Is the Diatomaceous Earth making my chickens cough?

[sammi]

it sounds to me that the DE dust has irritated them, as Lynne posted earlier.
especially since you say they were locked in the coop for the day..
I think I would clear some of it out..
while they are not in the coop...
try not spread into the air.
do you have a shop-vac?
you might have to change out the bedding if it's full of dust..

I try to be very careful when using dusts..
they tend to be pretty sensitive to dusts.

if you can..it might not hurt to wipe the beaks with dampish cloth.

keep an eye out for any other symptoms or if they start to wheeze.

sorry you lost your hen..
did you post about it?

 

[maymiegirl]

I would suggest one other thing--just to be on the safe side. Oxine water in a mister or (I use a vaporizer) kills viruses in the air very well when applied inside a coop or room. A bit of that moisture should settle the fine dust a little and kill any viral or bacterial scoundrel that may be trying to invade their little space. Just a suggestion. I use it in the water in my incubators so my babies hatch into virus-free, pristene air. Then after they are moved to the brooder, I use a vaporizer on them. It is an excellent way to keep them in a clean environment until they can establish their immune defenses. With all that is happening in the poultry world today no keeper can be too careful.

 

[sammi]

info about oxine:

http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

 

[al6517]

Quote:
so can you apply the DE to the chickens body if it is food grade, what about when they rub themselfs with their beaks, couldn't they get some ingested then??. My De say's 2% by weight, mine do not have any problems but I also bought it as a preventitive and just add a touch or so to their food once a month. I have not applied it yet to any of the coop and run area, as I am in Oklahoma land of the forever wind, blowing 30 mph most days. I was a little leary about being around the coop/run with DE in those windy conditions. What are the safe ways to use it, to protect them and us. Thanks for your help.

AL

 

[sammi]

I think it was a matter of using a little too much in the bedding and on the birds..then being locked in the coop because of windy conditions...
I can't see the poster's coop..whether it has windows or open doors..

using some in dustbaths with sand is probably ok..and a bit in the feed.

I don't use DE..
it's a matter of personal preference.

whenever I dust my coops..I lock the birds out till everything is settled..and I don't use a lot..mostly in crevices, etc..and scrubbed in with a broom..
hardly any in bedding.
some people use spray, and let it dry well and air the coop out before the birds come in.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

In my experience, when I thought I had used too much DE, it was actually that there wasn't enough ventilation. I went from thinking it was the DE, to thinking it was the very strong smelling pine shavings, to finally finding out it was the ventilation that was plugged up from frost (there isn't any way of keeping the frost build up off vents, or windows when it is _45 to _50 F.) Do you have excellent ventilation? I certainly wouldn't be afraid to use DE, some people on this forum have said that they use 4 cups of DE when putting new bedding in. Obviously, they have a good ventilation system, or they would have the same problem I did. In my situation, I ended up buying a de-humidifier, because the windows would freeze up, etc. in the extreme cold temperatures. Don't know if you need to do something this drastic in your situation, but it sure took care of our problem, until the weather warmed up.

 

[speckledhen]

I have used DE for years and I have never heard a chicken cough, not even when it became too dusty in the coop, but I have excellent ventilation in there.
I agree with the Oxine that was suggested.

 

[al6517]

I have good ventilation in my coops/runs, if anything with the wind around here it may be to much ventilation, the wind just blows everything all over the place. I do the same as I only use a little in the feed and a dust bath.

AL

 

[LynneP]

How are your birds today?

It goes to show that conditons are not as predictable as we would like. When you study your coop for ventilation, need for bedding treatments, humidity and the like...it will never be identical to the next backyard coop...the more experienced among us look at their birds, not what is or isn't in the normal range and adjust. Those of of with less experience have to learn, fast!

 

[Queen Chika]

Thanks everyone for your help & suggestions. Our coop is fairly large for the quantity of birds we have, and it's ventilated well, enough to keep them warm as well as allow for air to escape through vents. They weren't locked up in the coop until a day or two after I had used the DE, which I didn't think I used too much, although I've never used it before. I just sprinkled around in places I knew the hen that had pests had been, as well as providing the dust/DE bath for them, which I have now moved outside to the run. I did clean out all the bedding just in case yesterday. He still seems gurggley, maybe it's a cold?