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

[Donner]

Quote:
Diatoms' little shells are made of silica.

Silicone and Silicon are different things.

Silicon is element 14 on the periodic table and diatom shells are made from mostly silica aka Silicon Dioxide whose fossilized remains make up diatomaceous earth.

Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are commonly used in breast implants, cookware, medical applications, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, and insulation. (credit Wikipedia)

Some the poster was technically, but perhaps unintentionally, correct in saying "DE should not be Silicone".

 

[bluere11e]

Unfortunately, Modern day medicine. (Big Pharma) decided back in the late 40's upon the advent of broad spectrum antibiotics that if you have the slightest sniffle, fever or cough.. take a weeks worth and you'll be fine.. Colds are caused by a virus, NOT a bacteria, Howver due to lowered immunity, some other bacterial infection could pop up. But, because it became a Panacea for most of what ails you. They started to add it to animal food.too. No longer were cows happy munching grass. It started and still is about the bottom line.. fatten the livestock with th least amount of feed, to get it to your table for the least amount of money and in turn, fatten Big Ag's pockets. Hi Volume farming practices increased stress, changed animals natural diet into an un-natural one and put them into over crowded situations..the end result,? Livestock with chronic diarrhea, and other diseases.. The treatment. Mountains of antibiotics!
The same hold s true with the amount of parasites in those animals.. So, They're given laods of dewormers.. hence.. the scourge of the 21st century? Resistant bacteria and parasites.. Now, in order to treat these super bugs, massive doses or potentially lethal meds are given and we're told.. Don't drink the milk or eat the ggs or the meat after for so many days.. etc..
Even then.. It still stays in the food product, we eat it and in turn develop/ or are exposed to resistant bugs.. MRSA or flesh eating bacteria anyone?.. check out C. Diff.(Clostidium Dificil). Nasty bug related to tetanus and botulism.. Lovely
In times like these.. It's good to have an old favorite standing by. one that's tried and true and thank God.. Still available to us to use.
yes, it can be an irritant to those that suffer from bronchial diseases. But, so can fecal dust, feather dust, dust mites, pollen, mold.. etc. You get the picture.
FOOD grade DE is the lesser of all these evils in my opinion. I have used it, still use it and will continue to use it until big Pharma/ Big Ag decide their losing money to the natural farmers and outlaw Food Grade DE ( It could happen, stock up.. it won't go bad in our lifetime)
Crawling off my soap box now..

 

[jadeybaby70]

I haven't read all posts here because everyone seems to have a lot to say about this subject but I have read many. It seems some people are 100% sure that DE is perfectly safe and can be used without caution while others are sceptical. I thought I might chime in and give my thoughts.

I also did a lot of research on DE before deciding to use it in my coop and on my chickens. I am not so sure I would suggest use without caution. From my research, I came up with the same as many people who have also replied to this post. There is an MSDS report for food grade DE. Being that silica is a component of DE (and YES, it is in FOOD GRADE DE!!), caution should be taken when applying it. Silica IS a known carcinogen and does cause cancer with respiratory inhalation. I use a filtering mask when applying it to my coop and never apply it to my girls' head or face. I also give the girls time outside while the coop dust settles before I allow them to again enter. I also, do not allow my dogs in the area that I have been dusting to prevent inhalation. You can spray down the area with water because it weighs the DE down and takes away the risk of inhalation until it dries out.

I love DE and buy it in 50lb bags as well but something to be considered is that just because something is natural or organic, does not mean that it is harmless. There are many naturally occuring elements/substances on this earth that are indeed TOXIC. I love organic/natural products and my girls eat all organic food, free range and I try to use only natural products for pest control, BUT I do the research and take necessary precautions and so should you.

 

[chickbird]

Quote:
DE IS HARMFUL TO YOUR LUNGS , YOUR CHILDREN'S LUNGS AND ANIMAL LUNGS EVEN IF IT IS FOOD GRADE....JUST BECAUSE SOME SAY THEY WILL TAKE IT...STAY AWAY FROM IT.

 

[speckledhen]

Any powdery substance, even plain old wheat flour, is harmful if you get a snootful of it. I've used DE for five years with no harmful effects for the birds or myself and will continue to do so since I prefer not to use chemicals for external pest control. I don't depend on it for worming at all because when inside the bird where it's naturally wet, it can't really be effective; I just use it for keeping bugs from setting up housekeeping in the feeds and in the nestboxes and on occasion, I may dust my crippled rooster with it since he cannot dustbathe. Works great for that purpose.

Do I stick my head in the bag or inhale deeply when sprinkling it around? Heck, no. You just have to use common sense. It does kill soft bodied bugs. I eradicated a case of lice on a rooster I purchased solely with DE before he came out of quarantine.

 

[BooBear]

Fire ants dissappear using it too.

I use the food grade DE as a preventative in the coop.

 

[bluere11e]

Ok.. So. I've been using DE for a long time. I get mine from Jeffers Vet supply. I was taught years ago to do the "shake and bake" method. Get an old feed bag, toss in about 1/2 cup of sevin 5% and a tablespoon of DE. Drop your chicken in, roll the top down a little and bounce up and down for about 10 seconds.. Then bring your chicken out and allow it to shake off the dust.

. It's COVERED, every bit of the birds... I have never had a problem with this method.. Add as you go. When you're done, you can empty out the bag over their favorite dusting places.
Now, the questions I have after reading is.. I use DE all over manure piles and inside nest boxes, on top of perches and basically any where that bugs can hide. If it gets wet, it's supposed to be less effective. So, how would mixing it in liquid and ingesting it work? Also, does it re activate in dry conditions? What happens if you treat your birds and coop and basically anything your birds touch, then they hatch out a batch.. what happens if the chicks come across all of this floating around? (I've never had a problem, but I am assuming I've been lucky, from what I have read)
But, now I am concerned.

 

[Heckel's Hens]

I got DE from my feed store and I can't find anywhere on the bag that says food grade.

It does say pet quality and organic. ????

 

[GhostRider65]

I have used Fossil flour for years, to help control fly larvae in the compost pile pf horse doo do, also give it to my horses worm egg count 000.001 so I think it does a ghood job they are also given Wormwood combination 1 tx a year for a week to kill parasites that DE doesn't too small I assume? I mix it in the there feed pellets add a bit of water so it isn't dusty, and have had no problems with it I plan to use it with my chickens.
1 Question though, I found a new thing I haven't seen before. Red Earths DE plus Calcium bentonite clay, both are safe to eat, but this said, animal chemical grade codex? what does that mean? anyone know?

 

[dawg53]

DE is ineffective when it's wet until it dries. Feeding it to yourself or animals is useless because the insides of innards are wet.