Deworming with DE?

[blaundee]

What experiences have you had deworming your chickens with DE? Does it work?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

From what I've read, DE should be used as a preventative, not as a treatment, or "dewormer" per se. You should deworm your birds first, to make sure they don't "have" worms before expecting DE to keep them worm free.

 

[blaundee]

But if it won't get rid of them, how will it keep them away?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

It won't kill the adults, it will keep the eggs from hatching.

 

[Judy]

It helps control worms, it does not eliminate them, but then nothing does, not for long.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

But if it won't get rid of them, how will it keep them away?

It won't do either of those things.

It kills some insects and absorbs moisture.
Anything else is sales hype or myth.​

 

[Judy]

There are 3 threads on the FAQ page about DE. I really don't know whether it kills worms or their eggs when eaten or not. I use it in the coop for odor and mites. Been meaning to try it on fire ants.

It kills by scratching the body of the insect, causing dehydration. Whether it can do this when wet, in the intestine, I don't know, and don't know whether anyone has proven this one way or the other. A lot of people seem to feel it controls intestinal worms.

 

[kla37]

http://www.alphabetranch.com/studies.html

I don't know if it really works. I mix food grade in my chicken feed and scratch, to help with any buggies that may find their way in there, so the chickens ingest it as a result. I think there are a lot of different studies out there, and you just have to try it and see what kind of results you get. If I found actual worms in chicken poop, I would probably use a medication specifically used as a dewormer, like Wazine.

 

[junebug7334]

Ya I went kind of ga-ga over it once and bought 50 lbs of the food grade type. Still have a trash can full of it.....not really sure it's "all that!"

 

[Ohhhdear]

Here's the thread on DE: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=401940

In my experience, DE works when wet. Being wet doesn't change the fact it's made of tiny diatom shells, which are sharp and puncture the outer membrane of worms & slugs. It works with hard shelled insects (like fleas, mites, ticks) by clogging up their breathing apparatus and killing them that way.

It may take several treatments with DE to rid all the worms because of eggs remaining unhatched in the gut or hiding in bedding. Use DE dry for bedding or dusting.

I'm also an advocate of using wood ashes in the girl's dust bath. I have a LOT of wood ash from our woodstove, and my garden loves it, but so do the chickens.