Question about using Diatomaceous Earth for chickens to dust bathe in.

[katieash]

I have bought medical grade diatom from www.diatomx.co.uk The site looked quite nice, has tons of information and does different types of Diatom but I bought the white powdered version as I have read it is good for cutting cholesterol levels, has anyone else experienced this?

Kate

ps, from what i have read, it has 90+% silicone which is good for you and less than 3% of this is crystalline silicone so it relatively harmless when inhaled. It is the cheaper stuff that is over 5% crystalline silica that can cause lung silicosis

 

[katieash]

I have bought medical grade diatom from www.diatomx.co.uk The site looked quite nice, has tons of information and does different types of Diatom but I bought the white powdered version as I have read it is good for cutting cholesterol levels, has anyone else experienced this?

Kate

ps, from what i have read, it has 90+% silicone which is good for you and less than 3% of this is crystalline silicone so it relatively harmless when inhaled. It is the cheaper stuff that is over 5% crystalline silica that can cause lung silicosis

 

[katieash]

I have bought medical grade diatom from www.diatomx.co.uk The site looked quite nice, has tons of information and does different types of Diatom but I bought the white powdered version as I have read it is good for cutting cholesterol levels, has anyone else experienced this?

Kate

ps, from what i have read, it has 90+% silicone which is good for you and less than 3% of this is crystalline silicone so it relatively harmless when inhaled. It is the cheaper stuff that is over 5% crystalline silica that can cause lung silicosis

 

[sevenchickens]

Quote:
Get some Muscovies (yes i know they are going to be illegal). They are doing studies with them on dairy farms and claim they work better than fly predators.

Natural Horse Vet makes a feed through product that really does work too. I think the main ingredient is garlic. I have a friend with a Standard Breed cross that has horrible fly sensitivities too so she uses this in conjunction with a fly spray she makes her self and has all but eliminated the problem.

BTW-beautiful Fjord. and IMO you have to do what works for you and your animals and is inline with your belief system. I have a Border Collie with food allergies. I could choose to keep him on steroids but I have chosen to eliminate the allergen from his diet. This is what works for me and him.

 

[sevenchickens]

Oh, Kelley G- did your fly predators work on deer and horse flies? The ones that the boarding facility I was at used did an ok job but the deer and horse flies were terrible.

 

[Penturner]

Quote:
First I am not offended with this statement at all, but I do see humor in it. It is the Fly Spray that at one time would have gotten someone imprisoned for practicing magic. Sort of a huge turn in thinking. DE does work and is actually one of the oldest and most effect ways to control Cock Roaches. Problem is I think the bugs have to crawl around on it for it to work. This may be why it is not as effective on flys. You also want it applied in just a very fine dust covering everything to work best. But it is completely harmless to people and can actually be used in kitchens and that sort of thing. Some of the non food grade types actually have other chemicals added to "Help" it kill bugs better. I would think that letting your chickens dust bath in it would do a good job of killing any mites. But the added stuff could poison them as well as the bugs so you want to be sure and get just DE. or in other words Food Grade.

I don't mean to laugh at anyone, but that post made me think of semi spontaneous joke. "What! No chemistry? Get a rope. They must be a witch"!!!. Okay I will quit now.

 

[write2caroline]

I got a small container of FOOD GRADE DE at petsmart which had a picture of a chinchilla on the label. My girls loved it - What I didn't realize is that it was sparkly and my girls looked especially pretty with some sparkle on their sandy feathers as they walked out from under their favorite tree where they do the dust bath and into the sunlight!
Caroline

 

[sevenchickens]

My kids would love glitter chickens.... maybe you've got a marketable product there!!

 

[pixiedouglas]

DE is not that effective against pests that can fly (i.e. flies!) They have to get the DE on them in order for it to be effective so it's very effective against pests that crawl. We use it to defend our blueberries since we're don't like to use any kind of chemical pesticide. The whole point of growing our own blueberry field is so my babies can eat fresh blueberries all summer free of pesticides. My parents spent TONS of money on chemical flea repellants for their dogs and cats and still they were being chewed alive. My hubby dusted them all with some DE and lo and behold.... flea problem solved. The downside is, you have DE everywhere. As others have said you have to make sure you are buying the food grade DE. Yes it is good to put it in their food, and even eat it yourself. It has the same effect on intestinal parasites as it does on pests that creep and crawl in your garden.

 

[SooZeeQ]

WHOA! Hi, I've been lurking on this forum, and I signed in to tell you all about the "Chinchilla Dust" - it's called Blue Diamond and it makes the chinchillas nice and pretty.
I don't recall that there are any "pest" issues - lice and mites and such. So I'm thinking it's designed to make the rodents more attractive?

We've had Huskies for 12 years, Chinchillas for 5 years, and our 16 hens for just over a year and with chicken math bought 12 more last month.
Have to admit, I never knew that hens dusted - silly chick am I! Must be because I'm a transplanted city kid from NYC, and what do I know???

Chinchillas take dust baths in little boxes, they're almost as funny as when the hens are flipping' around in the dirt.
First time I saw a hen do it, I thought the creature was convulsing - but she was a happy camper and seemed contented,
and I hunted down this forum and became educated. Thank you all - anything y'all can do to stop the rain here in OH?
Feel awful that my girls are ankle-deep in mud, ugh.

So I bought DE today at a local garden store, and I panicked when I read the label, and thought the same thing about their little
respiratory system - and HOW can they breathe this stuff and not die? I presently use a recycled children's sandbox (yes, the turtle)
and I've just put sand in and the ladies are fabulously happy but I think now I'll swipe a cupful of the Chin's dust and add it to the sand - so yes,
sparkly chickens! And save the DE for the nest boxes and coop - I feel better knowing that the chins don't die from Blue Diamond.

Tee hee!
Sue

1 husband, 2 Siberian Huskies, 18 Chinchillas, 16 RI Red Hybrids, and 12 Red sex-link TBA chicks
in the 'burbs, hoping to get on a farm later this year, sigh

I'll post some pictures soonly - it's way past my bedtime!