Used Blu-Kote on Pullet and Regret it!

[gigimomma]

I have four 3 1/2 month old pullets that I have raised from chicks to be pets and egg layers. I have been trying to integrate them with my three older hens. One Olive Egger has been very aggressive and pecked/wounded a pullet on the back of her head and around her ear. I cleaned the wounds and then applied Blu-Kote at the recommendation of Tractor Supply. Next, I once again separated the four young pullets to keep the injured pullet safe while she heals. After using Blu-Kote on the one pullet, I read online that Blu-Kote is considered a carcinogen and should never be used on food producing animals. I called my vet and she said that the FDA states that once Blu-Kote is used on a hen that her eggs should never be eaten, sold, or given away, EVER! Now, I am trying to determine if the other three pullets that have been with the the pullet and may have preened or picked at their sister's wounded head will also have toxic eggs. Should we never eat any of these four young hens' eggs or are the three hens who did not receive a direct Blu-Kote treatment considered able to produce clean and safe eggs? Also, should I keep the treated pullet away from the three egg laying hens now that she has Blu-Kote on her body and they might peck at her, again? This whole situation is so aggravating! I feel I was misled by Tractor Supply and also by the label on Blu-Kote, which does not state that the product is not to be used on food producing animals. Help me understand!

 

[Logar]

Sorry but your vet is not correct. If it is a meat bird that you are butchering in a few weeks then maybe find something different. But just don’t collect eggs from that hen for a week or two after applying it and you are fine, which you don’t even have to worry about currently. It wouldn’t be used and recommended so much if it wasn’t safe to use.

But have you tried the look but no touch method of integration? It seems like that would be a better way to go about it next time due to what happened.

Good luck! If you want any help or suggestions plenty of people can provide that here!

 

[AinaWGSD]

I don't have a definitive answer, but I've never heard of that before so I did a little searching.

From the blue kote Material Safty Data Sheet. It is a suspected carcinogen. Which means we don't have enough information to prove one way or the other if it causes cancer.

I tried to look up blue kote on the FDA website but I didn't have any luck. The closest I could find was gentian violet listed as a drug with restricted extra-label uses in food producing animals with the statement that it's prohibited in food or feed for food producing animals. I couldn't find anything regarding withdrawal time.

Personally I would think it's probably ok, but you could always contact the FDA directly for clarification on their restrictions and recommendations for withdrawal time.

 

[alinas2010]

Many people have used blu-kote on laying hens (including us) and have gone on to eat their eggs with no ill repercussions. I believe the violet dye in it has one of those California cancer warnings associated with it, if you are worried about those. Usually the studies associated with those warnings…I don’t think too much about. They tend to go something like this:

100 mice are fed super high quantities of said violet dye repeatedly for 60 days in a row and 90 of them develop cancerous tumors. These findings lead us to believe that use of this dye will lead to cancer. <- notice how it says use of, not ingestion of

Are your hens repeatedly ingesting high quantities of that said dye undiluted for 60 days straight, though? No.

The dye in it has also been used for YEARS in human medicine with little documented harm if it makes you feel any better.

I have not looked at the study that supports the California P65 statement nor have I looked into blu-kote, honestly. I’m not too worried about it, especially just using it once in a while. And I’m just assuming that the dye in it is the reason it has the potential to cause cancer. Usually with things like that it is repeated exposure you’d have to worry about if anything at all. And if it is the dye there just isn’t sufficient evidence and solid studies to say it is a proven carcinogen.

If you are still bothered, I would encourage you to do your own research and find out exactly what ingredient(s) are though to be carcinogens in blu-kote. Look at scientific, peer reviewed studies that detail exactly why those ingredients are considered carcinogens and by what mechanisms the subjects of the studies were exposed to them. Be sure to look into the sponsors of the studies if there are any.

Here is the California warning if you are interested, again I have not looked into the study warranting this warning because I tend to think the California ones are kinda iffy:

https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/fact-sheets/gentian-violet-crystal-violet#:~:text=Gentian violet is on the,increase the risk of cancer.