DE and doves

[95yj]

I got a bag of diatonacious [spelling?] earth around christmas and am feeding it to all my other birds. i was wondering if DE was safe to use on doves and pigeons and whether it would stick to the seeds or if i should switch them to pellets for a couple days. I'd like to here your opinions/ecperiences, thanks in advance.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

As long as it is food grade, it's fine for all birds to be around. I personally would not feed it, unless it was used in feed storage (to prevent bugs from contaminating/eating the seed), in which that's pretty much inevitable.

 

[IwannaBEaMERMAID]

i thought DE was to kill bugs.....

 

[yardbird tx]

I put it in corn to deworm my pigeons.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

It kills and prevents bugs, yes. Many people use it for worming and have had success, although there has not been (or at least I haven't found) an actual study as to whether DE is proven to be as effective as medications or other natural wormers.
It may not stick to feed that easily, so you can use some light olive oil to help it stick.

So in summary, the benefits probably outweigh the cons. Although do keep in mind that like all other dust, it's not that great for the respiratory system. Sprinkling some around the loft and coop is fine, but I wouldn't use a whole lot at once. Maybe a sprinkle here and there after you clean the loft to help keep it dry. But not so much so where if someone moves, DE goes flying everywhere, you know? Breathing in DE is like breathing in teeny tiny razor blades. Prolonged exposure to large amounts could cause some respiratory issues.

 

[95yj]

i'm not using it in the loft, i'm just giving them a little bit for a couple days cause they'v been looking a little under the weather, [then again it could be the weather] so far i'v used it for four days, i'v switched their feed mix to game bird crumble, wild bird seed and cracked corn mix at a 1:1:1 ratio. the DE is mixed in the crumbles so the birds are only recieving a tiny amount, only the pigeons are getting it, so far they seem fine. thanks for the suggestions