DE ????

[SandraChick]

If it does not say CODEX FOOD GRADE on the packaging it's because it's NOT food grade.

Safe around pets is not the same as safe to eat. There are plenty of things that are safe to put on your skin that will poison you if you eat it. So it depends on your chosen use. If you feel comfortable with it, go ahead and use what you have in your coop bedding and such...but if you decide to try feeding it to the chickens as part of their diet, please only use codex food grade.


As far as keeping flies out of the compost...I prefer to cover with a good layer (2-4inches) of shavings or dry grass clippings. When adding new items to the compost, I dig down past the top layer and recover. A little extra effort goes a long way. This method also tends to keep the temperature of my compost nice and warm. I also will use a good layer of the shavings from the coop about 2x per year. It get's nice and steamy when I do that...as it should.
Remember, don't put meat or bones in your compost, unless you have a very HOT compost.

I prefer not to put DE in my compost as it kills not only flies, but all the beneficial insects that help breakdown your compost as well. I also have chosen not to use it in my garden as it kills the bees that come in contact with it.

I do use FOOD GRADE DE in my chickens dusting areas, nest boxes, coop, and feed.

Good luck
Sandra

 

[domromer]

Alright. I just went and bought a bag of food grade DE. Where do I use it and how much? I've got chickens, Dogs, and Flys!

 

[SandraChick]

I spread sprinkle it in the coop, nests, their favorite dusting spots. FOr dogs, you can put it in their beds and it will kill fleas and ticks.

To feed it to them

1TBSP for dogs over 40# (I think)
1tsp for cats

2% by weight in feed for chickens and other farm animals. In my case, my chickens free range, so I mix a bunch in their treats. I aim for ~1tsp per chicken...but that's just me.

Sandra

 

[greginshasta]

Sandra - what is "WAY North Coastal CA"? Sounds like I may be just east of you, in the shadow of the great Mount Shasta.

 

[deetrane]

Hi all - so I have a question - is it a bad idea to put the old pine shavings and chicken poop from my coop into my compost bin, since I sprinkle DE over the shavings when I lay them in the coop? Will this DE kill the good bugs in my compost? Is there something I can do to neutralize the DE before putting it into my compost?

 

[SandraChick]

Quote:
Quite a bit west of you....near Eureka, CA

deetrane-

I put some of my shavings on the compost, and it does well to get some "heat" into it. DE is ineffective when wet- and I keep mine moist at all times. I must say though, that the majority of the mass in my compost is not shavings. I have a huge "natural" worm component in my compost...good news as I think of it as free worm castings!

I do use the coop shavings as mulch around all my plants...and since its' on the ground, I feel it does not distrub the bees and other aerial beneficials. It's also wet very often there.

To be honest, I hadn't thought about the DE in the bedding being there afterwards. I'll have to think about it some more I guess! I do know that contolling ants, controls many other non-beneficials and DE works wonders on ants.

Sandra

 

[domromer]

I've been using DE now for a few weeks, I've seen a big drop in flies. It will now be a permanent part of my coop maintenance.