DE with Calcium bentonite & ? about bedding in the run

[earnhardtlvr]

Does anyone know anymore about this? I had bought a bag of DE that was food grade and when I asked the co-op if they could order a larger bag it now says DE with calcium bentonite? The other DE was white and this stuff is gray. I'm primarily using it to help keep the fly population down in and around the coop and run. The flies r HORRIBLE this year (I live in western MD) and it is almost unbearable to sit out and enjoy the chicks! Any other ideas to help get rid of the flies?


We like to go in the run and sit with the chicks for a little while in the evening. The have almost broke down the foot tall grass that was in there and it is going to become a muddy mess in the next month or so. We don't want to walk in the mud and we don't want the chicks to walk in the mud. What is the best thing to put down in the run?

Here is a pic of the run:

 

[motherhenmindy]

We used sand in our run, isn't muddy at all, even though they tend to scratch below the sand and still get to the dirt. It kind of helps to dry poop up too, so we haven't had too many problems with flies.

I don't know what to tell you about your DE. The DE I use is also white and food grade.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Calcium bentonite is a clay, and the combination should still be food grade, and is supposed to be even better than plain DE for controlling parasites in the coop. The clay is very absorbent, so should help with any mud problem.

 

[classicsredone]

Bentonite clay is commonly used for facial masks and sometimes as a cleansing supplements for humans. I would feel safe using it in my run.

 

[earnhardtlvr]

Quote:
We would use sand, but I forgot to mention that our run is on a hill and slopes down. Can't really tell from the angle of the pic tho. That's y we weren't gonna use sand cuz we figured it would wash away when it rained and we would be mowing sand in the lower yard.

 

[earnhardtlvr]

Thanks for the replies!! Much Appreciated!!

 

[glenny]

Cover your run... Nothing else will keep it from getting mucky when it rains.