things and make sure they have an "on demand" of insoluble grit it's not likely they would seek it in your neighbors yard. I make sure my birds have large dish (dishpan) filled with grit all the time.

The basic commercial feed should have enough calcium with an occasional hand ful of oyster shell tossed into the insoluble grit dish.

A good fence can help keep the chickens in your yard and away from the garage area. The cost would be worth the peace of mind.

Take care

Rancher

 

[AllTheseCreatures]

Is your paper available for the public to read? My understanding was that lead leaches out of the ground very slowly and depends on a lot of factors in the soil column. Density, composition, how much rainfall the area receives and other chemical factors. I think the easiest way to find out without knowing any of those factors is to have a soil test done.

I think it is a viable concern. Here is a blog post by a woman who had her soil tested and found the highest levels 8 feet from her home (which had previously been painted with lead paint) Here is an article from the Washington Post about urban soil contamination in Detroit.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Wouldn't it be safe to say that many older homes would have been painted with lead. It never occured to me until now.

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
You don't have to bake them, set them out to dry- here its just overnight- somewhere else may be longer or shorter.

Save some electricity/gas/wood

 

[lilchickenz]

So...if all the commercial feeds contain (soluble) oyster shell then what do we feed our chickens so lead is not in their eggs?

 

[Marmalade25]

Just a note for those who may be researching this. If the chickens have lead in their system, it will likely get into their egg shells. So if lead is an issue then feeding them their own eggs may be counterproductive.
I am dealing with lead exposure in my chickens and someone pointed me to this research article which discusses lead findings in eggs.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141926/

 

[aart]

@casportpony know anything about lead in oyster shells?