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

[MAXXX]

Quote:
I'll check Beak to the toe

 

[mdbokc]

You want to remember that it takes very little of this product to work. I am suspecting many people apply much more than is necessary at a given moment. It is always easier to add than take away. jmho.

 

[MAXXX]

Quote:
That's true...

 

[cgmccary]

For what it's worth, the only time my birds ever got mites was when I was using DE. I dusted the birds with food grade DE and it DID NOT kill the mites. Yes, I used a dusting pistol to get down to the skin. I stopped using DE and have not had mites since. My birds have never had worms, and I do not use any kind of de-wormer, EVER. I would not de-worm unless I had a problem. Parasitic worms which have evolved over millions of years to live in their host are not going to be deterred by Diatomaceous Earth (DE)--- microscopic shells made of silica (SiO2=quartz). Quartz sand under the microscope is just as sharp and a lot cheaper. IMHO, DE is a big waste of money! If you choose to use DE, please DO continue to check your birds for external and internal parasites.

 

[MAXXX]

Quote:
Humm...What your writing is that DE DOESN"T WORK AS many advatizers on a internet says....

Is that mean .... AS SEEN ON "INTERNET" DOESN'T WORK!!??

Or people should run through the fingers with DE on each feathers of chickens instead of just dusting over the chikens feathers.......

Some people uses products called "Sevin Dust" for the mite control on feathers...but i really don't want go for that.

 

[Hens4Fun]

does it really work ... I dunno .... I wonder how if I mix it into the soil anywhere, how come the dust from all the scratching the hens do doesn't make it all airborne constantly, and then am I not breathing in the very thing that I used a dust mask to lay down? I have used a small amount, but everytime I rake around there, or they are dirt bathing, the cloud of dust worries me

am I subjecting my own lungs to this particulate matter daily?

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
Pat,

I realize this is an old thread, but if you happen to return...

A couple of questions/comments:

Should DE be routinely used to prevent mites, rather than after an infestation has occurred? So far as I can tell, my hens have never had mites. They're only 6 months old, however.

I'm interested especially in your last comment about addressing the root problems. All through this thread I've wondered two things: Whether some of the bug and especially fly problems can be remedied through better hygiene in the coop and run. I've seen some pretty nasty poop accumulation in some coops.

I have never had a fly problem; then again, I only have four hens. However, they do have a tiny pen, and only get out 1-2 hours/day. I think I don't see flies b/c I scoop poop and rake daily.

Also, is it a good idea to kill off (through use of DE) all the bugs in a run/pen? Our hens love to dig around and find bugs to eat. I had a log in there this summer that I'd turn over occasionally and they'd go crazy for the bugs. Also, they like to dig near the foundation of the pen - I suspect they find bugs under the wood there. It's what nature intended them to eat.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is - I'm trying to find the right balance between good preventative care for the birds, but not overdoing some of the remedies.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Katherine

 

[Hens4Fun]

I suppose I have somewhat similar questions as the previous post. I no longer let my hens free range because we have 3 coopers hawks aka "chicken hawks" that hang out in our trees (having caught one chicken and killed it already). Therefore, the bugs they get are in their run and coop. I have 11 hens---to clean daily really isn't feasible, I do it weekly...... we are talking a large coop and run. So, I love the idea of the DE on many levels (and have spread it lightly) but my concerns remain. I haven't noticed, but I wonder if it also will kill the worms and grubs that are in the upper layers that the hens scratch in. More than for mites, which haven't been a problem in 5 years of having the hens) I like the idea of keeping the stench and fly population down. How can I possibly not breathe in small amounts each time I rake?

Perhaps I'm such a big worrier I shouldn't use it .... but gosh, it's so appealing on many levels

(guess I could wear a mask at all times but heck, that's no fun either. Gosh I am so TORN!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
There is no real "should" on this one, IMO. 'Sup to you.

Read up on the subject and decide what seems most sensible in your particular situation. I would say it would be more worth considering if your flock has no good dry dusty dusting spot available AND are exposed to wild birds (or the ground that wild birds have been on -- when I had hens in a tractor, they'd get mites after a big flock of starlings would come through the yard

). If they are free-range but can dustbathe in your gravel driveway or a sandy wallow, or if they have a nice roofed run in which they've dug themselves a usually-dry dusting hole, it is probably less of a big deal.

I am not aware of any studies (as opposed to personal anecdote) that show DE to be an effective mite preventative (I have no idea whether any such studies have ever been DONE, prollly not I would bet); I get the impression from my own chickens that it does help*, but would by no means swear to it. I have had zero luck treating significant infestations on the birds with DE (the kind where you end up with mites crawling on your arm after holding a chicken, or look at their vent area at night on the roost with a flashlight and go eeeuuwww!) but it is possible others have had better luck, I dunno.

(*-used in cracks and crevices around roost and floor and walls, in modest amounts, *under* the bedding. Perhaps I am overcautious because I have slightly iffy lungs that do not do well with dusty environments of any sort, but the idea of taking an already-basically-somewhat-dusty chicken coop and strewing a bunch MORE dust gaily around where it gets into the air on a regular basis just does not seem wise to me from a health standpoint)

As far as using DE vs smell and flies... quite bluntly I think that except in a really intractably wet climate, or for a very brief "blip" that is not a recurring situation, a person having bad problems with smell and flies should probably be either investing a lot more work into engineering their run so it stays drier (see 'muddy run' page in .sig below); replacing any organic material such as mulch or straw in the run with something inorganic and free-draining such as coarse sand or fine gravel; putting more work into sanitation; or keeping fewer chickens in the available space. I know many people don't agree with me about this, especially the last part, but, ya know.

In my run, I would guess that an awful lot of the bugs the chickens eat are coming from elsewhere rather than having been resident for a significant time in the run, in which case I do not see DE as being likely to have a big effect on the snack population. If you have a very large run this is probably not so true, but then if you have a very large run you probably weren't going to use DE in it anyhow. If you compost in your run (actually I sort of do, during the growing season) then it would probably be a bad idea to add much DE... a roof and other measures to keep the run DRY would be a better (albeit more expensive and laborious) solution.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[tdgill]

"snack population"