Diatamacious earth dust bath

[Ccort]

Would diatomaceous earth be ok for a dust bath? I was thinking about pouring a bag into an old tire and putting it into the run. Should it be mixed with dirt?

 

[nuthatched]

Dirt only, skip the diatomaceous earth, it's hazardous to breathe.

 

[nuthatched]

Ok. I thought it might kill off fleas and ticks?

Common fallacy, it doesn't do a thing with bugs. It's supposed to work on mites, but it doesn't. If you think you have pests, you can get permrethrine poultry dust.

 

[BDutch]

Dirt only, skip the diatomaceous earth, it's hazardous to breathe.

Not true if you mix it. I add about 1/4 liter diatomaceous earth in a bucket of sand/dirt for their dustbath area . To fill it up.

Common fallacy, it doesn't do a thing with bugs. It's supposed to work on mites, but it doesn't. If you think you have pests, you can get permrethrine poultry dust.

My chickens use such a dust bath area for 7 years now. Never had respiratory problems, never had lice or mite since.

 

[BDutch]

Diatomaceous earth IS dangerous and should never be used you will end up with chickens with respiratory disease and all sorts of bad stuff

Do you have any experience using DE?
I don’t believe it’s dangerous if you follow instructions. I use it many years now. But yes, it is dangerous if you dust with pure powder.

In the Netherlands even the chicken farmers use DE sprayed on the walls every time the chicken shed is empty.

This makes me wonder...
I have carpenter ants coming into my house. My coop is also near my house. I was about to put down ant killer (the yellow, fairly chunky stuff that they eat) but could this lead to my chickens getting ill from it? I'm thinking since they also eat the bugs.

I use DE against normal ants on the terrace, near the door on top of the holes that indicate that there is a nest below the tiles/stone.
I don’t use poisons if I can avoid them , because I don’t want to poison the good insects , wild birds or chickens, or other animals.

 

[ValarieF]

Would diatomaceous earth be ok for a dust bath? I was thinking about pouring a bag into an old tire and putting it into the run. Should it be mixed with dirt?

Mix a little in dirt or sand they love it.

 

[Ccort]

Do you have any experience using DE?
I don’t believe it’s dangerous if you follow instructions. I use it many years now. But yes, it is dangerous if you dust with pure powder.

In the Netherlands even the chicken farmers use DE sprayed on the walls every time the chicken shed is empty.

I use DE against normal ants on the terrace, near the door on top of the holes that indicate that there is a nest below the tiles/stone.
I don’t use poisons if I can avoid them , because I don’t want to poison the good insects , wild birds or chickens, or other animals.

I hate the poisons too. I've used DE before but it didnt stop carpenter ants. Regular ants, sure, but not these guys. I hesitate to use anything, knowing it'll likely kill my bumble bees.

 

[BDutch]

No but I have read many people saying they had problems with it and I never took the chance. Instead I use POULTRY PROTECTOR spray from tractor supply and/or the poultry shop parasite b gone. It's been working great for the mites and lice. I sprinkle it and spray it on the chickens and spray coop. Also DE is poisonous to pollinators which is always bad.

I read on this site (https://feriantano.com/it ) that it does not harm bees.
You have to be careful using DE because it has a drying effect and the pure dust can irritated eyes and lungs. Thats why I mix it with water before applying it on surfaces for prevention. When it dries up it is effective . It kills crawling larvae of insects likes mites.
When you have a real infestation the shop advices to powder DE on the skin of chickens. But you have to repeat it every 3 days for a few weeks, until they are gone. It takes time and is not immediately effective.

 

[Ccort]

Dirt only, skip the diatomaceous earth, it's hazardous to breathe.

Ok. I thought it might kill off fleas and ticks?

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Diatomaceous earth is very dangerous and I never recommend it IMO