Motor oil painted timbers used on flight pen (run)

[Mtnboomer]

Hey everyone! Ive been gone awhile but I'm back and of course have another question. So I built a flight pen (mentioned before) for ducks and immature chicks that aren't quite big enough to join the free range flock. I found 6x6 timbers painted with used motor oil in our woods left behind by the previous landowners between 8-10yrs ago. Being short on cash, I salvaged them for use as anchors to the pen's wire fenced walls on 3 sides.
But now I'm wondering if the birds are picking up toxins which are then being ingested by us when we eat them and their eggs? Has anyone read or found any literature on this or can shed some light? I dont want to have to tear them out and spend the money to replace, but I also don't want to be poisoning myself and family

 

[sourland]

Far from an expert on this, but back in the dark ages we painted roosts and coop corners with used motor oil to kill red mites. My mother lived to be 97 and I am 78 so ---------------
Could you have scrapings from the timbers analyzed for toxins ?

 

[ErnieBerley]

um....exposing you or your animals to petroleum distillate products is not a wise choice

 

[pibb]

https://www.fws.gov/caribbean/es/PDF/Contaminants/oilused.pdf
Used motor oil contains heavy metals amongst other things. I don't think I would want it around my chickens. Mine would rather drink water from the ground than from a clean bowl and what kind of water will puddle up underneath these used motor oil logs?...

 

[aart]

Could you have scrapings from the timbers analyzed for toxins ?

...and/or test the soil under where the posts were piled for 8-10 years.

I think the risk is probably pretty low, but it's up to you.

Do y'all realize that all the galvanized mesh we use can leach zinc and lead into the soil?

 

[blackdog043]

I personally wouldn't worry to much about the posts. You get much worse stuff in the foods you eat every day, with all the pesticides that are sprayed on crops and the stuff that is feed to animals for meat, oh and farm raised fish you eat. Don't forget about the ingredient names that are chemicals and unpronounceable in the other daily foods we ingest. I think your ok with the posts.

 

[ErnieBerley]

I personally wouldn't worry to much about the posts. You get much worse stuff in the foods you eat every day, with all the pesticides that are sprayed on crops and the stuff that is feed to animals for meat, oh and farm raised fish you eat. Don't forget about the ingredient names that are chemicals and unpronounceable in the other daily foods we ingest. I think your ok with the posts.

but hey, everything you can do to decrease you and your animal's exposure to environmental toxins is a WIN

 

[ErnieBerley]

...and/or test the soil under where the posts were piled for 8-10 years.

I think the risk is probably pretty low, but it's up to you.

Do y'all realize that all the galvanized mesh we use can leach zinc and lead into the soil?

ugh yes... anyone that uses the galvanized products for water should really look at the oil that floats on top of your water.....i personally bought a few, saw that, now they are sitting empty i'll never use them again. plastic is better than galvanized......

 

[aart]

ugh yes... anyone that uses the galvanized products for water should really look at the oil that floats on top of your water.....i personally bought a few, saw that, now they are sitting empty i'll never use them again. plastic is better than galvanized......

That 'oil' might be from the manufacturing process and should dissipate pretty quickly.
Who knows what plastics might leaching into any consumables.

 

[ErnieBerley]

That 'oil' might be from the manufacturing process and should dissipate pretty quickly.
Who knows what plastics might leaching into any consumables.

you should manufacture a glass waterer