egg shells rather than DE?

[patinoklahoma]

Does anyone out there know if crushed egg shells would work like DE for insect control? In gardening, they help control slugs the same way DE is advertised, by physically damaging the insect with the hard, sharpish surface. I give my chickens their shells, after drying and crushing, for the calcium.

For fly problems, I can't imagine either helping much, since fly larvae (maggots---ughhh!) live in manure and yukky stuff rather than in the soil, where the DE is suggested to be used.

Maybe a fan in the chicken house would help discourage flies and dry it out so their larvae can't thrive? We've had a monsoon season for weeks here in central Oklahoma and the flies love the chicken house.

 

[wendy]

where would you put the egg shells? our chickens love the eggshells for protein.

 

[patinoklahoma]

I didn't know the egg shells contained protein too. Somehow I thought they were calcium, or mostly calcium.

I'd read the DE comments on the forum and finally figured out it meant diatomaceous earth, then wondered if egg shells could serve the same purpose. I don't know. IF they would, however the DE is used, like sprinkling it around on the ground to deter insects, perhaps the crushed egg shells would do about the same thing.

 

[patinoklahoma]

You sent me to google to search "egg shell composition" to see just what egg shells had in them. Found the following at http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/eggshell-composition.shtml:
"The main ingredient in eggshells is calcium carbonate (the same brittle white stuff that chalk, limestone, cave stalactites, sea shells, coral, and pearls are made of). The shell itself is about 95% CaCO3 (which is also the main ingredient in sea shells). The remaining 5% includes calcium phosphate and magnesium carbonate and soluble and insoluble proteins."

 

[wendy]

Quote:
oh gosh, i meant calcium not protein. sorry i have small kids trying to keep a eye on, i wasn't thinking clearly. i think i only had one and half cups of coffee then too.

 

[MissPrissy]

I use DE (CODEX GRADE fossil shell flour by PERMAGUARD). The DE is as fine as talc. I can't see where egg shells would have any effect on insects or smell , unless you are able to process and grind as fine as the DE. That would require alot of egg shells.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Quote:
Sweet PDZ works wonders for flies. Just spread it around in the bedding.

 

[speckledhen]

We have the worst flies ever this year. Even DE isn't holding up its end of the bargain and I go through alot of it. I have just bought some PDZ to try as well, but I put DE in the feed to keep out bugs and help with natural worming. I have two fans in the coop, but the flies dont care.
I only use eggshells crushed to feed back to the hens for calcium or at the base of my veggie plants to discourage slugs and other things that would eat them-the shells cut up their bodies.