Diatomaceous earth--- Really that harmless?????

I have asthma. DE aside, having CHICKENS is not great for asthmatics. They generate an incredible amount of dander. I wear a mask when I shovel out the coop. I used DE for a year, ran out of it & didn't bother to replace it. I get my best results from using alot of pine shavings and replacing them often. If I had to do it over again, I would have tried sand in my coop.
As one mom to another, I would suggest that you limit the time your kids spend hanging out inside the coop. Try to find a place for a chair in the run. We keep one leaning against the fence (so the chickens can't poo on it). It is nice to be outside with the girls.

Thanks, Pat! Helpful, as always.

Katherine

Thanks PatandChickens .... a very thorough and thoughtful post! Very good reading and even handed.

I have a allergic with those plants like pines or ceders. so, i won't use them.

also, those pines & ceder's pointy leaves on floors are one of the best ways to create DEADLY Aspergillosis . when you are using them you should replace them very often to prevent that.

YES, DE should be used with mask (the one house constructors uses).

if you are going to use it in indoor you have to vacuum clean it after the applications . let it sit for 'bout three weeks then vacuum.

On chickens you should lightly spread over & then go between the feathers & under the wings.

it's better to do that on sitting box out side of the coop.

Also you should apply it inside of coops floors and wall around the coops.

It was clear to me to use this product way better than using a sevindusts 5.

I have severe asthma and cannot use DE because of the dust. Even if I wear a mask, the tiny particles still manage to get into my lungs.

I do have an asthma .

If i'm working on coops with DE i wear "North 7700 Series Half Mask Air-Purifying Respirator".

This mask virtually clears the every air i breath. This mask is so good !

any particles of DE can manage to get you?...like None.

I use this everywere when i'm painting wall, fixing breaks on car, sanding woods back then...

So far, i've had any problems with any asthma attacks --NONE.

Hi! I'm as nooby-new as they come -- just in the process of considering 3 or 4 backyard hens as pets/layers and reading all I can.
This thread on diatomaceous earth is fascinating! I just wanted to post an updated link for the Kansas State University research article on DE originally posted by dlhunicorn back on 5/9/07:

http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/grsc_subi/T...ure_slides/GRSC651_lect_20(1)_Inert_Dusts.pdf

I would just like to note that KSU is an agricultural and veterinary land-grant university, and is therefore "mom" to all of Kansas's county extension offices. In other words, they're not some fly-by-night operation! ;-) The article is no older than the year 2000, at the oldest, as several of the sources the authors cite are from 2000. BTW, the information on DE specifically doesn't start until page 5, so you need to scroll down a ways to get to it. And there's lots of scientific jargon to sift through -- whew!

It was interesting to read that DE is widely used to keep insects out of grain storage buildings (i.e., the grain elevators all over Kansas that much of our flour ultimately comes from). And that the fossilized algae that make up DE is, indeed, silica, but NOT the crystalline form of silica that's a carcinogen, thank goodness. DE's silica is something called "amorphous silica" and is considered by the FDA to be safe to use in and around food and food preparation areas, so, yay!

IMHO, breathing in any kind of dust isn't great for your lungs (heck, I wear a dust mask when I scoop out the cats' litter boxes!) but the article did say (somewhere down near the end -- it's a looong article) that no link between DE and lung cancer has been found. I hope this eases your concern, MAXXX.

The article also mentions that DE's effectiveness decreases markedly when in wet or humid environments, which makes me think it would probably lose its insect-killing properties in a compost heap. But I think if I kept bees, I'd keep the DE away from the bees' haunts, because it would theoretically work on them as on any insect.

Sorry for the long post -- I hope I'm not being too presumptious as a newby in trying to "clear the dust" ;-) on this topic! I look forward to learning all I can from all of you! I'm still in the FAQs section -- BTW, the double-yolk chick thread was superb.

Your Kansas-dwelling (could you tell? ;-) hopefully future chicken-keeper,

Greta

You are going to love it here!! Dude, let me just warn you....days & days of reading! Good thing it is winter and we have short days. JK

Thank you for the read on DE, I only know what I know and that info was learned in the 70's...my mom always used it. I have used it since, but I have found other, cheaper, resources for the same effect.

IMHO on the choice of a chicken or 2?? I have had several varieties...My favorite id the Barred Rock. They are friendly, easy to tame, lay nicely, pretty, medium to large egg, and play with others well.

We have actually switched to the Jersey Giant for the huge egg and the huge meat roosters We hatch our own, so there is always meat to be raised and they are quite a lot larger than any other flavor. The girls are sweet, maybe a

lap-chicken in the bunch, they are a nice bird, but I don't have as many "pet's" as I did with the Barred Rock.

Once again, WELCOME, and have fun!!

I live in Lansing MI. It is a typical small city type area. Where does everyone get their DE? I've never seen it for sale anywhere and I'd like to get some.

You probably need to order it. The FOOD GRADE is very hard to find.

I order mine from https://www.earthworkshealth.com/human-use-testimonials.php

Its as much to ship as it is to buy so I get the 50 lb bag and it lasts a loooong time

And it is so worth it!