DE v.s. oyster shell powder

clucky2

In the Brooder
11 Years
Dec 29, 2008
95
3
41
NORCAL
I have a fair understanding of the importance of using food grade DE. I am using oyster shell powder. It does a fine job at poop drying, we have many flies. Very little smell though.
How does oyster shell powder compare to DE. Is it some kind of non-food grade DE? Anyone else use it? I've never seen a reference to it in the forum. HMM.
 

Tweeza

Songster
11 Years
Aug 17, 2008
335
1
132
New England
Never heard of oyster shell powder. What's the cost and where do you get it?

I'm interested in what the others have to say about this also.
 

kathyinmo

Nothing In Moderation
12 Years
May 14, 2009
24,541
365
476
(SW MO) Nevada, Missouri
My Coop
My Coop
I have never heard of oyster shell powder for drying. Food Grade D.E. is wonderful for it's drying, and also used as prevention for lice/mites/worms. It is NOT for treatment of those, but is helpful in prevention of them. I love D.E. for what it is good at. I have a 12'x16' coop, and I have no smell. I use pine shavings, and sprinkle D.E. on it weekly.
 

patandchickens

Flock Mistress
12 Years
Apr 20, 2007
12,520
430
341
Ontario, Canada
While I have not personally encountered oyster shell powder sold commercially, it would be mainly calcium carbonate, i.e. basically the same thing as if you buy a bag of ground calcitic limestone (one of the two flavors of agricultural lime) from the feedstore, like the stuff used to raise the pH of too-acid soils.

As powdered calcium carbonate, yeah, it should do some good with moisture and especially *smells*.

It really has nothing to do with DE though -- DE is silica, sometimes with clay also added.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
 

juliawitt

Songster
10 Years
Aug 9, 2009
368
14
121
Hopefully, someone will tell me....What is DE? I have ask before but never gotten an answer. Went to three farmstores and saw no DE product. I got some poultry dust which a put down and around...but the question remains, what is DE and where can I get it?
 

teach1rusl

Love My Chickens
Premium Feather Member
13 Years
Jul 28, 2009
10,063
342
446
Floyds Knobs, Indiana
My Coop
My Coop
I bought crushed oyster shell for when my hens are older and laying...it's powdery with small pieces in it...for the calcium. I haven't heard it used for drying out poop and such... I've got DE for that... Not sure if it would be cost effective because I bought such a tiny bag (of the oyster shell).
 

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