Effects of Ingesting Airsoft pellets??

[kitfox]

Would would the effects be of chickens or peacocks swallowing the small 6 mm plastic pellets? Would this harm our little friends?
I am an avid Airsoft enthusiast and this is a hot topic in sort of a heated debate regarding farm animal safety. although I raise chickens they dont seem to be too interested in the little white bb's others have reported this also. any Veterinarian opinions out there or just general input would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks.

 

[chrismahon]

Potentially a big problem Kitfox. They can swallow then as grit and they could block the gizzard. As they are insoluble and ungrindable they will collect causing a blockage it and will be terminal. Vet told me the common cause for impacted gizzard is bits of plastic or metal. In our case it was damson stones and after a month of nursing they managed to shift them.

 

[Margaid]

Really glad I decided to read all these posts. Thanks Chris for mentioning damson stones, I'll need to keep my girls well away from the damson bushes. They crop so heavily there are far more than I can use or give away I make jelly, jam, freeze them, soak them in gin and in vodka as well as poaching them and making damson crumble. OH gets sick of damsons for pudding!

 

[chrismahon]

It's our piggy Orpingtons Margaid. They start by swallowing cherries whole then move onto damsons later in the year, which are about the same size but the stone is twice as big. We are in a conservation area and I've had to apply to cut the Damson trees down. Got permission quite quickly and they are now history! Of course we are moving anyway, but it makes moving coops around a lot easier.

 

[Margaid]

Being new to this Chris I think I'll err on the side of caution and keep them away from the damsons. The damsons are due to be severely pruned soon because they're completely out of hand - tall spindly things you couldn't put a ladder against if you wanted to. it means I'll lose a lot of the crop this year but that's no real problem - I'll just avoid the juicy purple carpet. Apparently they were grown so farmer's wives could sell them as a cash crop but for what you get for them it isn't worth the hassle of picking and, more important, transporting them somewhere to sell. We're at the end of a dead end lane in the middle of nowhere so wouldn't get any passing trade. Fortunately we are not listed, in a conservation area and are the other side of a stream from an AONB - we get the good bits without the hassle!