Is this a breast bone sticking out or a growth?

[Kiki]

Small amounts of DE is actually already in *most* commercial feeds... it is a natural desiccant, so helps keep the rest of the ingredients drier...

I know this...thanks Rav...but I want to know why the other member adds it to her feed.

 

[Kiki]

I'm waiting for the "TO PREVENT WORMS" famous saying!

 

[Kiki]

Loads of message can be a good thing.
Consider them LEARNING EXPERIENCES.


"Normal" people don't come here to argue.

 

[Kiki]

Do we need to argue about this? I use it, you don't. If all my chickens suddenly die painfully, then well done, you were right, but for now, It's not doing any harm, so I'll continue use. Just because I do, doesn't mean you have to, or anyone else, for that matter. I'm not interested in arguing with any of you. I'll use DE. You don't have to.

I'm not arguing.
I am curious as to what you use it for, that is all.
I want to know what you think it does.

 

[Kiki]

You should not have announced you use it if you can't/won't/refuse to share WHY you use it.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

KIKISGIRLS


I am going to say this.It DOES.Your are very wrong when you say it doesn't!I even just asked my mother, and TRUST me, she is very into natural stuff and uses DE a lot:
"Of course!DE does help with fleas, remember When we used it on Elmo, Dorthy, Fuji, Harry, Ariless and Murphy?It got rid of all the fleas!and it works for the hornworms"
This is just my opinion.

 

[rIrs roost]

De is trash...it's good for NOTHING.

If you want to keep the smell down start using the "deep litter method" it works fabulously and it's totally free!

i agree with both kiki.

This is why I hold my breath when handling large quantities

I'm honestly not arguing with anyone. But if the chickens scratch it has to become air born. I wish that I knew how to share all that I researched about it. But I'm kinda dumb with computers lol. It's really up to the individual what they use but it's nice to see what others have experienced and researched to make up your on mind to use it or not. I would honestly like to know why people use it for chickens. The reasons that I don't is because it's terrible for even use to breathe in, and it causes a lot of respiratory issues. And after reading another article today it has really turn me against it. As some said before, in the 40's and 50's they use to think that asbestos was good too. They used a lot in playgrounds.

 

[Pyxis]

KIKISGIRLS


I am going to say this.It DOES.Your are very wrong when you say it doesn't!I even just asked my mother, and TRUST me, she is very into natural stuff and uses DE a lot:
"Of course!DE does help with fleas, remember When we used it on Elmo, Dorthy, Fuji, Harry, Ariless and Murphy?It got rid of all the fleas!and it works for the hornworms"
This is just my opinion.

DE might work on external parasites and garden pests. It works by drying them out. However, it doesn't work at all when it gets wet. So if it rains after you apply it or put it on plants, etc, it is no longer any good.

And that also goes for eating it. Of course when eaten, it gets wet. So it's no good at all for internal parasites like worms.

In addition to that, the crystals are very sharp and inhaling it can damage lungs and it also irritates eyes. So doing something like mixing it into coop bedding or putting it into dust bathing spots where it will get kicked up into the air constantly runs the risk of causing lung damage and eye damage to your animals. I'm not saying you do this, of course, I'm just putting it out there for others to read.

Finally, applying it directly to animals causes their skin to dry out, which is of course because it's a desiccant, and is how it kills bugs, like I said before. That is pretty uncomfortable for the animal. If you want to see what I mean, stick your hand in it and feel how dry your skin gets. It's not a nice feeling.

So yes, it will work in a limited fashion on bugs and pests outside the animal (I'd never use it to try to get rid of an active infestation, because most times it won't), but in the process can cause a host of other issues and discomfort to whatever animal it's being used on.

Here's what a veterinarian has to say about DE as a wormer.

 

[rIrs roost]

I've read that you can go into a garage after something has been sand blasted and that's pretty much DE that you can sweep up. Not sure if that's true but it does seem that it could be to me anyways.

 

[casportpony]

Mites and lice can live in a bed of it... plenty of people here on BYC have reported such stories.