⠀ DIATOMACEOUS EARTH

so I have heard mixed reviews on DE and want some opinions and experiences with it. I am wanting to know the benefits if any of using DE with chickens. Also what are the ways people use it and also the amount used.

I use it to keep down odor in pen by sprinkling it around. Also mix half DE & half ash from fireplace for a dusting spot. It won't hurt chickens to eat a little, and actually adds needed calcium for layers. Most scientific studies I have found report that it does not kill internal parasites. If you totally cover some external ones it may kill them by dehydration. This is my experience.

I don't use it. It has its own set of respiratory hazards to both humans and I would certainly imagine chickens. Put it in the coop and the stuff is flying in the air every time they scratch the litter.

I do deep litter in the coop and DE isn't compatible as it's thought to kill the tiny bugs, microbes, etc. that makes deep litter work.

Many years ago - probably 20 or so - DE was the New Darling of the gardening set and I tried it then. It was supposed to kill bugs. I didn't see any significant reduction in pests, mostly because it becomes ineffective when it rains or during high humidity. In Virginia there's always high humidity so it didn't do much for pest control. I will admit it helped keep slugs away from the hosta's but - the minute it got wet - it quit working. That makes me think it would be ineffective if consumed as innards are certainly wet.

I don't have the storage space and really don't need to spend the money on something that hasn't proven effective for me in the past and may actually work against me with regard to Deep Litter maintenance and health related issues.

Mtn Laurel said:

I don't use it. It has its own set of respiratory hazards to both humans

Click to expand...

Having heard it mentioned, I looked it up and, being familiar with silicosis, I would never consider using it at all.

Many people swear by it and say you have to buy the food grade for safety reasons. But some say it's useless so that's what makes it interesting

cottonwood23 said:

Many people swear by it and say you have to buy the food grade for safety reasons. But some say it's useless so that's what makes it interesting

Click to expand...

Food grade DE is useless for internal use.

Here is a quote from Dr. Christine King that I have posted a number of times. the report talks about using DE on Horses but holds true to all animals.



Diatomaceous earth
"One of the most commonly used ingredients in these natural dewormers is diatomaceous earth or
diatomite. Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring, soft, chalky rock that, when crushed,
yields a fine, light-grey powder. It consists of fossilized remains of tiny hard-shelled algae called
diatoms. Owing to their high content of crystalline silica, diatomite is mildly abrasive.
In fact, that is the mechanism by which diatomite is purported to kill intestinal parasites. It is
believed that the abrasive micro-surfaces of the diatomite cut the outer membranes of the
parasites like thousands of tiny blades. But I question that premise. Industrial-grade diatomite
has a high silica content and is used as a mild abrasive. However, food-grade diatomite has a
much lower content of crystalline silica, so it is minimally abrasive.
And even if the abrasion theory is valid, then what does this stuff do to the delicate lining of
the digestive tract? While I could not find even one scientific study which validates the use of
diatomite against internal parasites in horses or other livestock, my search did turn up several
articles documenting the health risks of chronic exposure to diatomite. When inhaled, it causes
inflammation of the airways and, with chronic exposure, even some fibrosis (scarring).
Even more concerning was a study which showed that chronic oral intake of diatomite can
damage the intestinal lining, altering its absorptive properties and making it more permeable to
potentially harmful substances. So, it seems to me that the practice of using diatomaceous earth
as a daily dewormer for horses is either useless but harmless or useful but harmful, depending on
the grade of diatomite used.''

I wonder if the reason that it started being touted for treatment of internal parasitism has to do with its tendency to dehydrate the stool. Consume too much and you get constipated. If you have parasites, you tend to have a looser stool, so a change in consistency might be misinterpreted as a "fix" to the problem.

Jensownzoo said:

I wonder if the reason that it started being touted for treatment of internal parasitism has to do with its tendency to dehydrate the stool. Consume too much and you get constipated. If you have parasites, you tend to have a looser stool, so a change in consistency might be misinterpreted as a "fix" to the problem.

Click to expand...

I think that a company may have assumed that is would treat internal parasites just like it did pests outside the body.
The company came up a great sales pitch that a lot of people fell for, and then other companies jumped on the band wagon using the same sales pitch and even more people fell for the pitch.

Well I guess everyone has their own experiences with it. But some say it's awesome and some say it's useless. That's kinda odd

cottonwood23 said:

Well I guess everyone has their own experiences with it. But some say it's awesome and some say it's useless. That's kinda odd

Click to expand...

Not all that odd.

The ones that think that it is awesome or a great product either just haven't read the studies, there birds never had internal parasites in the first place or just blame the problems on something else because everything they chose to read on DE was a sales pitch that stated how great it was.

Besides once DE passes threw the gizzard of a chicken its effectiveness (if there ever was one) is no more than the grit that the chicken ate to digest its food.