At the risk of sounding dumb...

[Pleased by peep]

New to the site, have read and searched many posts though...

How do I feed diatomaceous earth to my chickens? i have read the rates to mix in with the feed and some say free choice. This is a powder though (and expensive for quality food grade). How do the chickens injest it? Just mix the powder in with the feed? Put this in a bowl? Not trying to be dumb, I just do not see my chickens eating the powder, they seem to leave the feed powder and go for the crumbles.

 

[BillinPA]

Just mix it in with the crumbles. Mix in a 5 gallon bucket, small batches.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The main purpose of having DE in feed is to deter bugs from hatching and growing in the feed. (Think in terms of bugs that get in whole grain flour, etc.) Therefore, it makes sense to mix it into your feed.

[DE is also useful for helping keep down lice and mites on the chickens topically as well. Can be mixed in SMALL AMOUNTS into the dustbath area but be careful as too much in the air/inhalation can be problematic - for you and the chickens.]

 

[Indigosands]

The main purpose of having DE in feed is to deter bugs from hatching and growing in the feed. (Think in terms of bugs that get in whole grain flour, etc.) Therefore, it makes sense to mix it into your feed.

[DE is also useful for helping keep down lice and mites on the chickens topically as well. Can be mixed in SMALL AMOUNTS into the dustbath area but be careful as too much in the air/inhalation can be problematic - for you and the chickens.]

ah... thank you and thanks for the OP asking too, I have been searching and couldn't find much info on why and if I would still need to dust them with it.

 

[Pleased by peep]

Thank you! I thought the chicken were to eat DE to help with worming (i know there is conflicting research on that too).

 

[Leahs Mom]

You're right...there IS conflict on that one and I won't go there as it wil open a can of worms that even DE can't help!!!

The way I look at it is that if I put it in the feed to deter bugs it won't hurt if they eat it - whether it helps w/worms or not. (I lean toward thinking that their ingestion of DE doesn't help toward worm issues. Whoops...there...I said it...

)

For some more natural ideas for worm control you might want to look at molly's herbals http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/categories/worm-formula-detailed-information
and
http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/categories/herbal-wormer .

I love her goat site and she seems to have good info on the more natural worm preventatives and wormers. She's a good resource and has emailed me when I've had questions about other issues so I'm guessing she would probably be more than willing to answer your questions.

Also... a lot of folks swear by pumpkin seeds - in the fall right out of the pumpkin which they will also eat. The lining of the seed shell is supposed to have an anti-worm effect on some types of worms.

 

[speckledhen]

There was an article a long time breeder sent to me that found the intestines of birds necropsied who were given DE long-term at the highest rate suggested and they had died with dessicating of some of the internal organs as a contributing factor. After all, it's added as a dessicant to keep moisture from feedstuffs so that would make sense.

So, I add a cup or so into each new feed bag to kill anything that may get in there and I know it won't hurt them to ingest it in minute amounts, but I do not add it at 2% of the total feed, mainly because of that article and the subsequent necropsies posted about here on BYC where birds dosed with DE were found full of worms anyway. I do use it in nests and on the birds, but not in the birds. Never had lice or mites on any of my chickens, either, so far.


Pumpkin seeds contain curcurbit, which can paralyze some worms, making them easy to expell from the body, but usually, giving the seeds is followed by a molasses flush to make them poop more immediately afterward. Pumpkin seeds are good for your birds and there is scientific evidence that they may help to keep a worm load from becoming an overload, but they are not for birds who already are loaded with worms, have become unthrifty and need something stronger.

 

[Pleased by peep]

Thanks for the website and for the pumpkin seed information. I will look into that. I tried to give my girls slices of pumpkins with out the seeds last fall and they look at me like I was CRAZY. Now the sweet potatoes they ate...

I do have 2 hens that are skinny and one that lost some feathers in a different tractor so I just sprinkled the coops with some DE. Have read that dry cat food is a good source of protein, any other suggestions for increasing the protein? I only have 8 chickens and do not want to buy an entire bag of higher protein feed if I can help it. They eat a national brand of layer crumbles now.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Besides bugs, you can also give them a bit of any kind of meat. I sometimes drop small pieces of ground meat (beef, venison) and they snap it up. I've also purchased beef liver and cut into tiny pieces and let them eat some of that.

 

[laturcotte1]

Protein problem: Pasta, rice, mealworms. Anything and everything. They love, love, fish we buy two piece for us and two for the chickens. Any leftovers we have, wheat bread drizzled with olive oil. Family down the street brought them 4 porkchop bones one evening they were a little stand offish at first then once one starts they all dive in. Watermelon is there favorite fruit. Tomatoes their favorite vegetable. The winter time I bring them a big dish of warm wheat pasta, it has to be put into two separate dishes because they go so crazy there is just no room for everyone. In the winter they especially need a little help no bugs no greens. If I have too much left over I freeze it for another time, defrost, heat, serve. Spoiled some my say.