Everyone has heard about the curious dog that has eaten something inedible , from too many tennis balls to a thrust bear , expensive jewelry to rusty bolts . Even the underwear that was left on the floor is n’t safe from a frankfurter .
Well , chicken - keepers mind : Your chickens are indiscriminate eaters , too ! Chickens instinctively nibble through the priming coat in search of something edible . If a chicken can get it in its sass , it ’s in full satisfactory to them as a food detail , whether there is any real nutritional note value or not .
The trouble with this behavior is that some items a chicken picks up can be hazardous to its wellness . As a veterinary surgeon , I have taken many items out of wimp crop and stomachs that should not have been there .
Poultry Patients
Take , for example , the time a volaille was brought into my place because it just was n’t feel well . The owners noticed their biddy was laying down more and feel that she was acting quieter than typical . Her examination revealed what feel like a beanbag inside of her .
A radiogram ( X - ray ) of her abdomen exposed that her craw , tum and gut were fill with crushed rock ! She had to have several days of laxative and fluids to help oneself move matter along . The hen also expect medications to help oneself with ulceration in her stomach and intestines triggered by the gravel scour against the interior surface of her GI tract .
She made a full convalescence , and her owners made certain she was never allowed to take the air on the sway again !
Stephanie Lamb
Chicken - keeper want to postulate the vet these 7 interrogative .
Glassy Gizzard
Another chicken presented after walk around wobbly and acting quiet . A radiograph for her belly showed numerous minor object in her stomach that did n’t await like they would be able to pass out on their own . Therefore , we resolve to take her to surgery to hit them .
When we afford up her gizzard , we found she had pieces of field glass and a battery from a lookout man !
She was one favourable chicken . The drinking glass had become ground down and smooth on its side from comminute against other small rocks and gritstone in her ventriculus — almost the mode meth on a beach will become liquid from the Baroness Dudevant !
Stephanie Lamb
Bad Beef
On a different occasion , a wimp came into the infirmary after it had gotten into the garbage the owner had target outside . There was expired land beef in the traveling bag , and the wimp run through it all . Her craw was full of this putrid scum , and she was inappetent ( lacked an appetency ) and depressed .
A cultivation unwrap that this old meat had E. coli growing in it , and now she was sick from it and suffering from lowly kidney disease . She had to have a surgical procedure called an ingluviotomy to remove everything . Take my Word of God for it , it did not smell very pleasant !
After a few days of intravenous fluid and antibiotic bread and butter after the surgery , she was able to go home .
Volodymyr Baleha/Shutterstock
Sometimes , even objects that may seem to be benignant and ordinarily in a chicken ’s surround can testify to be tough . One hen that was gloomy in the ranks of the pecking order was being bullied off from her intellectual nourishment . This caused her to pick at the bed clothing in her coup , and she consume more than was safe .
When she lastly come into the hospital , her crop was filled to the rim with aspen shavings , and she was severely underweight . It took several evacuations of the harvest , survey by intensive supportive care to get her back to wellness . Stephanie Lamb
Getting the Lead Out
Although all these antecedently note item could have been virulent if not addressed appropriately , the ones that are the most problematical have been metallic object . Countless chickens have add up into the hospital with a metal target identify after a radiograph is taken .
thunderbolt , fuck , wires and nails have all been found . Sometimes the owner are aware that their poulet got into something . But more often than not , the owners are surprised that the wimp found these metal physical object .
I always remind possessor that chickens are ground forager . It ’s in their nature to scratch at the ground and apprehend thing up in hunt of food . to boot , they are naturally singular and will try anything out as a solid food point .
A wimp necropsy can help with a mystery death hits the coop .
Pointy Problems
There are a few problems with metal object being have by wimp . First , if the object is penetrating or pointy , such as a screw or nail , it has the potential to make forcible damage to the crop , tum or bowel .
These objects can directly scrape along the wall of the gut and induce pique , hemorrhage and hurting . This can also create an environs for opportunistic organisms to grow over and cause infection , further complicating the issue .
In severe cases , these objects can even fall into place through the wall of the gut and head to serious debilitating infections , pain in the neck and even death . operating theatre is often needed for the birds to rid them of these objects and help heal the wounds they have cause .
Chicken Toxicity
Probably even more negative than the forcible psychic trauma these object can cause is the toxicities that can be meet . Objects that contain threatening metals , such as lead , can cause toxicity in a chicken .
When objects that have direct — such as bullets , wires or even contaminate grunge — get into the gut , the stomach window pane work out away at the aim causing lead to be released . This then hit the lead available to be assimilate and get into the stemma stream .
Once in the blood flow , lead can circulate to organs and cause damage . Various symptom might be see such as inappetence , smooth behaviors , wanton stools , wobbly walking , helplessness and even capture .
