It is best mixed into their dust bathing area. It can potentially aggravate their respiratory system if used in a confined space, so just be mindful of how much dust is in the air.
That being said, I've used it for several years as a preventative and it has not caused any I'll health in my flock
As others have mentioned, it is ineffective when wet and would need to be applied in 'large' quantities to handle an outbreak.
It does not harm if ingested and does not require a withholding period for eggs like frontline, or other pest control products, but the trade-off is how much would need to be applied for it to be effective.
If you have an active mite outbreak in a large flock, chemical control will likely be more effective. For a small flock, you could thoroughly dust each bird - working DE into the feathers so it's predominantly close to the skin and then heavily powdering the coop, nest boxes and perches. (As in 1/4-1/8 inch thick, so very, very thorough) and mixing into their dust bath for future maintenance.
Also, as others have said, it does not help in the control of internal parasites.
That being said, I've used it for several years as a preventative and it has not caused any I'll health in my flock
As others have mentioned, it is ineffective when wet and would need to be applied in 'large' quantities to handle an outbreak.
It does not harm if ingested and does not require a withholding period for eggs like frontline, or other pest control products, but the trade-off is how much would need to be applied for it to be effective.
If you have an active mite outbreak in a large flock, chemical control will likely be more effective. For a small flock, you could thoroughly dust each bird - working DE into the feathers so it's predominantly close to the skin and then heavily powdering the coop, nest boxes and perches. (As in 1/4-1/8 inch thick, so very, very thorough) and mixing into their dust bath for future maintenance.
Also, as others have said, it does not help in the control of internal parasites.