Diatomaceous Earth? good or bad?

[ChickenJerk]

DE. It is not a question of good or bad but rather of what degree of worthless.

 

[ShanandGem]

I use DE sparingly with some ash and sand in my birds' bedding. I mix all three in the big shaker tub the DE came in and sprinkle a little on any fresh bedding I add. I feel like the birds stay cleaner and don't have that slightly oily feel their feathers sometimes get.

ETA: I have a bird with some neurological/motor control challenges that can't dust bathe adequately to stay clean, and adding these things to her bedding (she spends a fair amount of time in a cozy nest box) helps her stay reasonably clean. She seems less itchy too, probably because she is a little cleaner.

 

[shannon84]

That's true!

 

[shannon84]

How long have you been using DE for their bedding? Does their lungs seem fine with it?

 

[shannon84]

How long have you been using DE for their bedding? Does their lungs seem fine with it?

 

[ShanandGem]

How long have you been using DE for their bedding? Does their lungs seem fine with it?

I have only been keeping chickens since February, but I've never so much as heard any of mine sneeze. I also have a couple of adult birds who I think may have scaley leg mites and regular bedding freshening with ash/sand/DE SEEMS to make their legs look better.
There is far more ash and sand in my mix than DE. Probably three parts of each ash and sand to one part DE.

 

[shannon84]

Oh ok that sounds pretty good then, I'm just indecisive on all this. Seeing what everybody opinion is thank you!!!

 

[ShanandGem]

I am still using my first 2 lb tub I bought in the spring, and I have seven coops I am pretty obsessive about keeping fresh. I think people run into problems when they use too much.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
DE ( food grade, not pool grade) has some good uses, if it is used correctly. I use it in flooring my coops . ( hang on a minute and hear me out before you hit the keyboard running smile). Here's how I floor my coops and it keeps little critters away. I did not have lice or other bug attacks in my coops when floored this way. Neither did my birds have any respiratory issues. I am between flocks right now as I change breeds due to a climate shift in my area.
1. Clean the coop so the floor is bare ( assuming here you don't have an earth floor in the coop).
2. Sprinkle a very thin layer of food grade DE on the bottom of the coop . Thin enough so you just can't see the grain in the wood of the floor. A bit more in corners and cracks at floor level.
3. Put the same thickness down of a layer of Sweet PDZ stall freshener. More in the corners and cracks at floor level.
4. Go to Tractor Supply and buy the white bale only of hardwood shavings. ( not the yellow bale) Carefully put down a 3-4 inch layer, not disturbing the DE and PDZ any more than necessary.
There you go, all done!
Now the bugs will crawl to the bottom of the coop and the DE will scratch their exoskeletons so they die of dehydration. The Sweet PDZ will help keep the coop floor drier and help keep any smell down. The depth of the shavings is enough to keep the birds happy usually without rooting down too deep.
Best Regards,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[shannon84]

Thanks Karen! I'm going to try that! Now the shavings I use are just regular pine shaving from tractor supply is that what you are talking about? Do you use it in their feed too?