- Apr 29, 2013
- 32
- 1
- 24
Hey all,
Since our last post(@2 weeks ago), it's seems more obvious than ever that DE can exacerbate a respiratory issue, and definitely does NOT get rid of lice. Amongst other issues, our hens have been fighting respiratory issues for over a month. They'd come out of their coop in the morning really congested. Since replacing the sand in their coop(to which I had added DE and hydrated lime in small amounts), they sound much better in the morning. I scooped out the loose DE and soil in their dust bath area, and let them scratch up new soil. That also helped. About the same time, I noticed what looked like little wads of dirt caked around their vents, and "browning" of their feathers. Also, there were many missing feathers. After bathing the worse looking one, I could clearly see the wads of dirt were lice egg sacks with soil/DE stuck to them, and I could see the actual lice everywhere. The DE did not keep that from happening since those were not there @a month ago, as far as I could see. They would dust bath several times a day, and would get covered in dust. Even still, the lice survived just fine.
Another thing I noticed about the DE, when I would scoop their run and coop, a haze of dust would rise up and I personally avoided breathing it. It is not good for the lungs. After replacing the sand, I can scoop and not have that haze, so I assume the haze was the DE and possibly the hydrated lime, however the lime is very heavy and doesn't even kick up taking it out of the store bag.
One more piece of info.....was told by the vet's receptionist(mind you, possibly speaking out of turn), that the DE can dry out their skin, causing more flakes, giving the lice more to eat. Humm...... When I looked at the hens, they did have lots of flakes everywhere, including the tops of their heads, and lice were also everywhere, including the tops of their heads..... I don't remember there being as many flakes when they first arrived....
Not sure where the proof is that DE is a good thing. I'm thinking it could be coincidence that people who have used it for years, have never had a lice problem. Or, maybe once the lice are totally eradicated, and the hens are totally healthy with no respiratory issues, then the DE doesn't bother their lungs and maybe helps warding off an adult lice that might try to crawl up onto a bird.
All this opinion, with no real experience to back it up
And, feeling like a lot of remedies are promoted as natural, when in fact, they're actually harmful. I suppose in the same way that peanuts kill some people, but are okay for others. Just because it's natural, doesn't mean it can't harm you.
Since our last post(@2 weeks ago), it's seems more obvious than ever that DE can exacerbate a respiratory issue, and definitely does NOT get rid of lice. Amongst other issues, our hens have been fighting respiratory issues for over a month. They'd come out of their coop in the morning really congested. Since replacing the sand in their coop(to which I had added DE and hydrated lime in small amounts), they sound much better in the morning. I scooped out the loose DE and soil in their dust bath area, and let them scratch up new soil. That also helped. About the same time, I noticed what looked like little wads of dirt caked around their vents, and "browning" of their feathers. Also, there were many missing feathers. After bathing the worse looking one, I could clearly see the wads of dirt were lice egg sacks with soil/DE stuck to them, and I could see the actual lice everywhere. The DE did not keep that from happening since those were not there @a month ago, as far as I could see. They would dust bath several times a day, and would get covered in dust. Even still, the lice survived just fine.
Another thing I noticed about the DE, when I would scoop their run and coop, a haze of dust would rise up and I personally avoided breathing it. It is not good for the lungs. After replacing the sand, I can scoop and not have that haze, so I assume the haze was the DE and possibly the hydrated lime, however the lime is very heavy and doesn't even kick up taking it out of the store bag.
One more piece of info.....was told by the vet's receptionist(mind you, possibly speaking out of turn), that the DE can dry out their skin, causing more flakes, giving the lice more to eat. Humm...... When I looked at the hens, they did have lots of flakes everywhere, including the tops of their heads, and lice were also everywhere, including the tops of their heads..... I don't remember there being as many flakes when they first arrived....
Not sure where the proof is that DE is a good thing. I'm thinking it could be coincidence that people who have used it for years, have never had a lice problem. Or, maybe once the lice are totally eradicated, and the hens are totally healthy with no respiratory issues, then the DE doesn't bother their lungs and maybe helps warding off an adult lice that might try to crawl up onto a bird.
All this opinion, with no real experience to back it up
And, feeling like a lot of remedies are promoted as natural, when in fact, they're actually harmful. I suppose in the same way that peanuts kill some people, but are okay for others. Just because it's natural, doesn't mean it can't harm you.
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