Your chickens don't eat the Sweet pads?
What are sweet pads?
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Your chickens don't eat the Sweet pads?
The sand stretches out the cost of the PDZ...not sure it makes for easier sifting?@aart thanks for the suggestion to mix some sand in with the pdz. I used play sand, and it was much easier to clean up the poop board this weekend.
No need to go that deep with the PDZ .....1/2 inch is plenty, and they won't dust bath in a half inch.First, thank you all for endless information on "boards." Yesterday I constructed a 2' X 4' X 3 1/2" wooden tray lined with linoleum; filled it with three inches of PDZ; and slid the tray under the roost. How nice to go out to a clean coop this morning! I do appreciate the many helpful ideas I find on BYC.
I forgot to mention, unfortunately PDZ is zeolite, a natural mineral. We must also remember asbestos is a natural mineral also. I am kind of sorry I found this out, darn it!I LOVE this idea and have been reading all the posts and doing some research and boy do I hate to be the person with bad news but I think everyone should at least know and make up their own minds,
This info is from Memorial Sloan Cancer Center:
- Natural zeolites can cause cancer when inhaled. There is no evidence that other forms of zeolite cause cancer.
- Vulkansandkuren, a zeolite product marketed in Europe, was found to contain high levels of heavy metals including arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, copper, and chromium.
Mesothelioma (exposure to zeolite dust is associated with high incidence of mesothelioma, a tumor that affects the lining of the chest or abdomen.
and this is from Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance at Mesothelioma.com
What is Zeolite?
Known in scientific terms as hydrated alkali aluminum silicate, zeolites are a group of minerals that contain mostly hydrated aluminum and silicon compounds. Their common names are Clinoptilolite, Erionite, Phillipsite, andMordenite. They are found in volcanic rock and ashes and sometimes used as additives in animal feeds. Because of their porous structure, zeolites may be used as absorbents, desiccants, detergents, and as water and air purifiers.
Zeolites have enjoyed some use in the health field as well including as dietary supplements for hangovers and an adjuvant therapy for various types of cancer. (These are not FDA-approved treatments.) However, there is a lack of data supporting zeolite’s efficacy and there is no conclusion as to whether zeolites are safe, as the mineral’s systemic effects on the body are not totally clear at this point without more research.
The Link to Mesothelioma
What is clear, however, is that exposure to zeolite dust is associated with an increased risk for developing malignant mesothelioma. Simply put, zeolites are carcinogenic when inhaled. As a matter of fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer lists zeolite as a Group 1 Carcinogen, a categorization used when there is sufficient evidence of mesothelioma carcinogenity in humans.
Read more: http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/risk-factors/zeolite.htm#ixzz3zbW2pO4U
I had already been planning a poop board for my coop, now.....I don't think I can do it.
Sorry about being bearer of bad tidings, and I'm new on this forum, sigh.