Is 2 year old Miracle Grow Potting Soil Toxic to Chickens in run area?

[Larafamilychickens]

Hello,

At the start of 2020 I had a pretty large area fenced off with chicken wire in order to grow a vegetable garden, it wasn’t a good area for vegetables but looks like a great area for a chicken coop and run.

My question is does anyone know if the Miracle Grow potting soil I put in the garden area 2 years ago would be a problem for chickens now? Also, should I had play sand to the run so they have an area for dust bathing? We have a lot of clay where I live so we don’t get a lot of dust.

Thank you for answering my questions, this community is the best!!

 

[Perris]

I can't speak to the miracle grow question, but sand is a good addition to a dustbath (though I'd go sharp builder's sand rather than soft play sand), plus some bonfire ash if you have it. I am on clay too and my flock make dustbaths in a variety of spots, besides using the lidded plastic tote I supply and top up with sand and ash.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My guess is by this point any fertilizers or additives in the soil have already leeched out or been absorbed any surrounding vegetation.

Edit: Hmm actually... does it have perlite in it? Just a quick glance around online, it says perlite shouldn't be toxic to chickens, however it's not meant to be ingested either, and birds may pick at things like that.

 

[raingarden]

Most of the organic matter in the potting soil has decomposed by now. The little white pebbles of pearlite never go away. Chickns eat rocks about that size so there's not much chance it could hurt them.

 

[Larafamilychickens]

I can't speak to the miracle grow question, but sand is a good addition to a dustbath (though I'd go sharp builder's sand rather than soft play sand), plus some bonfire ash if you have it. I am on clay too and my flock make dustbaths in a variety of spots, besides using the lidded plastic tote I supply and top up with sand and ash.

Thank you! We do have a fire place and a fire pit, so plenty of ashes. Have you had any issues with chickens eating the sand?

 

[Larafamilychickens]

Most of the organic matter in the potting soil has decomposed by now. The little white pebbles of pearlite never go away. Chickns eat rocks about that size so there's not much chance it could hurt them.

Thank You!

 

[Battlepants]

plus some bonfire ash if you have it.

I had no idea about the ash. Been cleaning out the forest behind my house and currently have a pile of sticks and other debris around 10*6*6 feet in size that I planned on lighting that up this summer. I'll be sure to save some ash for the chickens! (of course, this will be after hosing down said ash and waiting a week for any embers to fully die out)

 

[Perris]

Thank you! We do have a fire place and a fire pit, so plenty of ashes. Have you had any issues with chickens eating the sand?

they do sometimes eat what they find in the dust bath, with no ill effects to date

 

[BecksNesting]

Hello,

At the start of 2020 I had a pretty large area fenced off with chicken wire in order to grow a vegetable garden, it wasn’t a good area for vegetables but looks like a great area for a chicken coop and run.

My question is does anyone know if the Miracle Grow potting soil I put in the garden area 2 years ago would be a problem for chickens now? Also, should I had play sand to the run so they have an area for dust bathing? We have a lot of clay where I live so we don’t get a lot of dust.

Thank you for answering my questions, this community is the best!!

Miracle-Gro is non-toxic to pets and animals. The ingredients used are considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration. It can, however, cause gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, and vomiting if over-exposed by animals and pets. So can other pets such as dogs. My husband had a dog die from eating too much "ordinary" dirt. It died from having the dirt impact on down in the intestines.

 

[Larafamilychickens]

Miracle-Gro is non-toxic to pets and animals. The ingredients used are considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration. It can, however, cause gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, and vomiting if over-exposed by animals and pets. So can other pets such as dogs. My husband had a dog die from eating too much "ordinary" dirt. It died from having the dirt impact on down in the intestines.

Thank you for the information! The area I was concerned about is now sand, and hay, but the chickens aren’t in there much, they mostly “free range.” And by that I mean they hang out on the porch with the dog, or try to get in the car.