question regarding DE

[Rhaena]

I have read a lot on the forum about DE. I bought some from my feed store today, but nowhere on the package does it say "food grade". The powder is white like flour, and the brand name is Natural Guard. The Active ingredients are Silicon dioxide from diatomaceous earth ...85%, other elemental oxides...10%, Inert ingredients...5%. I plan on dusting my hens and their coop. What do you think? I want to use the right thing.
Thanks,

 

[speckledhen]

Wrong DE! Should be less than 1% silicon or maybe it's 3%, but not 85%. That is not food grade, it's more pool filter grade. Don't put it on your chickens or in the coop, only use that where the chickens cannot go. Here is a link with lots of good information on food grade DE:
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

 

[Rhaena]

Wow! Thanks so much for writing me back. I will return the stuff I bought today, and I've already ordered the food grade DE from the website from the link you gave me. Thanks again, and I'm glad I wrote and asked before dusting my girls.

 

[speckledhen]

You're welcome. It's not such an easy thing to find in some parts of the country and feedstore people are notoriously ignorant about it. What you have is fine for bug control, but not where the chickens can breathe it in, etc.