Diatomaceous Earth / food grade

[Peggsblueinc]

Does anyone use recommend and know where

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does anyone use recommend and know where

Recommend for what? LOL

Personally, No. I would not recommend using DE at all. If you have a lice/mite problem, use a Permethrin based poultry spray/dust or use Spinosad (Elector PSP).

If you know you have worms - treat with an anthelmintic. Fenbendazole or Safeguard treat most worms that poultry have. For tapeworm, use Praziquantel. Better yet, if you have a vet willing to do some fecal floats, they can check for worms - your flock may not even need worming.

For dust bathing....loose soil works well.

DE is very fine and can be irritating to the respiratory system (yours and your birds!)

 

[quackersandfern]

You put it in the chicken's dustbathing area. They use it to help get any external parasites off of their feathers and skin.

 

[CatWhisperer]

Don’t use it anywhere near your chickens. It is a respiratory irritant.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

You're all saying that DE is a repository irritant.
This, I know for a fact, is not true. In large quantities, sure. But used in dust baths and such, no. I've used it since I first got chickens, and never once had a mite or lice problem. I've used it on my cats when they had fleas and it got rid of them very quickly.
I do reccomend it for dust baths for mites and lice, and for cats and dogs with fleas.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You're all saying that DE is a repository irritant.
This, I know for a fact, is not true. I've used it since I first got chickens, and never once had a mite or lice problem.

I've never used it and never had a mite or lice problem It may be that external parasites are not a problem in your area.
Just because it has not caused respiratory symptoms for you or your flock, doesn't mean that it's not a respiratory irritant.


Get your bag or jug of DE that you use and read the label. I would think it has some type of warning label/precautions.

Here's a random one I pulled off Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Diatomaceous-Earth-Food-Grade-5lb/dp/B072MSQV3M

In case you can't see it in the photo - "RISK OF EXPOSURE" Dust may cause eye and respiratory irritation. Exposure to excessive amounts of dust may cause lung damage. Signs lung damage coughing, tightness in chest, shortness of breath and damage to lung tissue.
PRECAUTIONS Use an approved respirator and goggles. Work areas should be equipped with adequate dust collection or exhaust ventilation.

 

[Blooie]

You're all saying that DE is a repository irritant.
This, I know for a fact, is not true. In large quantities, sure. But used in dust baths and such, no. I've used it since I first got chickens, and never once had a mite or lice problem. I've used it on my cats when they had fleas and it got rid of them very quickly.
I do reccomend it for dust baths for mites and lice, and for cats and dogs with fleas.

Might I gently suggest that you look on the back of the bag, where it says to use respiratory protection when using it? Now, I ain’t always the brightest crayon in the box, but if I’m not supposed to breathe it in during the little amount of time it takes me to spread it around, what’s it doing to the chickens who are in it 24/7, scratching, dust bathing, digging, and fluffing their dusty feathers - and they’re at ground level.

I realize you have had good luck with it. Fact is, lots of folks will never have issues with mites or lice even if they do nothing at all as a preventative. Me? Worst mite infestation my flock and coop ever had was when I first started raising them. I had DE in every conceivable place my chickens went near - nests, dust bath, on the roosts, in the litter on the coop floor, in the litter in the run, and on them from time to time. I thought I’d covered all the bases and would never be like the people whose posts I read when they were fighting them off. Then one day hubby brought in eggs, and when I went to get them to put them away, my counter top and the eggs were crawling with the little.....er....boogers. That was the end of my love affair with DE.

Now, I’m not saying you‘re wrong to use it. I don’t have that right. But I do take exception to the statement that it’s untrue about the respiratory risk when the back of the bag says otherwise.

 

[CatWhisperer]

I also have never had mites or lice on my chickens and have never used DE or any other treatment for such. I am a veterinarian and would never rely on DE to treat fleas on my pets. There are too many more effective products available.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I used to use DE. Then one day when I was gleefully and liberally tossing it about the hen house, I got some in my eye. After rushing to the nearest outdoor spigot and rinsing my eye for about ten minutes while thinking about what the DE was doing to my chickens' eyes, I had a conversion experience about the product. I'm happy to say I can still see out of that eye.

 

[Axil]

The only time i've actually used DE is in my swimming pool filter, however I have taken the time to research it for use as an pesticide in case it might be beneficial to my flock in the future. I recommend the following website from Oregon State University

Please understand that i am in no way suggesting you should discount any of the advice given by the experienced bird keepers here. This is merely my attempt to contribute by providing a link to a scientific assessment on the risks of DE.

I recommend reading through the entire fact sheet but here are a few excerpts germane to the subject at hand

What are some signs and symptoms from a brief exposure to diatomaceous earth?
If breathed in, diatomaceous earth can irritate the nose and nasal passages. If an extremely large amount is inhaled, people may cough and have shortness of breath. On skin, it can cause irritation and dryness. Diatomaceous earth may also irritate the eyes, due to its abrasive nature. Any dust, including silica, can be irritating to the eyes.

Note how it mentions an "extremely large exposure" similer to how the warning label references "excessive amounts"

Has anyone studied non-cancer effects from long-term exposure to diatomaceous earth?
In a rabbit study, researchers found no health effects after applying diatomaceous earth to the rabbits' skin five times per week for three weeks. In a rat study, researchers fed rats high doses of diatomaceous earth for six months. They found no reproductive or developmental effects. In another rat study, the only effect was more rapid weight gain. That study involved 90 days of feeding rats with a diet made of 5% diatomaceous earth.

When guinea pigs were forced to breathe air containing diatomaceous earth for 2 years, there was slightly more connective tissue in their lungs. When researchers checked before the 2-year mark, no effects were found.

A very small amount of crystalline diatomaceous earth may be found in pesticide products. Long-term inhalation of the crystalline form is associated with silicosis, chronic bronchitis, and other respiratory problems. The bulk of diatomaceous earth is amorphous, not crystalline. The amorphous form is only associated with mild, reversible lung inflammation.

They also tested for cancer specifically (details in the link) and found an increase in lung cancer in mice that were "forced to breathe diatomaceous earth for one hour each day for a year" here is a link to the WHO report cited in the cancer risk evaluation

lastly:

Can diatomaceous earth affect birds, fish, or other wildlife?
Diatomaceous earth is practically non-toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. It is commonly encountered by birds and other wildlife, and it's not known to be harmful. However, no toxicity evaluations for wildlife were found. Agencies have stated that diatomaceous earth is unlikely to affect birds, fish, or other wildlife in a harmful way.

Diatomaceous earth is made of silicon dioxide. When chickens were fed a diet that contained less silicon dioxide than normal, their bone formation was harmed. This suggests that silicon dioxide plays an important role in bone formation.

One other thing to note (again i recommend reading the source, rather than my hamfisted chop and paste job) is there are two types of DE, amorphous and crystalline. The Amorphous variety seems to be much easier for the body to eliminate from the respiratory system.