Question about using Diatomaceous Earth for chickens to dust bathe in.

[ozark hen]

Quote:
This isn't actually "holistic voodoo". DE is a natural substance that is the fossilized remains of diatoms. They nick and absorb the waxy coating on the outside of arthropods like mites and fleas, causing them to dehydrate. It is a mechanical pesticide, rather than chemical. It is used widely in grain storage facilities commercially and is not "voodoo."

It is important to use FOOD grade DE, because the industrial grade (as found at swimming pool stores, etc) has too much powered silica which can be a health hazard when inhaled by both humans and chickens. It's much cheaper than buying chemical pesticides, which REALLY aren't good for you.

Thanks for saying that. I was just gonna write something to that effect since is not holistic or voodoo but science.

And I thank you as I was left speechless that someone would refer to it as holistic or voodoo.

 

[Kelly G]

Quote:
This isn't actually "holistic voodoo". DE is a natural substance that is the fossilized remains of diatoms. They nick and absorb the waxy coating on the outside of arthropods like mites and fleas, causing them to dehydrate. It is a mechanical pesticide, rather than chemical. It is used widely in grain storage facilities commercially and is not "voodoo."

It is important to use FOOD grade DE, because the industrial grade (as found at swimming pool stores, etc) has too much powered silica which can be a health hazard when inhaled by both humans and chickens. It's much cheaper than buying chemical pesticides, which REALLY aren't good for you.

Thanks for saying that. I was just gonna write something to that effect since is not holistic or voodoo but science.

Hey, guys...I didn't mean truly voodoo as in witchcraft! I just mean that like an old wives tale...Didn't mean to offend!

...but the stuff (DE) did nothing to keep the flies off my horse (who was really suffering from the flies)...and my vet laughed at me and told me to use FLY SPRAY! I've ridden horses and used fly spray for 30+ years, and I really felt stupid. I didn't want to be sprinkling DE all over my dirt and have the vet laughing at me again next time.

I really didn't mean to offend

 

[ratlummountain]

i sprinkle some DE in their favorite dust bathing spot, as well as in the nest boxes.

and you actually have fly spray that works? i get about 5 minutes where my horse's tail isn't swishing and then it's pretty much back to furious windmills.

 

[Kelly G]

Quote:
Yes, I actually use Duragaurd by Absorbine and I add additional Permithrin. The vet said I needed to use a spray that had a 2.5% concentration of the Permethrin. I have the formula at my barn for how much to add to a quart of the Duragaurd to get the correct concentration if you'd like me to provide it for you.

My horse had scabs on his legs from chewing on himself, he chewed the hair off his sides where he could reach, and he rubbed the hair off his face with anything he could rub against.

Here's a photo from the day we picked him up (on DE, but she told me it was working...just keep it up) you can see he has rubbed his shoulders raw and the hair missing from his face:

And here he is after 10 weeks on flyspray.

This is why I questioned the efficacy of DE....these pictures - plus my vet laughing at me

 

[sandypaws]

you(or your pets) should NEVER EVER INHALE THAT STUFF!!!!!!
it is like tiny shards of glass... and that is how it kills bugs.. the tiny sharp "dust" will cut into the bugs hard outer shell and then the bugs dehydrate and die.... it does the same to your lungs,, puts tiny cuts in the tissue,, then the cuts become scar tissue, and with time can cause breathing problems.... read the dang bag!!!!!! do NOT inhale...
i think a chicken that dust bathes in it will be inhaling tons of it... and you will to just scooping it out of the bag...
my friend used to feed it to her horses (to use as a natural wormer)untill she actually did some research on it...

and my hunny calls anything like "natural remidies"... VOODOO

 

[NellyCrowe]

Thanks for all the great information on DE. I just started using it with my chickens here in Seattle, about one week ago and am already seeing the results. My Light Brahma (Opal) had plucked her feathers away from her vent and I already see new pins coming through.

One question I could not find the answer to is how often to reapply in their dusting area. I only have three chickens and their dusting space is only about 3X4 feet. I initially spread about 1/2 cup in the area, one week ago. How often should I reapply? Is this amount all right? Less? More?

To confirm, I should be using this at a rate of 1 tsp per hen, per day? It seems easier to add to their feed in their morning as opposed to the entire fifty pound bag.

Thanks for your answers.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
1/2 cup is a lot in a dusting area, IMO. The one problem with DE is that it is rough on lungs. I use it, too, but much more lightly than that, just a sprinkle every week or two in dusting areas. It certainly keeps mites and lice down.

The formula I've read here is 2 cups for 50 lbs. of feed. I just sprinkle a bit in the feeder and mix it in. I don't think the proportions are that significant. It is used as an anti-caking agent in feeds -- but evidently also helps control intestinal worms; now with this one, I don't know whether it has been proven.

I understand the OP's hesitation about the efficacy of "natural" remedies. There are indeed a lot of old wives' tales out there. It just takes some research to sort out the tales from the proven.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Kelly G - Do you use the fly predators? i started using them when i was down in Los Angeles, and then started again since moving up North. You can't tell the difference right away, but over time they really make a dent in the fly population. We have chickens and goats and the flies have been outrageous this year. i use those liquid filled fly bags, sticky fly sticks, and now the fly predators. i ordered mine this year from Arbico Organics, as they seem to be the most reasonably priced.

 

[Fergie]

So DE is supposed to be added to FEED???? I have heard about it being added to the dusting boxes and favorite dirt bath areas, but it needs to go in the feed, too?

 

[Buugette]

Here's a website I found interesting about the uses of DE...

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html