DE

[pamonarch]

is this DE good for my birds? It says for chickens, but its gray colored and im thinking it has clay in it? Should I get the white DE food grade?

 

[JaeG]

DE in my opinion is a waste of money. Too much is dangerous to their respiratory system, there is no evidence it's effective as a wormer, it provides no protection against mites (as I discovered to my detriment and my birds). I founds hundreds (probably thousands) of mites happily lounging in the thick bed of DE I had in the bottom of my nestboxes. It wasn't controlling the population and it certainly wasn't killing them.

These articles explain more: https://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http...XA8AQFggQMAA&usg=AOvVaw29Xn-UFKyxDQ4r6pYZyVNm

https://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http...XA8AQFggTMAE&usg=AOvVaw1JVKsDd4U91ItzXw4ONXWb

 

[Kiki]

DE is good for nothing when it comes to birds.
Return it if you already wasted money on it.

Read the link below in my signature.

 

[pamonarch]

DE in my opinion is a waste of money. Too much is dangerous to their respiratory system, there is no evidence it's effective as a wormer, it provides no protection against mites (as I discovered to my detriment and my birds). I founds hundreds (probably thousands) of mites happily lounging in the thick bed of DE I had in the bottom of my nestboxes. It wasn't controlling the population and it certainly wasn't killing them.

These articles explain more: https://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http...XA8AQFggQMAA&usg=AOvVaw29Xn-UFKyxDQ4r6pYZyVNm

https://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http...XA8AQFggTMAE&usg=AOvVaw1JVKsDd4U91ItzXw4ONXWb

ok, my next question is how do i keep my birds from getting mites then? My birds are 6 and a half months old and do not have any mites. I must be doing something right! I have been putting DE in their runs for a couple months or more where they dust bathe.

 

[pamonarch]

DE is good for nothing when it comes to birds.
Return it if you already wasted money on it.

Read the link below in my signature.

ok, how then, do i keep my birds clean from mites? they are almost 7 months old and are clean ..no mites or dirt on them. I have been using DE for several months out in their runs

 

[JaeG]

Elemental sulphur (like you'd get from the feed shop) is supposed to be good for deterring them so use that under bedding in the coop and wipe it into cracks and crevices. Check under the roost bars by wiping your hand (or a paper towel if you are squeamish) under them and looking out for squished bugs or smears of blood. Those are red mites.

I ended up with mites because I had rats breaking into my run. They've been breaking through my hardware cloth to get to my quail as well!!! Horrid things! Rats and wild birds carry mites (and lice) and if you have a bird nesting near your coop/run, once they abandon the nest the mites are forced to look for other food sources. Restricting your girls exposure to wildlife helps but it is something that you are likely to have to tackle at some point. Giving them a dustbath means they can keep parasites in check but sometimes they can get overwhelmed by them, and broody chickens are more prone to this as they aren't looking after themselves like they normally would.

You are in America so should be able to get Permethrin spray if you suspect they have mites (not sure if it's for lice as well). I'm in New Zealand and there's very little available here. I did use Vetafarm Insect Liquidator on my girls when I knew there were mites in my coop, but my solution (after 6 weeks of unsuccessful treatment) was to paint the inside of my coop with neem oil diluted to 50% with warm water. That worked a treat and I must get some more and do it again before summer is upon me.

 

[Kiki]

Keep the rats and wild birds out of your yard and you will keep the mites away.

 

[Folly's place]

My flock is exposed to wild birds daily, while they are outside, and when those rotten house wrens invade the coop. We have occasional mite infestations, and treat with permethrin spray then. DE is bad stuff, and won't keep those parasites out anyway, so don't bother with it. Unless your flock is indoors all the time, they will be exposed to parasites, and will need treatment then. Mary