Making a dust bath

[Chicky Tocks]

Quote:
Yeah but what you get at pool supply is not food grade. It's very important that you get food grade DE.

DE helps to keep parasites from getting on your chickens...mites specially!

 

[frogsong]

Quote:
Yeah but what you get at pool supply is not food grade. It's very important that you get food grade DE.

DE helps to keep parasites from getting on your chickens...mites specially!

Ahhh, thank you for the information. I didn't know there were different grades. Do you think the feed stores would carry it? And also, is this something I can give my button quail too? They love a good dust bath.

 

[BBK]

Blue Seal sells it, but it wasn't on their list w/prices. So, i asked the guy. i can't remember the price, but it was higher than STALL DRY, so we ended up getting that instead, it smells nice. BS also sells AG LIME, too.

Melinda

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. I have used an under the bed storage container with sand in it and weekly I sprinkle FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in the sand. The birds will mix it in when they scratch and dust in the sandbox. I bought a 50-lb bag of it online but don't remember which site.

 

[ecocheapomom]

My local feed store had small bags of it in the garden area, but they ordered me a 50 lb bag which was cheaper.

 

[monathequeen]

I have a spot in the run that I dug up in a circle and threw the dirt off to the side then took the tiller and tilled the dirt inside the hole. Then I filled the hole with Peat Moss and mixed it up with the dirt I tilled. They go absolutely nuts when I do this. I add more peat moss every other week and mix it all up again. The hole is deep enough that the dirt isn't kicked out.
I have never heard of adding DE. If there's plenty of loose dirt to roll around in, that's all they need to keep mites, fleas ect...off.
If your worried about keeping bugs off them, you would want to dust them with DE but only if they are scratching alot. I inspect them often and have never found any kind of mites on them. I owe that to a good Dirt-Box available to them at anytime.
I have NEVER used DE....also if you have dirt available anywhere they play, they will find a spot and dig a hole with their claws if they need to bathe..........chickens are smart creatures. They know how and when to get rid of bugs on them.

 

[SurprisingWoman]

I give my girls a small cardboard box with play sand and DE mixed together in their coop. It gives them something to do in the morning before I pull myself out of bed in the morning and they keep the flies and odor down for me. I no longer need to dust my coop with DE because when they bathe and shake, it's alllll over the place.

I have a VERY small tractor so it might not work for everyone but my girls love it. I can sweep all the sand they spill/shake on the floor of their coop and put it through a screen and reuse it.

It's lovely and has some great side benefits.

 

[Egg_newton]

I found a couple garden supply places locally that had food grade DE but it was $2-$3 per pound. However I did find a seller on ebay (wolf creek farms) that had 50# bag for $55 including shipping and handling. Sucks having to wait for them to ship it but if I can save a few dollars per pound it is worth it.

 

[Dirty Dozen]

If you buy DE at a pool place you will kill your birds! There are 3 grads, for a pool, for a garden, and food grade. You can google perma-guard de. they make food grade. i put in in with feed (a natural dewormer). i dust them in it 1x monthly to kill feather mites. you can also get it on ebay. it comes from out west so the shipping is usually more $ that the DE. i get 50#bag...lasts a long time. you can also sprinkle in coop or litter boxes/stalls to dry out. works great!