Barn lime in dust baths?

[NewChick-Mom]

Hello all, I am new to chickens (and this page) and planning my henhouse and runs for when chicks arrive in May. I live in a pretty rural area and not sure where I’d find Diatomaceous Earth. I was planning to use Barn Lime (easily accessible here) inside the henhouse under the bedding. Can I sprinkle a little in the dust bath with sand and loose soil for insect control? Or do I need to order FSL or find DE for the dust bath? If it’s okay to use, how much barn lime do you mix in with your dust bath?

 

[nuthatched]

DE will not control insects, barnline might but I'd not put it in dust baths.

 

[NewChick-Mom]

DE will not control insects, barnline might but I'd not put it in dust baths.

What do you use for insect control in the dust bath?

 

[nuthatched]

What do you use for insect control in the dust bath?

Nothing. Dust baths made from Peat moss and local dirt is fine, monitor your coop and birds for mites and lice.

 

[aart]

Nothing. Dust baths made from Peat moss and local dirt is fine, monitor your coop and birds for mites and lice.

Ditto Dat^^^

Use permethrin liquid and/or dust if you find lice or mites.

My Bug Check notes:
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Look fast, they will scatter quickly once the feathers are parted and the light hits them.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

What do you use for insect control in the dust bath?

I use ash sometimes, it kind of smothers the bugs.