Adding DE to chicken feed?

[Debbie292d]

My friend told me not to feed DE to chickens although I see other people do it regularly online. She didn't really explain but some video she watched told her it can harm them. Very confusing. Although I use it near aunt hills to get rid of ants and it works (i always use the food grade incase my dogs accidently ingest when they scope the yard), I think I might use it around the chicken pen to keep bugs away but not near where the chicken's can get it. I heard it will keep some other bugs away, including mites, as well but don't know details. So confusing because I always see other videos that say the food grade is safe for chickens in small amounts. I'm not going to chance it for now.

We have chickens that free-range and always head to underneath the wild bird feeders as well as the chipmunks, squirrels, and birds, thus, they are exposed to mites and lice several times per day, yet never get them, or if they bring them into the coop, the mites/lice would die. We've faithfully sprinkled DE throughout our coop twice monthly, and the only time we ever had an issue is few years ago when I ran out and didn't get some more right away. They went about two months and wound up with scaley leg mites. I learned my lesson.