DE and Chicks

[bietsch624]

Can DE be mixed into chicks feed?

 

[The Chicken People]

Why would you want to?

 

[numamahen]

here is a good resource for supply of and explanation of the benefits of DE:


https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1560-Food_Grade_DE

 

[cgmccary]

Interesting DE explanation. I say get rid of the hay if all you have it for is the chickens. The hollow shafts of the hay allow the mites to hide & give them shelter.

I used DE for two years religiously. I noticed no difference in flies or anything for that matter (vs.) than the time prior to using DE or the time frame since I stopped using it. One thing I can say for certain is that DE will not kill fowl mites. The only time my birds EVER got mites was when I used DE everywhere, in the feed, in the nest boxes, about the run, under the roosts, in the coops, etc. I also dusted them down to the skin with DE, and it did not kill the mites.

The science of DE never made sense to me anyway. I've looked at diatoms under a microscope many times. Quartz sand is as sharp as the DE under a microscope. IMHO, DE is nothing but hype and a waste of good money. I would not let it anywhere around little chicks! What if they inhaled it (given their young developing lungs)? Save your money.