Diatomaceous earth - why all the differences of opinions?

[Eggscaping]

I just watched a P.Allen Smith segment on TV (a guy who produces shows where he talks about farming, farm-cooking, and such) in which he is talking about homeopathic remedies to keep chickens in good condition. He spoke about garlic, various herbs, and diatomaceous earth...recommending that it be added to feed and/or dust baths. And yet, I have also read that the tiny, microscopic shards can do great damage to a chicken's insides.
Why is there so much confusion and so many differing opinions? It seems like either it IS or it is NOT a good thing to use. If it truly damages a bird's trachea and/or stomach and intestines, seems like that can be proven. If not, and it helps with things such as lice or other pests, seems like that could be proven too. Is it just that commercial 'factory' chicken/egg producers use pesticides and so never delve into the DE debate because they don't have to? And that various people will always have their 'pet' remedies in which they believe no matter what?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some people believe it works, but there's no scientific proof, which I prefer. I personally don't want the respiratory irritation, nor the killing of all bugs, whether parasites or beneficial insects that DE does. Like many fads, manufacturers find a way to make stuff appealing so they can sell more of it.

 

[nightowl223]

In the beginning, when I first found out about DE, I was a big fan of it, not just for chickens, but for gardening purposes, too. Yet, I kept running across negatives about it, and each time, it seemed as though they had more reliable sources for their information than those of places who wanted to sell DE. I even ran across negatives for using it in gardening, too - like it harming our pollinators, for example. And the health concerns were backed up by doctors and scientists, not herbalists and salesmen.

So... I have greatly reduced usage of DE. I do have it as a component in the blend I use for their dustbaths, but it's only a small component, along with soil and ash - soil being about 90% of the mix, and only 5% each of ash and DE. For that purpose, it seems to me that they're instinctively aware not to breathe in the dust they make fly around in the air. For anything else, though, I've stopped using it.

[edited for grammar/spelling mistakes]

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

We use a combination of DE and wood ash. So far so good no parasites in our birds or infestations. DE gets a bad rap because its not a cure all. If our birds DID have an infestation I would use a chemical. Last year we had a nasty infestation of broccoli worms on our broccoli. I put DE on all the leaves. The broccoli was still destroyed despite it. This year I'm going to get some sort of bacterial spray that eats those worms without the use of chemicals. This is just an example as to how it works great...but only as a preventative measure. It will not cure an infestation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure but you can not prevent all things. I'm sure others might have different opinions but that is my two cents.

 

[Kathy Golla]

From Honeybee blogs:
“DE controls insects by cutting their exoskeleton and unfortunately bees fall in that category. Not good for honey bees. They will attempt to groom off the DE and thus it will do its job on honey bees too.”
Honeybees have enough problems to get over like die offs from parasites.

 

[dawg53]

Alot of folks here have used DE when first starting out with chickens, including me. Personally from my experience, when it comes to treating lice/mites and intestinal parasites, it fails to do its job.

If you'd like to do an experiment, find a mound of fire ants and dump DE on top of it, then go dump Sevin dust on another mound of fire ants.
The next morning, go out and stir each mound up with a rake. Then you'll see the difference. Here's a hint; dont hold your rake in the fire ant mound with the DE on it for too long, the ants will crawl up the rake and sting you. So much for DE slicing and dicing insects. Then go stir the other mound with the Sevin dust on it with the rake, you wont see any ants crawling around, only dead ants.
So you say no fair, Sevin dust has chemicals in it. Yes, 5% carbaryl and 95% DE. It's the carbaryl that kills the fire ants. It's also our responsibility to use chemicals responsibly.

DE in itself has its place. Did you know that DE is used in toothpaste, as an abrasive?
I use liquid chemicals to treat for parasites in my chickens. We are responsible for the safety, health and welfare for our chickens as well as our other animals.
How many of you add DE to your dogs or cats food each day to prevent parasites or other animals? If you do, make sure you tell your vet about it.
If you or a family got lice in the hair on their head, would you use DE? Or if you had internal parasites, would you use DE?
Common sense dictates that you'd see a doctor for treatment.