Chickens breathing smoke fumes

[Midders]

My neighbour lit a bonfire in his garden and the smoke pumped over my chicken run and coop. I am now worried about the girls. They seemed fine when they went to bed but now I am worried about the effects that this will have had on them.
I know there is no law against burning a fire in your own garden but, talk about thoughtless!
Has anyone had experience of this?

[Totally Scrambled]

I don't know the medical effects smoke might have on chooks but guess it would have to be pretty thick and sustained before it would have an effect.
I do know that I have had some big stinky WW2 Destroyer smokescreen type fires that have blown across our chooks run and that none of our girls have suufered from it. Mind you I was just burning garden clipping type things, so if your neighbour was burning plastic, old sofas etc. it might be different.
Hope that's some help.
Dom

[Bridgets Mum]

I would imagine that smoke would affect your chooks in much the same way as it would affect us i.e. a one off event probably won't cause much harm. Obviously its not ideal and your neighbour wasn't being very considerate but if they were Ok at the time I bet they'll be fine.

[Skeksis]

Birds dont have lungs like us they have air sacs and are much more lisble to damage from air particles be it smoke, dust or air freshener. Hopefully they will be fine as it was not for long. This is why I detest scented bedding for hens as I believe it can cause respiratory problems. I am sure they will be ok but wànted you to be aware of how they breathe, this is why you can kill a budgie with a squirt of febreze - the principles are the same.

[Midders]

Thanks everyone. I was really worried last night but this morning all the girls seem to be okay. I wouldn't want them going thru it again though so will speak to the neighbour and ask if he can let me know the next time so I can bring the girls in for the night. I would have bought them in last night but the smoke was thick, I'm pregnant and I Figured I probably shouldn't be breathing it either! We are babysitting some friends guinea pigs and luckily they are ok too... Would have been an awkward conversation to have !
Thanks for your words of wisdom everyone- in love this site :)

[Chicken drumstick]

Glad there ok

The neighbors fire .....i must admit i have had a few bonfires and its just been flames then you put the wrong thing on and smoke blows next door

I wont light a bonnie again in case it goes pear shaped , perhaps the neighbor had been a tad naive like me if its not a regular occurence ?

[fishpond]

It is not illegal to have an occasional bonfire (1 a month or thereabouts, if it is more frequent it could be a nuisance) but it is illegal to pollute the atmosphere.
That was my councils view last year anyway, so I burnt the letter they sent.
I couldn't work it out either.
My Cluckies showed no ill effects, but it was garden waste (mainly trees) not man made rubbish.
Do not know if that makes a difference to the toxicity, but I imagine it would.

[Richard]

It's a good point to ask about bonfires.

What'd I'd say is more or less the same as Dom, I have bonfires quite often as do the neighbours and the Farmer, it's where we live, part of our ways of life.

I wouldn't worry, it's easy to be over clinical and I'm pretty sure I've never lost any of my upwards of 100 chickens through it.

Richard

[wendy]

My chooks had been out of the sheds a few weeks when Buncefield went up. I am only 7 miles as the crow flies.
We had a huge cloud of smoke over our house for quite a few days, maybe longer. Made everywhere very dark. But they were fine.
I think if they are right on top of it, it may cause a problem, but in the next garden for a few hours they should have any problems

[bluebell]

The occasional bonfire is OK.

[Midders]

Thanks everyone . My chooks are fine! I have stopped worrying!