DE- PLEASE, someone tell me if they have had a bad experience!

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I'm about to treat my coop and dusting areas with Diatomaceous Earth

Just make sure it is FOOD GRADE and not the stuff for swimming pools. Food grade is safe in the coop and in the feed--the swimming pool stuff is NOT.

Rusty​

 

[patandchickens]

Just like ANY kind of dust, it's best not to be breathing too mcuh of it, so be however careful you are around any OTHER kind of dust <shrug>.

It's called 'food grade' because it is added to stored grains to keep weevils etc from taking over. It has certainly been in some stuff you have et; animals eat stuff with it in it, too, and nothing bad happens.

There is an awful lot of over-the-top-ness about it, sometimes, both pro and con, IMO. It is useful for some things, but not actually the be all and end all. Use in moderation and sensibly, like anything else in life, you know?

JMHO,

Pat

 

[speckledhen]

I totally agree with Pat. Some think it almost cures cancer, but I am not one of them. Yes, you dont want to breathe in a cloud of anything, including flour. But used properly, food grade DE has many uses and helps avoid poisons being used around the birds.

 

[AppleHen]

Does DE really kill internal parasites if added to their feed?

 

[LynneP]

All poultry feed made at our local mill is treated with 5% food-grade DE by weight. I use it bedding and in all cracks/crevices and around the run perimeter. Oh and in the hens' sand box. I'm half-way through a 50 lb bag and planning to buy another in March...I love the stuff- I do have spiders in the coop but the birds manage to get them eventually.

 

[Snakeoil]

I've used it for years now with no ill effects.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Some say yes, some say no, from personal experience or belief.

I am not aware of any controlled well-designed study having been done on the subject. (More's the pity. I rather suspect the answer may be 'no', or at best that it might have a very mild preventative effect as opposed to killing worms already in residence... but it would be nice to KNOW, as based on good evidence. Maybe someday)


Pat

 

[Jenski]

I use food-grade DE as well, with good results as far as pest control ~ however, I am conservative with its use, and I do not sprinkle it anywhere outside the coop and run. I do not want to heavily impact the local insect population.

The studies I have read demonstrate that food-grade diatomaceous earth is quite safe for humans and birds to consume. The particles are so tiny that consumption is safe; as others have said, inhalation of any dusty particles is not really good for the lungs.

 

[lovemychix]

I use it with a mask on. For safety reasons and try to keep dust down when applying it. I love it.

 

[SandraChick]

I've used it for many years...in the coop, favorite dusting spots, in the feed, and in treats.

I rescue ailing/mistreated chickens...They often have sick, odd colored, smelly poop....I put them on a mixture of wet food and 1tsp per chicken of DE immediately and their poops become normal within a couple of days!

I do not use it liberally throughout the yard...it does kill all bugs...beneficial or not. I've recently "painted" my duck coop with it...no more bugs or spiders YEA! (I mixed it with orange oil and literally painted it on--although its gone by the water-go figure)

I've heard of exactly one chicken dying where someone attributed it to DE. The crop had a dry mass full of DE.... Although I did not see it, my suspicion is the chicken probably had an impacted crop...and the DE may have dried it out making it worse. Even if I'm wrong: One Negative in all my years of using it and suggesting it to others....against hundreds of "how great this stuff is".....I'll keep using it thank you.


Oh...No hard evidence it kills internal parsites. Lots of anectodal info it does. I'll say that my vet was shocked when they did check for worms in my cats (oh- my dogs and cats get DE too)...no worms, no wormers, and they eat the vermin they catch! I also had a sick duck recently and no worms in her poop either (more shock from the vet). It is my personal opinion that it only works if the chickens ingest enough which is difficult with free-ranging chickens. I also would not be surprised if it did not treat heavy infestations....but I do believe it's a great preventative as well as curative for light worm cases.

Make sure it's food grade. Garden varieties often have other fillers and/or permethrin in it (which is toxic to cats).

Some do treat it as the miracle cure for everything. I'll just say it has a lot of beneficial uses and I'll continue to use it.

Sandra