Oh. I got the idea from a YouTuber and book Becky’s Guide to Raising Backyard Chickens. She adds 1 cup of the stuff to I think 50 pounds of food she says to keep them wormed. I’m brand new at this so I bought books, watched YouTube and joined here. So you don’t use it at all? Thanks. And thanks about the water
I'm a youtube junkie, I admit it
Sadly, DE is not a de-wormer, I do wish it were true! Many people have come to BYC needing help with worms, mites/lice, etc. when they discovered that using DE proved ineffective.
No, I don't use DE at all. Most of my run areas are covered so soil stays relatively dry. I do rake and turn up loose dirt in the runs. My birds take dust baths frequently and so far, I have not had problems with mites/lice.
I do worm 1-2 times a year using an anthelmintic like Fenbendazole or Valbazen.
For me, I love using those large rubber black bowls for water. Easy to clean, in winter I try to empty them at night but if I forget and water is frozen, you can just toss the bowls on the ground or even stomp on them, the ice comes right out. For me a poultry waterer can be a pain to use - plastic ones seem hard to fill, they get brittle as well. I've had galvanized ones as well and they rusted and/or began to leak - plus they always seems to have an oily film on the water no matter how much I cleaned them.
