Another DE question! Is St. Gabriel okay?

[my first peepers]

Wasn't sure what topic to post this under...
I just bought my first DE. It isn't foodgrade but it says "Pet Approved Brand". I actually bought it to dust for fleas (yuck!!) in my house. My poor little puppy somehow brought them home from a friend's house

. Anyway it says it is safe for indoor and outdoor use including pet bedding. Is this also safe for dusting the coop or do I need to get foodgrade for the chickens because they are more likely to eat it when pecking around?
The brand is St. Gabriel and the active ingredients are:
Silicon Dioxide....85%
Other Element Oxides....10%
Moisture....5%
Thanks!

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

I am no expert but if it doesnt say food grade I wouldnt use it around the chickens. And I dont know about for fleas. I know we tried using food grade for fleas in our house and it DID NOT work at all. I sprinkled DE on the carpets and let it sit all day then vaccuumed it....didnt help a bit. We just got our order of advantage off ebay ...$20 for an 8 month supply and havent seen a flea since I put it on the cats.


For sure dont put the DE you got on the chickens feed unless it is food grade

 

[gypsy2621]

I would use Diatomatious earth honestly, ticks and fleas cannot survive it as it pops their exoskeliton

 

[my first peepers]

Thank you for your answers.
I wasn't planning to feed it to the chickens, just mix it in with the bedding. It also says it takes 48 hours to work, which might be why you didn't have success with the fleas if you only left it for a day. I plan to dust the house before we leave for a weeks vacation.

 

[dancingbear]

I wouldn't put non-food grade in the coop at all, as they WILL eat some it, as they pick around through the litter. They also preen, so if it's on their feathers, they'll be eating it. I'd never use any that wasn't food grade, at all, just for safety.

I asked my feed dealer (small local biz, run by an older man and his daughter) if she could get some. She ordered a 50 lb. bag of food grade DE, I'll be picking it up this weekend. It'll be just under $30, lots cheaper than I could get it if I had to pay shipping.

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

Quote:
I totally agree!
I even use FOOD GRADE DE for the girls to dust bath in. I have a large hole dug in the run and mixed the FOOD GRADE DE in the hole with some dirt and the girls all pile in there and roll around. They love it, and it covers them so I know they are eating some of it.

 

[my first peepers]

Okay! Thank you!
Dancingbear do you know the brand they are ordering for you? I've asked at a couple of places and they have all said they can't find foodgrade DE....

I have found it online but the shipping is crazy! The search goes on!

 

[speckledhen]

In food grade DE, the silicon dioxide level will be about 1%, not 85%.

 

[GopherBoyFarms]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3688

check out this link

 

[my first peepers]

Well, there seems to be some discrepancy in opinion here on BYC so I decided to do a little research of my own. Here's what wikipedia says and the link to the product I have. While I could have done this before posting this query I do so value the knowledge on BYC. So, thank you all for your answers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_dioxide

http://milkyspore.com/insectdust.htm

(edited for typo)