Maybe I should have posted here-DE question

[logansmommy7]

I bought some organic Concern brand DE and it says crawling insect killer but safe for children, animals, etc. Obviously you don't want to inhale it or get it in your eyes. This is the stuff you can use for chickens, right? How much do I use and where do I put it, only the run, or in the coop/nest boxes too? Advice please! I posted under Managing your Flock not thinking.

Thanks in advance.

 

[RevaVirginia]

A quick google search showed me they offered food grade DE as well, so 1st thought would be use caution and take some time here finding out...1st thought - don't use it yet.

 

[logansmommy7]

That is why I posted...I want to be sure

 

[RevaVirginia]

I'm sure I've seen posts adamantly stating to "make sure" you use the food grade or Codex something or other...I'm sure someone with a good link will come along shortly...take a look at dirtworks.net. I think the concern here is the way chickens eat..anything that catches their eye. Hence, they don't want to use anything but...the food grade.

 

[monkeyspinner]

I just posted yesterday about this I used it for two days. My Chickens started sneezing. Some one else said Theirs did too and other people said not. IT is between 2-5% of their feed for worming, I would recommend mixing it up out side it is about 83% silica which no one wants to breath, and of course make sure it is food grade. For dusting some people seem to use a pinch or something.

 

[Andora]

If it says safe for children and animals then I would assume it is food grade, but google all you can before using!

My chickens don't sneeze with DE...I usually put a small handful into their 7 gallon feeder once or twice a week and I mix it in well before giving it to them. If I don't put it in the feed, I take defrosted frozen corn and shake it in a little DE (like shake n' bake!) and give them DE nuggets once a week or so. I've found when they eat DE regularly there are much less flies in their poop.

I also sprinkle a styrofoam cup full of DE on to the bare floor of their 4x4 foot coops, 1 cup per coop, then add another two cups of stall dry, then cover it in several inches of pine shavings.

And recently I used DE to get rid of our spring ants! I made a paste with water and used a plastic knife to put it all around the base of the house in the area they were coming in, then I dumped a little DE on their nest, and boom...no more ants. That's the easiest I have ever won the spring battle with ants.