Different types of diatomaceous earth?

[KiwiSue49]

I use only food grade DE puffed in coop/ run everywhere every 1-2 weeks when do big clean before new bedding is put down and so far no pests. I use poultry protector first then the DE. Food grade is safe in case of ingestion when they peck the floors. My girls are out playing in the yard when I clean and therefore not back till done to avoid any irritation to the respiratory system. They do fine. If you don’t let the birds out just work on opposite sides. Do coop when they are in run. Do run when they are in coop.

Hi melody, thanks for letting me know what you do.
I do their boxes when they are in their run eating breakfast, their run when they are out and about.
Favourite area when elsewhere
Cheers, Sue.

 

[KiwiSue49]

I found red mites (lots of the little suckers) living quite happily in the deep bed of DE I had in the bottom of my nest boxes under the bedding. So it's useless against mites. They'll move away from it if it's air borne but it certainly doesn't kill them.

Flowers of sulfur from a farm/feed store sprinkled about the coop is a better deterrent for those little pests, but if you have rodents or wild birds entering the run or coop it won't be enough to prevent an outbreak of external parasites they may be carrying. My problem has been mite carrying rats chewing through wood from underneath to break in.

Hi JaeG, another NZer
Thank you for the info. Not heard of that one. Will go check it out.
Cheers, Sue.

 

[KiwiSue49]

So do I.

What an odd term...'flowers'....should it be 'flours'...meaning fine powder?

Hi aart,
No, it looks like it is 'flowers' - Wikipedia. It is used as a fungicide, insecticide and fumigant. Cheers, Sue.

 

[KiwiSue49]

So do I.

What an odd term...'flowers'....should it be 'flours'...meaning fine powder?

Just found this:
When you look at Flowers of Sulphur under a microscope, the crystals resemble flowers, hence the name.
At: http://www.sunsetcroft.co.nz/flowers-of-sulphur.html
Sue

 

[007Sean]

So do I.

What an odd term...'flowers'....should it be 'flours'...meaning fine powder?

It is an odd term....this is the 1st time I have ever heard sulfer powder called "flowers of sulfer"! Is that a Kiwi term @JaeG ?

 

[Melky]

It is an odd term....this is the 1st time I have ever heard sulfer powder called "flowers of sulfer"! Is that a Kiwi term @JaeG ?

It was commonly an old British term. Take a look see.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowers_of_sulfur

 

[Melky]

Flowers of Sulfur was commonly used as a fungicide, insecticide, fumigant. I’m not sure of it’s safety in the chicken world.

 

[MissChick@dee]

For me DE works great getting rid of ants in my run. What else it actually does I cannot say for a fact.
For ants it’s amazing.

 

[aliciaFarmer]

I only use food grade due to the potential digestion issues non food grade can potentially cause. It's worth spending a bit more in my personal opinion, to keep your flock safe and well.

 

[JaeG]

Flowers of Sulfur was commonly used as a fungicide, insecticide, fumigant. I’m not sure of it’s safety in the chicken world.

It's no more toxic than table salt. You can add a little to chickens food as a supplement and you can buy it as a human supplement as many soils are now deficient in it which means our food is too. It's good for healing wounds as well.

Compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide and sulfur dioxide on the other hand are highly toxic.

It is an odd term....this is the 1st time I have ever heard sulfer powder called "flowers of sulfer"! Is that a Kiwi term @JaeG ?

That's what it's called here and in the UK - I think it's called elemental sulfur in the US. Its old name is brimstone.