How much DE and how do I apply it?

[banananutmuffin]

I ordered my new coop and it should be ready in 2 weeks! This newbie is so excited!

I plan to start with 3 pullets in a run that's 52 sq ft. (They will also be let into our backyard occasionally... probably VERY seldom this summer, though, because we just built our house and are planting new grass this spring.) After reading advice here (you guys are the best!), I think I am going to do sand in my run. I'd like to mix in some DE. But how much should I mix in, how often, and how do I apply it?

If climate matters, I live right by the Mason-Dixon line. Summers can go either way--wet, wet, wet or dry as the desert. Winters are the same way. I'd say typically, though, we do get a fair amount of rainfall. Average summer high temp is about 89 degrees, average winter temp is a low of about 20 degrees. Annual average rainfall is about 40 inches. Wettest month of the year is May, with an average rainfall of 4 inches.

So, does anyone have a good guess as to how much DE I need to use and how often I should apply it?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I think I am going to do sand in my run. I'd like to mix in some DE.

So, does anyone have a good guess as to how much DE I need to use and how often I should apply it?

What do you expect it to do?​

 

[banananutmuffin]

It's my understanding that DE can help reduce both odor/smell and pests. I was hoping to do both, if possible.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You'd be better off to use pelletized lime in a run , since DE has no effect once it's wet.

Lime will do the same thing at a lower cost

 

[zookeeper15133]

DE will also keep the bugs out. I mix 5% in with my feed for wormer. Dust it on the wood shavings in the coop and nests. I have cochins and silkies and have no mite problems. It has to be food grade DE, not pool stuff. It is 35 cents a pound at my feed store. Dust it on with a flour sifter. Re-apply when you see bugs or it gets wet.

 

[Kudzu]

Quote:
Dang, sounds like the perfect place state to live in, just wish I knew what state it was.?

 

[banananutmuffin]

Well, I spend half my time in PA, and half in MD.

So if DE isn't effective when wet, why do so many people seem to use it in their runs? Is it just people living in very dry states?

 

[zookeeper15133]

Quote:
It is an effective moisture absorbent.

 

[Judy]

DE is used for a lot of things for which it is questionably effective. The other poster is right about pelletized lime for odors, very inexpensive and a bag lasts me a loooong time. No proof it works as a wormer. It sometimes is added to feed commercially, in small quantities, to keep the bugs in the feed down and to absorb moisture. It is probably useful to help control flies and lice/mites, but if my birds got a good load of lice/mites I would use another product that would kill. It is quite effective against caterpillar type bugs in the garden. There are other products like Stall-dri that can be added to the litter for flies, odor, etc.

Also, DE is a lightweight powder, easily inhaled, and is very much not good for lungs. You should wear a mask for handling but chicken's don't wear masks.... And it is expensive in comparison.

I do add it to the litter in the coop occasionally, mixing it in well while the chickens are outside, mostly as a lice/mite preventive, and because I have a big box of it. Oh, it's good against ants, too.