My Diatomaceous Earth (DE) ISN"T working !!!

[LeeLeesFarm]

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Phooey !!!

I am angry about my Diatomaceous Earth.

I paid $40 for a 10 lb bag and it ISN'T doing what everyone says DE does.


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I recently bought a 25 lb bag of poultry feed, which had no bugs in it when I first opened the bag.

After I opened the 25 lb bag of feed and removed my first 20 cups of feed, I immediately enclosed the remainder in an air-tight rubber-maid bucket and stored it in my garage.

I remove about 20 cups from the bag in the garage when I get low on feed, and store the 20 cups of feed in my kitchen, in an air-tight glass container for easier feeding (I only have 3 bantam hens).

I sprinkle the top of the bag in the garage with DE and I sprinkle DE and mix it in, with the kitchen 20 cups worth. This is a routine I've done for the past 6 months.

The 2nd batch of 20 cups of feed that I brought to my kitchen had bugs crawling in it. I squished all the bugs that climbed to the top of my glass jar, by hand, and mixed even more DE in than usual.

By the next day, more bugs were up on the surface of the jar of feed in my kitchen.

This is now a common fact every day .... I squish ... more appear the next day.

I'm thinking the 25 lb bag had unhatched eggs in it (?)

I am angry.

I thought DE killed pests in grains / feed.
I heard farmers keep pests / bugs out of the feed this way.

But my bugs are now coming up at an ever more rapid rate. And I keep mixing more DE in.

I don't want too much DE in the food, for the hens sake.

This DE stuff isn't working ....
Am I doing something wrong ....
or is DE just a hype !!! ???

Any thoughts?

Lee

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[speckledhen]

I have always used DE to kill bugs in the feed and coops. It isn't instant, but if you see bugs, put a cup of DE in there and stir it around, then, the next day or so, you will see many dead bugs in there. Are you sure you even have DE? Where did you get it? Makes me wonder if someone sold you flour as DE, LOL. It always works- if it's really DE, that is. You need to find another source,though. I pay $25 for a 50# bag, unless I get it at another place I know ,then it's $40 for a 50# bag.

 

[cmom]

I'm thinking your feed must have had some eggs or something in it. I have never had that problem with feed. I have bought flour from the grocery store and put it in a jar and didn't use it for awhile and when I did use it I found bugs in it. I think I got it with eggs or someting in it when I bought it. I keep my feed in 5 gal buckets with lids. The ligs have rubber seals around the edges. So far no bugs and when it rains or is damp out the feed stays nice and dry. I keep it ouside Under the side sheds of our barn. I don't put DE in my feed but I do sprinkle it around in the coop in the run and the dusting holes. If some get in the feed I don't worry because I use FOOD GRADE DE. We had a flea infestation this summer. Their were millions of fleas everywhere but none around the chicken's area.

 

[LeeLeesFarm]

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Yes, I've asked around and found that if I buy in larger quantities, then I will pay less for the DE.

I ordered my first batch in smaller quantity, to try it out and see if it works. Ordered from Wolf Creek ( http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/wholisticproduct.html# ..... shipping brought my cost way up)

I have put one cup of DE in my jar, with approx 20 cups feed.

The bugs keep appearing.

Is there no harm to the chickens if I up the quantity of DE in the feed?

I had been sprinkling the DE in the little hutch / coop as well....no bugs so far in the coop .... it's just the darn feed that is bothering me. It's disgusting to have so many bugs crawling around in the jar IN MY KITCHEN .... if anyone saw this, they'd probably never want to eat at my home again !!!

I'm going to try to 'up' the amount of DE ......

I'm taking others at their words, and believing that DE actually works .... so I must need to apply more .......

And so the annoyance continues .....


Thanks all.

Lee

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[LeeLeesFarm]

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Looking at the Brochure which Wolf Creek sent along with my order, the Brochure states "ONE cup of DE will protect 50#'s of grain" ....... so something IS wrong with me / my feed / my DE !!!!!!

HOW Annoying !!!!!


Lee


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[ivan3]

I'd be checking the feed with a manifying glass/loupe. If there you're having so large a hatch-out I'd be wondering how much of the feed had already been damaged before you opened the bag. I'd be back at the feedstore with the remainder of the bag and demand a refund.

DE is not DDT, i.e., it doesn't kill with the same alacrity as an organophosphate or pyrethrin based insecticide. But it does work.

This is an interesting abstract on effectiveness in `bug' suppression in feed grain: http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...serid=10&md5=2b8e1e9111097affb9e71d7252f2542e

 

[jhm47]

I know nothing about DE, but I do know that the bugs will not harm your birds. In fact, they would likely relish them, and if they are some exotic species of bug that your birds will not eat (unlikely), they would carefully pick around the bugs and leave them in the feeder. Meal worms are the most common insect to infest grains, and they are relished by chickens.

 

[rubyv67]

The DE is abrasive to bugs and can dry out the waxy coat. I believe if eggs are present you will see bugs as they hatch and then they will die. I agree about obtaining a refund, though.For the feed that is.

 

[ivan3]

We breed and feed mealworms to the chooks and turks, but will not tolerate such in the base feed:

http://kentagextension.blogspot.com/2007/11/poultry-darkling-beetles-in-poultry.html

 

[LeeLeesFarm]

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Well, I tried to capture a photo of my PESTS ( !!!!!! ), but I see my camera is not good enough to zoom into such a small object ...... so I went on-line to research.

Seems that I have common FLOUR BEETLES in my feed .... at least it sure looks like it .... view: http://www.google.com/search?q=photo+flour+beetle&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a


AND, I had about 10 more crawling around this a.m., after my squishing yesterday's batch, AND after adding another 1/2 cup of DE into the glass container which sits in my kitchen (which holds only about 20 cups of the feed).

So annoying.

I do think the feed must be filled with eggs ..... guess I'll try to go the feed store this week and get a replacement bag.


Sigh.

Thanks for everyones help.
Lee

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