Diatomaceous earth--- Really that harmless?????

[freshH20]

There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about DE. Years ago, I put together the most comprehensive site on the Internet on food-grade DE. Most of the sites out there have copied stuff from my site. Anyway, check it out and it will answer all your questions.

http://www.freshwaterorganics.com

You can also order from the site and have product within 2 - 3 days. No need to drive anywhere.

but for the record, you should give it to chickens to eat and to dust themselves in. It will not harm them or your kids. You will also find that there will be less odor, and much less flies.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Here is one article which is really extensive and explains exactly how DE and other inert dusts work and the current findings from research testing on the effectivity of different brands etc...proper testing and such:
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/grsc_subi/...ure_slides/GRSC651_lect_20(1)_Inert_Dusts.pdf

ETA: For some reason (maybe URL too long?) the link is appearing as broken, so here it is without the http://www. so the entire URL will appear (copy and paste into your browserand add the http://www.)
oznet.ksu.edu/grsc_subi/Teaching/GRSC651/GRSC651_Courses_Material/lecture_slides/GRSC651_lect_20(1)_Inert_Dusts.pdf

 

[eldorado]

DE is actually some pretty bad stuff.
You definitely should not breathe it in. It's not something that should be in your lungs.

It looks like little mini snowflakes under the microsope, and works by irritating and cutting up the worms and parisites in the intestinal tract of the bird.

I used to use it to worm my ostrich, but did not like to be around it.

Regards,

Joe
http://www.poultrybid.com

 

[Mistifire]

You shouldnt breathe any type of dust particles often as it can cause problems, people that keep pigeons can get lung problems from pigeon dust but it doesnt mean the pigeons are toxic.

I have been using it on food and it makes the egg shells very hard. I have a cockatiel that was very dusty all the time and I started putting DE in her food now for some reason she is less dusty.

All of my pet foods have it mixed in now since I bought a bag of chicken feed that had moths in it and they took over everything. The DE took care of the moth problem in a week.

Food grade DE is already used in alot of human foods like flour as an anti-caking agent.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

If your worried use a particle mask respirator when spreading it.

 

[freshH20]

I read the article. I am not sure what date is was written, but there are several errors in it. To begin with, there are over 25,000 types of DE - not 8,000 as stated.
In addition, the paper is discussing and comparing insecticides.
There is an article on my website, specifically discussing Fossil Shell Flour - pure, organic, diatomaceous earth. http://freshwaterorganics.com/is_there_really_a_difference.htm

Regarding your comment - "That's bad stuff" - I would have to strongly disagree with you. I think it is GREAT stuff. I have been working with it daily for year with no respirator. I have also mixed a heaping teaspoon with water and drank it daily for the past several years. I have had absolutely no negative reaction. I get letters from all over the country from people who take it daily and give it to the pets, livestock, children, and use it indoors and outdoors. I have NEVER had anyone report anything negative. If you know of anyone who has had a reaction or a bad experience with DE, I'd really like to hear from them.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

I have also taken it internally in some warm water. I have fed it to my dogs and chickens with great results. My oldest dog she is 15 has had cancer was overweight and I had taken her to the vet because she had old dog syndrome she had told me to just spoil her that she probably didn’t have long to go. Well I started feeding her DE and have seen remarkable results she doesn’t have that blank glare in her eyes or any of the symptoms of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, CDS which is a memory-related disorder that is not unlike Alzheimer's disease. A dog with CDS will experience forgetfulness, disorientation and will no longer recognize you or other members of your family and her weight problem is under control she is very lean and fit. I also never have experienced any lung irritations due to its use.

 

[Jennym]

Go to http://www.custommilling.com/
I ordered from here and got it in two days.
I actually have not used it yet, but from research I did I feel comfortable!

Very nice company to deal with as well.

 

[pattycake]

One thing to note is that it does kill bees, too. I've used it sparingly to prevent mites in the coop, but am uneasy pouring it around too much, or making dusting holes for the chickens to flap around in: my run is near my garden and I want LOTS of bees in it.

 

[Dawn419]

I've been using food grade DE for my chickens, rabbits/dog and myself (off and on) for almost a year now.

While it can be harmful to bees, my take on it is that the places that I use it aren't the places that the bees are hanging out at. The bees are busy in my flower beds as opposed to the coops, runs and hutches...where there are no flowers growing.

Just my opinion and experience with DE.

Dawn