DE and ticks

[5chicks4us]

I've heard that chickens can eat ticks, but I think our problem is more than what four 4 week old chicks can handle. We can barely walk in our backyard without getting a tick on us. The grass is kept low, but we border up against an overgrown area that borders a field. Since the farmer sprays pesticides, I would like to keep the overgrown area to prevent too much from blowing into our yard/garden area.

So I'm wondering if food grade DE sprinkled on the lawn would help kill the ticks. It'll be okay for the chickens, the dog, and us, I know. I'm wondering if just sprinkling it on the lawn will help kill these disgusting bugs. I'm sick of picking them off of us and my kids are terrified of them.