Australorps Breeding for SOP and Exhibition Thread

[ronott1]

Hi Lynn!
noticed you mentioned the difference between grey and white DE. Down here in the states I have never seen anything but the grey. Do you know where the white comes from? That is possibly the key to the confusion over the effectiveness.

Is the grey DE Food Grade? There is a not food grade type that is used for pool filters.

I have never seen Food Grade DE that was grey.

 

[chickisoup]

Quote: yep, it's FG. Sold in 50 lb bags up here for the dairy farmers and horse folks.

 

[getaclue]

I'm with Ron on the gray DE powder. I've never seen it. I've only seen the white. Hmmmm.

 

[bonnylass79]

I've seen the gray as TSC. It's sold for the garden. I've only seen small packages of the white stuff.

 

[ronott1]

I've seen the gray as TSC. It's sold for the garden. I've only seen small packages of the white stuff.

The color should not matter--as long as it says Food Grade.

 

[LynneP]

There are 2 kinds of food-grade DE, gray and white. The gray tends to be cheaper and the color is from calcium bentonite, a kind of clay that some animal owners use in feed a a type of gut cleanser and it is supposed to help with worming. It must taste terrible too, my Aussies were horrified, you should have seen the looks they gave me. I buy 50 lb bags of white food-grade DE only. For exhibition birds the gray stuff is awful an
d will not wash out easily before a show, it clings to the shafts of primary feathers something wicked. The paper label in the photo is the white food-grade DE (50 lb).

The white food grade may also look like this, still in a paper bag-

This is the one I avoid, in white plastic. Looks right, seems right but it is not intended for feathers, only for food and will make your show birds look like they are diseased. Yuck!

 

[ronott1]

There are 2 kinds of food-grade DE, gray and white. The gray tends to be cheaper and the color is from calcium bentonite, a kind of clay that some animal owners use in feed a a type of gut cleanser and it is supposed to help with worming. It must taste terrible too, my Aussies were horrified, you should have seen the looks they gave me. I buy 50 lb bags of white food-grade DE only. For exhibition birds the gray stuff is awful an
d will not wash out easily before a show, it clings to the shafts of primary feathers something wicked. The paper label in the photo is the white food-grade DE (50 lb).

The white food grade may also look like this, still in a paper bag-

This is the one I avoid, in white plastic. Looks right, seems right but it is not intended for feathers, only for food and will make your show birds look like they are diseased. Yuck!

That is great information.

Thanks for helping with this since it is important for feathers to look good at Shows.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Anthony, yes that is the exact brand, bought at Co-Op, I had to order it on the truck the following week though, some don't have it in stock all the time.  A bag lasts me a year.  if you bring some DE to a show and place a tiny bit in the cage bedding, you will not get anything in the building, such as mites, surviving on your birds.

Thanks, Linda ! I'm going to try and see if the local feed store here can get this.

 

[chickisoup]

Quote: thank you X2 Lynne for the clarifying info. I have never seen the white DE up here but now I know to check to see if I can get them to order it for me.

 

[getaclue]

Well I never would have thought there could be that much difference in DE.