Proof that DE doesn't work

[flowerchild59]

I have a posting on the emergency/diseases forum regarding the necropsy results of some birds I purchased this summer and wound up getting sick. I used DE all summer and planned to worm the whole flock this fall.
I was glad that they didn't have CRD or anything like that but was shocked at the parasite load they had. This is just proof that chickens need regular worming and not just natural remedies. I wanted to be sure more people saw this posting.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=576036

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Thanks for the info.

 

[chickened]

I just had this conversation yesterday to a person and they thought DE killed lice... never killed mine.

 

[speckledhen]

It does work...if you start it BEFORE you have an infestation or use it on just a couple of birds who are separated in clean conditions like a quarantine situation. If you have a coopful of already infested birds with pests living in cracks and crevices, it can't work very well.

DE was in the nests and coops from the time my flock was young so pests didn't get a chance to get a foothold. In addition, a rooster I bought came to us covered in lice. The only thing I used on him in quarantine was DE. Killed every one of them, but after discovering them, I removed all bedding from his dog crate, put in new, sprinkled with DE as well as covering him in it. It does work on whatever bugs it touches, but is not a poison so is not instantaneous.

I'm not one of those folks who give it more credit than it deserves-good grief, you'd think it cured cancer, to hear some folks tell it! It does do what it does do, though, which is kill soft bodied bugs it comes in contact with. BUT, it must come in contact with them to kill them.

For cracks and crevices in the coops at clean out time, I use citrus oil based Orange Guard insecticide. It's safe for the birds and smells wonderful. We've never had mites/lice in the flocks here, at least not in the six years we've had chickens. If they do get them, we'll probably try to find poultry dust or mite/lice spray.



ETA: I have never fully bought that DE kills internal worms to any degree due to losing its cutting ability when wet, as it certainly is when inside an animal so I am only speaking to external parasite infestations.

 

[Erica]

With respect, I wouldn't feel the necropsy thread or this one show 'proof' that DE doesn't work; only that in your particular circumstances it didn't. We don't know the full history of your birds and their management.

The necropsy report to my mind was more concerned with the bacterial infections present than a huge parasite load. Indeed it used the word 'moderate' when referring to roundworm presence. Necrotic enteritis is a serious disease independent of worm presence (though one may complicate the other).

It's good of you to want to warn people about relying entirely on DE as a parasite cure-all. I just feel there is more to the report than worms.

Best wishes,
Erica

 

[chickened]

Sevin makes a garden safe poultry dust that supposedly is relatively harmless.
Quote:

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Worms weaken the immune system opening the door for bacterial and viral diseases. Treat for worms to prevent multiple problems. It's best to take a fecal sample to a vet and have it checked to be sure it's worms.

 

[al6517]

DE is a great preventitive and works great as an ongoing part of pest management, I use wormers, I use pestisides for annual use and anything else that works. But DE does have it's place in the chicken world it's just people get the facts all screwy and think it's a cure all when your birds are ate up with problems and that isn't the case. I like DE when used properly.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Agreed.


Ed, I know about Sevin Dust, just never had to use it.

 

[chickened]

In oregon the lice were really bad this year for some reason. It was really wet this year and maybe that was the problem. Crater Lake lodge got 67 feet of snow.