Sometimes the birds wo n’t show any signs . Volodymyr Baleha / Shutterstock
Egg Issues
The big job that can occur with heavy alloy toxicity in a chicken , though , is that this leash can get into eggs if the biddy materialise to be put . For the man consuming these eggs , it could be a major human health problem .
Dependingupon how much bewilder into the egg , it could potentially be above the acceptable grade of lead for a homo to consume . It could even get into the toxic mountain chain . That nice , backyard , humanely raised , constituent chicken egg may not be so healthy after all if this trouble is present .
Oh, Lucille
This accurate job occur with a hen named Lucille not too long ago . Lucille was brought into the hospital for an exam because her owner notice she had a “ leaky ” bottom . Stool was dripping from her vent create her bottom rather mussy .
When a skiagram was take to wait internally , it was discovered that she had a metal conducting wire in her gizzard !
base on its location , it was apparent that this spiky object was stuck . Surgery was immediately recommended , and a 1 - in - long thread telegram was pulled out of ventriculus from a site where it was already poking through the wall .
After Lucille was go back from the operating theater , a blood sample was sent out for analysis , and the chicken was found to have lead perniciousness . Therefore , the chicken was put on intervention geared toward help heal from the major surgery she just endured as well as treatments purpose at dealing with the perniciousness .
Fall is a great clip to look at getting chickens .
Laying Lead
The report does n’t end there , though , because Lucille was still lay eggs . In fact , she had laid an eggs just a day before she issue forth into the hospital . This orchis was mail out for analysis , and it was find to have 14 micrograms of lead present .
To understand what this means one must first develop a underframe of reference for what is and is not considered acceptedfor lead contamination in foods .
Ideally , food for thought item should not have any lead present as it’snot physiologically needed by the soundbox . However , below certain layer it should not be toxic . TheUSDA recommendsthat the daily maximum of tip intake for children be no more than 3 mcg and for grownup be no more than 12.5 micrograms .
This substance , in Lucille ’s lawsuit , if a child ate her egg , they would be consume nearly five times more than the daily - recommend level of leading intake for a child . Even an grownup would be above their daily recommendation .
Additionally , lead can conglomerate in tissue paper and ramp up up to a full stop where it does contact toxic levels .
The expert news is that a veterinarian can do by a wimp that has lead perniciousness . This often involves treatment with a chelation medication that work out to bind up lead in the body and help it to be egest .
If a volaille does have lead perniciousness , it ’s presently recommended that the orchis from birds that have had lead perniciousness not be consumed — ever . This mean , the bird should be permanently strike out as a layer . However , she can still make a in effect deary .
Be Vigilant
chicken consuming incompatible items have the electric potential to be a real incubus for the urban granger .
But fear not . Be argus-eyed with your observations of your flock . Monitor what they have approach to . Create appropriate barrier to places they should not explore . And screen your soil for heavy metals . These measures can be helpful bar tactics .
And always recall that an oz. of bar is deserving a pound sterling of cure !
Sidebar: Signs of Chicken Toxicity
Lead poisoning can be a problem in backyard urban chickens . It can be detrimental to the bird ’s health , as well as to the world who consume the eggs laid by the hens . A volaille with lead poison might present the follow signs or show no sign at all .
Sidebar: Prevention Tips
Just like in volaille , go perniciousness in human being can lead to damage to the queasy system of rules , kidney and other major organs . It can cause anaemia ( low crimson blood cells ) and accumulate in the bones . When it damage the nervous organisation , it can impair an soul ’s power to hear , result in behavioural trouble and even have seizures .
If leave untreated , lead toxicity can be just as venomous in humans as it can be in crybaby .
Due to this , one can see that heavy metallic element toxicity in chickens can be a very serious job to parcel out with . Do n’t worry , though , as there are thing that can be done .
Test, Then Layer
First , when getting a stack of chickens , consider having your soil quiz for lead .
Next , put down several inch of fresh substratum so that they have layer of safe material to dig through . check that to inspect the sphere where your flock will have access code to , and pick up any objects that could be life-threatening or contain heavy metals .
Vet Check
Next , if you call up your snort is showing any sign coherent with lead toxicity , then take them to your veterinarian . Remember , though : Not all shuttlecock with clayey metal toxicity will show outward signs .
So , if your veterinarian thinks it is a goodidea to have your birds tested , follow their recommendations . Ablood test is a elementary procedure that can be done to check for evidence of lead toxicity .
to boot , quiz the eggs . TheCalifornia Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratorywill go for eggs from urban flocks and test them for the presence of Pb . Other laboratories may also perform this test , so check that to checker with your local poultry veterinarian to discover out where you may send sample .
This article first appeared in the July / August 2020 publication ofChickensmagazine .
