diatomaceous earth - yes or no

[Stravager]

I know some folks have had success making a paste with DE and water and painting their coop walls with it to suppress mite infestations, and other folks sprinkle it underneath bedding to help with moisture reduction. However, as someone who has used it to suppress grain mite infestations it is extremely irritating to the lungs. I've worn an N95 and still had issues with it on my clothes afterwards. It can be helpful as a treatment in some cases, but I wouldn't recommend using it as a regular preventative.
As a side note, DE is full of trace minerals, so folks who use it as a feed supplement might notice general boosts in terms of health, but it's not because it kills internal parasites.

 

[nuthatched]

What about these two?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119420300

https://ejfood.org/index.php/ejfood/article/view/207

Funny how those studies contradict each other on the other.
I'm familar with both articles, I cited both in MY article on how D.E doesn't work.
If you read the entire first study, you'll see that D.e (which, in that study in almost 40% monorolite, which Does actually help keep numbers under control by acting as a scouring agent) and that efficacy was not consistent, and had the same FEC/worm loads after a short window of time and didn't show any effectiveness long term.

You'll also see that, when used externally for mites, birds did see a slightly lighter mite load than the the control (untreated) and sand treated birds but all birds were weak and emaciated from infestation.

So yes, there is a slight difference but it's not remotely effective enough to be called treatment or prevention.

As for the second study, there's so little information on it besides "we did a study" to even comment on or take into consideration as proof of anything.
No listed, dosage, sources, feed, methods, etc.

 

[nuthatched]

I know some folks have had success making a paste with DE and water and painting their coop walls with it to suppress mite infestations, and other folks sprinkle it underneath bedding to help with moisture reduction. However, as someone who has used it to suppress grain mite infestations it is extremely irritating to the lungs. I've worn an N95 and still had issues with it on my clothes afterwards. It can be helpful as a treatment in some cases, but I wouldn't recommend using it as a regular preventative.
As a side note, DE is full of trace minerals, so folks who use it as a feed supplement might notice general boosts in terms of health, but it's not because it kills internal parasites.

Many people do a lime wash as well (whitewash) in their coops to cover cracks that encourage the mites to breed, that is proven to reduce external parasites. Paint also works great.

 

[Squawkers]

Funny how those studies contradict each other on the other.
I'm familar with both articles, I cited both in MY article on how D.E doesn't work.
If you read the entire first study, you'll see that D.e (which, in that study in almost 40% monorolite, which Does actually help keep numbers under control by acting as a scouring agent) and that efficacy was not consistent, and had the same FEC/worm loads after a short window of time and didn't show any effectiveness long term.

You'll also see that, when used externally for mites, birds did see a slightly lighter mite load than the the control (untreated) and sand treated birds but all birds were weak and emaciated from infestation.

So yes, there is a slight difference but it's not remotely effective enough to be called treatment or prevention.

As for the second study, there's so little information on it besides "we did a study" to even comment on or take into consideration as proof of anything.
No listed, dosage, sources, feed, methods, etc.

I’d like to see your article if you don’t mind posting the link

 

[coach723]

I agree with what others have added. I don't really find it effective for any of the issues I have experienced. I paint the surfaces inside my coop, it fills the tiny cracks and crevices that they can hide in. Even my roosts are painted 2 x 4's. I have not had to treat for mites/lice in 15 years. I make sure they have good dust bathing area's, repaint surfaces as needed, which isn't that often if it's done well the first time, and try hard to make sure they have plenty of space. I currently have almost 50 birds. Mine semi-free range during the day in a large fenced area, and wild birds are aplenty, so plenty of opportunity to be exposed. I clean nest boxes as needed to keep things fresh, and use hay for those. I do check them regularly, since things can change quickly, but good animal husbandry and making sure that your housing and containment meets their needs, helps a lot.

 

[BDutch]

Doesn't work and is a Osha classified harmful substance.
Chickens get issues from breathing their own dander in poorly ventilated coop, adding a known irritant is not going to help.
In 20 years we'll be seeing commercials like the mesothelioma ones regarding d.e, just watch.
"Where you or a loved one told that this product was safe?.....you may be entitled to compensation".
It's also a product of "strip" open pit mining, which throws the claims of "earth friendly " right into the garbage.

Not the food grade DE.

I use it 9 years now , and I am very happy with DE to prevent and treat a ‘not a terrible’ infestation of lice or mites.

I had a minor red mite infestation 9 years ago and started to use it as ‘paint’ on the walls, under the bedding in laying nests and in their indoor sandbath area (mixed with sand). Never had chickens with respiratory problems. And some of my chickens are much older than most chickens on BYC.

I got my second red mite infestation last year because I was too careful using it with chicks. Never had other mite or lice problems. And no worm problems either. I never used medicines.

Only had two deaths in 10 years with something health related (probably a weak breed or caused by inbreeding). No signs of respiratory related issues.

People without the experience of using it, really shouldn’t say its bad for their health. Because the foodgrade DE is NOT!

 

[BDutch]

I have never found DE effective. If you have mites/lice you are far better off using permethrin or Elector PSP to get rid of them.

Its not an easy fix. But it is effective if you are patient and make sure there are no hiding places left you should have cleaned/treated. + you have to clean/treat the coop at least twice with an interval of 10-12 days.
Best use DE in combination with special herbs. Monitor 2x a week in summer.

Permethrin and other poisons are forbidden to use by farmers in the food industry (in Europe). Because they have too much impact on the bees/insects and many red mites colonies became resistant. Most farmers use DE + herbal supplements nowadays.

 

[Squawkers]

Its not an easy fix. But it is effective if you are patient and make sure there are no hiding places left you should have cleaned/treated. + you have to clean/treat the coop at least twice with an interval of 10-12 days.
Best use DE in combination with special herbs. Monitor 2x a week in summer.

Permethrin and other poisons are forbidden to use by farmers in the food industry (in Europe). Because they have too much impact on the bees/insects and many red mites colonies became resistant. Most farmers use DE + herbal supplements nowadays.

What herbs?

 

[BDutch]

Wet DE does nothing. If they eat it, it's wet in the gut. Not effective at all. I tried all the 'recommended' non chemical things when I started out, and lost birds. Some environments may be much lower in worm loads than others. Some environments have a high parasite load. I no longer mess around. If I have birds carrying parasites, they get treated with wormers that work, and that is fairly often for me. My birds pick up round worm pretty regularly. Depending on the parasite, the irritation/damage to the gut can cause secondary infections as well sometimes. DE never did a darned thing for me. I prefer not to bury birds from fixable things. If you have never had a problem, then maybe your environment has a very low parasite load. I wouldn't credit the DE for having any impact.

After using it wet, it dries.
In dry poo the nymph die if they start to crawl.

I don’t know how effective it is against worms. Never had them. Never used dewormers.

 

[BDutch]

What herbs?

Finecto solution (there are other brands in the UK):
https://finecto.com/en
How does Finecto+ SOLUTION work?

Finecto+ SOLUTION is an application for drinking water based on various herbs such as echinacea, oregano, cynorrhodon and ginseng. These herbs make the blood indigestible and unattractive for unwanted cage visitors. If these unwanted visitors then drink blood from the chicken or bird, the visitor can no longer digest the blood and can no longer reproduce. In this way, the population of unwanted visitors becomes smaller and smaller!

Finecto+ powder
Ingredients

Echinacea, astragalus, uncaria, gentian, thymus, citronellol, citronallal, calcium carbonate, maltodextrin, sepiolite, sodium chloride.