Quick DE question

[bradgsanford]

Hello all,

I am completing the coop today and moving my 5-6 week old chickies into it. I'm heading out this morning to locate me some DE. My question is should i sprinkle it underneath the pine shavings, on top of the pine shavings, or just go nuts and fling it everywhere?

Thanks for any advice.

Also, if you're in the Tuttle/Blanchard/Newcastle/Chickasha area of Oklahoma, if you know where to get some, that would be helpful. Otherwise I'll be hitting up every feed store around here.

-Brad G. Sanford

 

[chick-in-florida]

i just go nuts and fling it everywhere

 

[sullivansteph]

I found some DE at my local feed store. It was in a gallon sized container or maybe a little larger. Cost was $13.95. I have been using it because I noticed that everyone recommended it, but I am confused about its use. Is it to keep flies away? or is it a wormer? or both???

 

[patandchickens]

Definitely NOT "go nuts and fling it everywhere".

At most, you could sprinkle a little in the vicinity of crevices where mites could hide out.

At this point though, if its' a new coop and you're just now putting young chicks in, I don't honestly see much if any point in using it at ALL... what are you hoping to achieve with it?

Good luck, have fun, wear a mask,

Pat

 

[tysonandperdue]

I put it everywhere. I spread it out on the perches and mix it up in the sand in my pen.

 

[TouchO'Lass]

Quote:
I found mine at an ag supply store, $20 for 50lbs, but I'm a LOOOOONG ways from ya'll.

The big feed and seed nearest me (35 miles) sells a 5 lb bag for $20. ?! You can find it online for a good price (ie Amazon), but then the shipping is more than the DE costs.
Be ABSOLUTELY certain it IS food grade. DE is also used in water filtration systems such as swimming pools, but that DE has been chemically treated and heated to make the microscopic crystals hazardous to animals and humans.

As for the uses? Depending on which site you read from, it's good for everything from external parasites to worms to digestive issues.
It's basically 'fossil shell flour' and has a similar consistency to regular baking flour, so when you spread it, be careful not to create airborne dust than can be breathed in. Although it's safe taken internally (following label directions!), it can cause respiratory problems if inhaled. Once it settles, tho, it pretty much stays. When I add new shavings, I add another dusting of DE. It's going to sift down thru the shavings, but as the chicks scratch, it gets re-distributed. I use an old baby powder shaker so I can poof it into cracks and crevices where ticks and mites like to hide.

DE acts as a dessicant, so it drys out the poop faster than normal, which will help keep flies and odor away.

Next, a lot of insects are affected when they come in contact because it dries and scrapes their protective exo-skeleton and they dehydrate.

I add a sprinkling to the sandbox about once a week, and the ladies take care of dusting themselves...

How it acts on worms is not precisely clear (or proven, from what I've read), but those who use it on all their pets and livestock swear by it. For example http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth.html
Keep in mind that most of those sites also SELL DE, sooooo...

A lot of internal parasites attach to the intestinal walls, so perhaps it acts as an irritant disrupting their attachment...

I didn't start using it until my crew was about 4 weeks and in the outside brooder, and it's cut down the odors considerably. I have a bale of straw in their run that they just love and I don't have the heart to take it out, but it's impossible to get all the droppings out of the straw, so I dust the poops every few days, turn the bale 1/4, and the poop just dries and flakes off. schweet...

Best advice I can give ya' is to read, read, read, then decide. When you find a product, look up the MSDS (material safety data sheet) and it should tell you how to use it and what precautions to take.

Good Luck!

 

[de kippendame]

TouchO'Lass :

Quote:
I found mine at an ag supply store, $20 for 50lbs, but I'm a LOOOOONG ways from ya'll.

The big feed and seed nearest me (35 miles) sells a 5 lb bag for $20. ?! You can find it online for a good price (ie Amazon), but then the shipping is more than the DE costs.
Be ABSOLUTELY certain it IS food grade. DE is also used in water filtration systems such as swimming pools, but that DE has been chemically treated and heated to make the microscopic crystals hazardous to animals and humans.

As for the uses? Depending on which site you read from, it's good for everything from external parasites to worms to digestive issues.
It's basically 'fossil shell flour' and has a similar consistency to regular baking flour, so when you spread it, be careful not to create airborne dust than can be breathed in. Although it's safe taken internally (following label directions!), it can cause respiratory problems if inhaled. Once it settles, tho, it pretty much stays. When I add new shavings, I add another dusting of DE. It's going to sift down thru the shavings, but as the chicks scratch, it gets re-distributed. I use an old baby powder shaker so I can poof it into cracks and crevices where ticks and mites like to hide.

DE acts as a dessicant, so it drys out the poop faster than normal, which will help keep flies and odor away.

Next, a lot of insects are affected when they come in contact because it dries and scrapes their protective exo-skeleton and they dehydrate. http://bestsmileys.com/dead/3.gif I add a sprinkling to the sandbox about once a week, and the ladies take care of dusting themselves...

How it acts on worms is not precisely clear (or proven, from what I've read), but those who use it on all their pets and livestock swear by it. For example http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth.html
Keep in mind that most of those sites also SELL DE, sooooo...

A lot of internal parasites attach to the intestinal walls, so perhaps it acts as an irritant disrupting their attachment...

I didn't start using it until my crew was about 4 weeks and in the outside brooder, and it's cut down the odors considerably. I have a bale of straw in their run that they just love and I don't have the heart to take it out, but it's impossible to get all the droppings out of the straw, so I dust the poops every few days, turn the bale 1/4, and the poop just dries and flakes off. schweet...

Best advice I can give ya' is to read, read, read, then decide. When you find a product, look up the MSDS (material safety data sheet) and it should tell you how to use it and what precautions to take.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the very informative post and link! DE seems like a must have and I LOVE the fact that is it natural! I am planning on getting some for sure! I hate putting frontline, etc. on our dogs and my hillbilly DH even Sevin dusts them! Makes me cringe every time!! My kids waller all over the dogs and I'm sure they will be very hands on with the chickies! Knowing that there will be chemical free pest control that is perfectly safe for humans(as long as its not breathed in) makes me happy!

I also like the fact that it can be added to their food for parasite control!​

 

[bradgsanford]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I found a 50 lb bag of Perma-Guard brand at Tuttle Feed & Seed in Tuttle, OK for $27.

 

[w8tn4fresheggs]

Excellent link to explain all about food grade DE for all purposes.



http://www.earthworkshealth.com/

 

[Doopy]

Quote:
$27 for a 50 lb. bag is outrageous. I better get to the feed mill and see if our prices have gone up that much. I have two 50 lb. sacks of food grade DE out in the coop storage area now and I paid $17 each last fall.

TouchO'lass provided a great reply with lots of good info.