Help-- !! Urgent!!! Diatomaceous Earth Dust issues....

[spatcher]

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I had a mite problem and contacted the county extension office . They sent my mites to Penn State and PSU called me yesterday to tell me they were bird mites. They told me that the best thing to sue was insecticidal soap . You can use it on the coop and the chooks. They said even a plain water wash is usually enough to interrupt the life cycle of mites.
I told him I had already used DE and he said that's fine but not neccesary and he also told me that Sevin is ineffective as a miteicide (sp).
It did take them almost a week to get back to me with the holiday so I pretty much had things under control myself but I thought the info was interesting.
I don't think you need DE or anything unless you have reason to think you have a problem.

Good to know about the Sevin! (why subject them to Carbaryl if it does no good)-On the other hand, DE has so many other things going for it I will continue to use it.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

To much dust of anything, harmless or not is not good to breath in for days. I would move chicks out to the basement? or garage? The bigger they get the dustier they get. And I agree with one of the others...if they are in a brooder they don't need DE yet. It does work GREAT in cat litter boxes if you have a cat tho

Just put a cup or two in the bottom of the litter box and cover that with litter.

 

[joebryant]

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I had a mite problem and contacted the county extension office . They sent my mites to Penn State and PSU called me yesterday to tell me they were bird mites. They told me that the best thing to sue was insecticidal soap . You can use it on the coop and the chooks. They said even a plain water wash is usually enough to interrupt the life cycle of mites.
I told him I had already used DE and he said that's fine but not neccesary and he also told me that Sevin is ineffective as a miteicide (sp).
It did take them almost a week to get back to me with the holiday so I pretty much had things under control myself but I thought the info was interesting.
I don't think you need DE or anything unless you have reason to think you have a problem.

If he told you that, he didn't know what he was talking about.

 

[needmorechickens!]

I use DE and I use it sparingly.
You wouldn't want to breathe it anymore than you have to, because it is such a small particle. You wouldn't want to breathe anything that small every day cause small particles can get in your lungs and cause issues, even if that particle is otherwise harmless.
When I had my chicks in my laundry room, I didn't even use DE and it was very dusty!
Chickens are just dusty little creatures!
I would recommend putting the chickens somewhere where your family doesn't spend so much time.
You probably don't even need DE until they are outside.
~Rebecca

 

[Momma_Cluck]

The Banties have been out in their temporary coop in my "office" entryway for about a week now-- and have adjusted nicely to being away from us...tho the 1st 2 days they cried LOUDLY all the time, and came running at us any time we went in!

Now there are Ten 2 week old Rocks in the bedroom-- tho they'll only be there 2-3 weeks TOPS until they adjust to being around people--- they'd only been in human contact for feed/water once or twice a day and no holding... so I'm suprised how quickly they have gotten to where they come to us.. especially the Barred Rocks-- the Partrige Rocks are more skittish.

NO DE in the house, and just bought some for the coop-- along with a bale of straw (Hay isn't readily available here yet!) so will be changing-out the litter tonight! But am still suprised that there is so little odor in there still!

 

[setter4]

Quote:
I had a mite problem and contacted the county extension office . They sent my mites to Penn State and PSU called me yesterday to tell me they were bird mites. They told me that the best thing to sue was insecticidal soap . You can use it on the coop and the chooks. They said even a plain water wash is usually enough to interrupt the life cycle of mites.
I told him I had already used DE and he said that's fine but not neccesary and he also told me that Sevin is ineffective as a miteicide (sp).
.

If he told you that, he didn't know what he was talking about.

No IF about it, he DID tell me that.
I have a good deal of faith in the county extension office and the entomology dept. at PSU.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
If he told you that, he didn't know what he was talking about.

No IF about it, he DID tell me that.
I have a good deal of faith in the county extension office and the entomology dept. at PSU.

Perhaps if you go to Google and type in -Sevin mites- you might lose your faith in them because if they said that, they're truly IGNORANT.

EDIT: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=65214&action=new

 

[Lea71]

After reading a few posts, I thought I'd chime in. Yes, food-grade DE is harmful if inhaled regularly. Use a paper mask when turning over the coop and working with DE in closed quarters. Any particulate matter inhaled is harmful to the lungs (I'm a respiratory therapist by the way). DE is a finely ground silica....silica has sharp edges, when inhaled it creates tiny scratches in the lungs which then turn into scarring. Repeated scarring of the lungs will cause a pulmonary fibrosis condition, rearing its ugly head later on in life. Asbestos exposure also causes pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that ruins the elasticity of your lungs. Like an old rubber band, so to speak, your lungs have no recoil.
Definitely wait to use DE until the chickens are outside, especially if your daughter is sharing space with them.

I love DE....wouldn't have chickens without it....works great keeping the ants away from the house also. But always protect yourself when working with it. Sometimes I run out of paper masks and just tie a bandana around my face, that works also.
Have fun your chickens!!

One more thing to add, someone earlier posted something about your lungs having no way to 'clean' themselves out.....not true....our lungs are covered in cilia, hairlike structures that move mucus up and out at all times. So yes...your lungs clean themselves 24 hrs. a day. Smoking cigarettes paralyzes and makes the cilia move in sporadic directions, that's why smokers have a largely productive cough, their lungs aren't removing matter like they are suppose to....okay enough lung talk....I'm off work today.

 

[joebryant]

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EXCELLENT ADVICE! THANKS

 

[Lea71]

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Wow...just read this one.....where is CPS when we call in babies born positive for drugs?...too busy...so we turn them over to their moms and let them take them home. Don't get me started on the flawed systems we have. Brooding chickens in a bedroom vs. drug-babies...kind of a no-brainer.