Diatomaceous Earth: Harmful or Useful?

[Painted Calls]

@sealer39 knows how I feel about DE. Pretty sure @MIAMI LEGHORN does now too.

 

[katelwil]

Useless.

I do actually make use of the stuff, of horizontal 2x4s in my shed to slowly desicate beetle, roaches, and leave the occasional evidence of a new mouse checking out the food pantry - but it works very slowly, and only when very dry. Stirred up, its a respiratory irritant. Damp, it clumps and does nothing.

Chicken coops attract moisture, which you are trying desperately to avoid, and house little dinosaurs with sensitive respiratory systems trying to stir things up. Exdactly what you don't want when using DE. So why would you???

Yes, its good for grain mites. Given dry feed, and enough time. Better to keep the mites out in the first place - your feed shouldn't be sitting around attracting bugs, and should be kept dry. The addition of DE to feed appears to be a form of insurance against the consequences of potential long warehousing periods, nothing more.

I have read about respiratory worries when it comes to DE, but considering the previous issue I encountered with mites, it came in handy to ensure the mites stayed gone. That's the main reason I use it in my coop. I also use an oil/garlic/herb oil mix spray as deterent for insects - mites specifically. But, perhaps I should just stick to the spray now I lost my best girl, Dijon after my first mite infestation, and ever since I've just tried to be extra careful. Definitely wouldn't want to cause any respiratory problems for my little ones though..

 

[sealer39]

The food grade is useful mixed into feed to prevent grain mite infestations.

That is it. The rest is snake oil and wives tales.

I used to add it to the feed as a preventative measure but I have long since stopped. I keep my feed inside and I’ve never had an issue with mites.

 

[Painted Calls]

I used to add it to the feed as a preventative measure but I have long since stopped. I keep my feed inside and I’ve never had an issue with mites.

I had my issue inside.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Sulfa- or Permethrines are my go to mite on birds treatments. Both have cautions, but both have high proven effectiveness and cautions I can deal with. I keep permethrin spray in the second hen house actually, though i've never had to use it. I also don't have cats, fish ponds, streams, or other water sources whose critters are particularly sensative to permethrins. As an on the bird spray, no danger of it affecting the local bee populations, either.

 

[katelwil]

@U_Stormcrow Also, since you brought up respiratory health, would you consider the .25% permethrin dust safe? I have also used this on my chickens and wondered whether it was harmful to their respiratory system. I am as careful as can be when using it but they always shake it off and it's like a cloud of it is released into the air!

 

[LizzzyJo]

I live in a drained swamp that is under a few inches of water for weeks at a time throughout the year - maybe the water kills the mites? I am grateful to have not needed intervention YET on that end.

The run and henhouse are raised in case anyone was wondering. But, I will say that the girls free ranging in the clear water cleans them really well so

 

[katelwil]

Sulfa- or Permethrines are my go to mite on birds treatments. Both have cautions, but both have high proven effectiveness and cautions I can deal with. I keep permethrin spray in the second hen house actually, though i've never had to use it. I also don't have cats, fish ponds, streams, or other water sources whose critters are particularly sensative to permethrins. As an on the bird spray, no danger of it affecting the local bee populations, either.

Same here! I have the bottle of permetherin for spray as well, but the label freaks me out so I've never used it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@U_Stormcrow Also, since you brought up respiratory health, would you consider the .25% permethrin dust safe? I have also used this on my chickens and wondered whether it was harmful to their respiratory system. I am as careful as can be when using it but they always shake it off and it's like a cloud of it is released into the air!

Honestly, I've not looked into it extensively. Not to plead ignorance, but...

Most studies are for humans. and involve skin contact (as it turns out, we are MUCH more harmful to permethrin than permethrin is to us - enzyme reactions on our skin (and all other mammals, except cats who have much less of the needed enzyme) break it down pretty fast, such that less than 2% of what we contact is absorbed. Then our liver pretty quickly handles the rest. There have been studies of it ingested - again, typically no long term effects even with serious quantities involved. Same with the rat studies. and inhaled. Same/same.

But no equivalent studies for poultry, that I'm aware of.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Love it! Use it in the feed about once per month and below the bedding areas, droppings areas and around the feeders. Of course, our coop is dry, so the issues with moisture in the coop seem to point to a problem with coop design versus a moisture control.

We've also used it in the garage to stop a parade of ants seeking our cat's feed bowl. Around the feeders, it keeps all sorts of bugs away from the food - each time we open the feeders, there are ZERO insects though they stay in covered areas outside 24/7.

We also use it in dust-bathing areas for the chickens, and we have no respiratory issues.