Did I kill my chickens accidentally?

[Lelilamom]

My run is a horrid mess! So I grabbed a couple cups of DE from our pool shed and sprinkled it on the poop board and on a mucky part of the chicken run.

Today I went out to put the chickens back in the coop for the night and found one chicken dead in the weeds. There were feathers scattered about, but the chicken didn't look to be mauled.

Did I kill my chickens?

 

[Stiggy]

Are you sure it as DE that you sprinkled? If so I doubt it, and the feathers being scattered suggest a predator

 

[Lelilamom]

Are you sure it as DE that you sprinkled? If so I doubt it, and the feathers being scattered suggest a predator

Yes, we use it for our pool. It says "Pure Diatomaceous Earth" and it's for swimming pools. I didn't know there was a different kind! When I saw the dead chicken, I started looking for answers. The only change made was the DE yesterday when I cleaned the coop so I started doing research. I feel simply horrible. I love my girls.

 

[Stiggy]

DE can be mixed into other things and their are different grades, usually for animals you would use food grade. Are you sure there were no marks or puncture wounds? It could have been chased and had a heart attack from stress or had its neck broken

 

[CGChickMama]

I would suspect a predator based on the feathers. Some animals make small puncture wounds you have to look for through the feathers really closely. If the rest of your girls are fine I would just be watchful of them so whatever got your one girl doesn't get the rest. I don't think it was the DE but I you plan to use DE make sure it's food grade.

 

[Lelilamom]

DE can be mixed into other things and their are different grades, usually for animals you would use food grade. Are you sure there were no marks or puncture wounds? It could have been chased and had a heart attack from stress or had its neck broken

I found that out after the fact - I didn't know there was a food grade. I thought "pure" meant that it was safe. I didn't check the hen over. I found her when I had my 3mos old baby in my arms and I couldn't examine her. My husband buried her. There were quite a few feathers around her where we found her, but honestly, I don't know what a broken neck looks like. She is only 15 mos old.

We do have two cats in the area that wander around - but I didn't think they'd take out one of my chickens.