Diatomaceous earth

[lazy gardener]

Does stall fresh have chopped straw in it? If not, I believe it is.

 

[junkman56]

Does stall fresh have chopped straw in it? If not, I believe it is.

it does not have straw in it, it is small granules I use it on my poop board.
as for the dust bath I use (peat moss, sand, and wood ash,)

 

[lazy gardener]

it does not have straw in it, it is small granules I use it on my poop board.
as for the dust bath I use (peat moss, sand, and wood ash,)

Yep, same stuff. And good dust bath mix!!!

 

[Delaneygraces]

I use DE about once a month in VERY small amounts as a feed additive, and it seems to work pretty well.

 

[Birdsong 82]

is (sweet PDZ) the same as tractor supplies (Stall Fresh)

I honestly was thinking about the summer not even using it off like I said the amount I put down I’m sure cannot even be affective. I get paranoid about it and put so little down I can’t imagine it’s even do anything. We probably don’t need anything to be honest. Their coop has more than enough ventilation and those girls are almost always in the run. Thank you for the suggestion now I believe my friend has also look into the PDZ. Now I will know what to look into if I feel I do need something

 

[HoopyFrood]

Does anyone know if it is okay to give week old chicks straight diatomaceous earth for dust baths?

Glad to see attitudes towards DE seem to have changed at BYC over time. 100% agree it's a terrible risk for pulmonary health in adult birds, to say nothing of chicks.

@lazy gardener hit the nail on the head: just give them a little tray of dirt from their future run site - they will thank you for it!! It will get their immune system going and there is nothing cuter than a dust bathing chick...

Most people who dust with DE do so to eliminate parasites. I would take a different approach to parasites, but regardless I think it's safe to say that if they don't have parasites, DE doesn't make sense

DE Side note:trials have shown that putting DE in feed CAN eliminate insect pests that can ruin feed. In trials it has NOT been demonstrated to have any benefit to the animals eating the feed.

My feed is actually manufactured with DE (as are many, check your ingredient labels). I actually wish it wasn't, but I have very limited feed choices and am sufficiently convinced it doesn't harm the digestive system. But if I had my druthers DE wouldn't even be in my feed.

 

[TwoCrows]

I use DE in their feed at a 2% rate, along with kelp, probios, and garlic/yeast powder

I also feed DE at a 2% weight rate to feed/mash. I feel it makes a difference in feed conversion and keeps bad yeasts from over growing in the entire digestive tract. I will always add DE to my bird's feed.

To the OP, I would not suggest it be added to the dust bath. DE is very sharp to delicate tissue like the lungs and you don't want your bird's to inhale clouds of it while dust bathing. Many many years ago, before I knew how potentially dangerous it could be, I was spreading it vigorously throughout my quail avaries one day without wearing a dust mask and breathed quite a bit of DE in. Days later my lungs hurt, I ended up with a lung infection and was put on antibiotics! Lesson learned, do not let anything breathe in wafting clouds of DE.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I also feed DE at a 2% weight rate to feed/mash. I feel it makes a difference in feed conversion and keeps bad yeasts from over growing in the entire digestive tract. I will always add DE to my bird's feed.

To the OP, I would not suggest it be added to the dust bath. DE is very sharp to delicate tissue like the lungs and you don't want your bird's to inhale clouds of it while dust bathing. Many many years ago, before I knew how potentially dangerous it could be, I was spreading it vigorously throughout my quail avaries one day without wearing a dust mask and breathed quite a bit of DE in. Days later my lungs hurt, I ended up with a lung infection and was put on antibiotics! Lesson learned, do not let anything breathe in wafting clouds of DE.

That’s what I’ve always heard about DE. That the fragments cut bugs like razors and kill them but for larger things such as animals and people it’s not as harmful to ingest in small amounts. I don’t know enough about that to actually put it in their feet but I know a lot of people who have large farms do just to keep their feed from getting bugs in them. I’ve even read about some people adding it to Their own food and say that it acts like a little scrubbers in your stomach. I don’t know how comfortable I would feel with that but I think the point is it’s a lot more harmful for them to breathe it in. I do love using it on the ground in my garden. It has definitely been a help there

 

[lazy gardener]

DE does have a "following" of folks who say it has nutritional benefits b/c of the silica. Supposedly, while it wreaks havoc on the respiratory system, it is benign in the gut.

 

[Bob P]

Im confused.
https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/diatomaceous-earth-a-natural-remedy-for-troubled-chickens