DE - Diatomaceous Earth

[cmom]

Quote:
No problem as long as it is FOOD GRADE DE. The chickens will scratch it up. Sometimes I put a little scratch down on the litter and they sratch it around.

 

[leghorn dude]

food grade de is also a natural wormer for all animals just mix it in with there feed

 

[bdp7150]

thanks for the info sounds like i 'm doing right my chickens all look good to and from what i see healthy yes i use the food grade only not, the pool grade which is a no no.i get mine from custom milling out of georgia 25.00 for 50lb bag shipping is charge by your zip code.

 

[NurseNettie]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about Mail Order.

Dustoff70-- I"m about 3 hours from Bangor, but plan to go there next month-- I might try to find this place!

 

[BethinIrving]

I cannot understand why so many people opt for DE.

If anyone even comes on my property with that stuff on their shoes, they get run off the property.

please, please, please -- don't try to convert me. We've studied it in the lab.

Anyway, my position on DE is the extreme opposite of others on this board. I respect their opinions and hope they respect mine.

 

[aiwetir]

Quote:
other than being the extreme opposite, what is your opinion and why, what have you learned in the lab ?
i'd like to make an educated decision on it,

thanks

 

[BethinIrving]

The best place for you to begin your own research is answering the question -- "what is it?"

Good luck and have fun on your research trek.

 

[aiwetir]

Quote:
i've done a bunch of (internet) research and can only find that the non-food grade has free silica (or whatever) which is killer and i don't really want much to do with the .5 % that is in the food grade. is there something else i should know about ?

 

[dustbath]

I've been researching this subject too and as far as I can tell, the hazards associated with DE depend on its contents. Some industrial products, including those sold for filtering swimming pools, are heated, which crystallizes the silica, making it extremely hazardous: it causes silicosis when inhaled. Amorphous silica doesn't seem to cause long-term damage. Food grade DE is supposed to have very low amounts of crystalline silica.

I'm sending this info off to a biochemist for an opinion. If anyone is still interested, I'll let you know what I hear back.

 

[magsrags]

I'd be very interested in your findings. I use pool grade in the pool.......food grade in the coop. I use a mask when tossing it aroubd "just in case". I do always follow the directions.:<)