Starting to get paranoid about using things like diatomaceous earth on my chickens :(

[Egghead_Jr]

Diatoemaceous earth is safe if you don't breath a dust cloud of it. Any airborne silica is not good for you. Why OSHA now requires dust masks when scraping, grinding, or cutting concrete. It's common sense.

Silica is everywhere in nature, rubbing two quartz together will produce a small amount of air borne silica.

 

[Blooie]

I use DE for all my animals and never had any issues. I use food grade and mix it in with my bedding for chickens and my dogs (no mites or fleas). I also mix it in with food once a week for my 9 cats and they are all in their teens, no problems. I mix it in the bedding and let any dust settle before I allow my girls where it is mixed, so that they don't breath it.

You must have more stationary chickens than I had at the time I was faithfully using it. They walk in it, dust kicks up. They dust bathe in it, dust kicks up. They squiggle around in the nests to get comfy and lay, dust kicks up. They shake their feathers, dust kicks up. They scratch for goodies in it, dust kicks up. There’s always DE dust floating around there.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

You must have more stationary chickens than I had at the time I was faithfully using it. They walk in it, dust kicks up. They dust bathe in it, dust kicks up. They squiggle around in the nests to get comfy and lay, dust kicks up. They shake their feathers, dust kicks up. They scratch for goodies in it, dust kicks up. There’s always DE dust floating around there.

Yes, the "billowing stuffs"! If you use DE in bedding, then that will definitely get stirred up. The dust is also from dander, bedding materials, dirt, etc., seasonal pollens are about to get added to mix if they haven't already in some parts of the country.

 

[ChookieG]

Diatoemaceous earth is safe if you don't breath a dust cloud of it. Any airborne silica is not good for you. Why OSHA now requires dust masks when scraping, grinding, or cutting concrete. It's common sense.

Silica is everywhere in nature, rubbing two quartz together will produce a small amount of air borne silica.

Absolutely. I ordered a pallet of bricks years ago for a reno project and happened to read the OH&S on the side of the order and the warnings that came with it is similar to that of asbestos. Similar warnings are listed on the side of cement bags. Silicon is the issue and long term exposure of fine silicon particulates will result in silicosis - symptoms of which are very similar to asbestosis. Unfortunately, many people in the industry take these warnings very lightly - you don't see any construction workers wearing PPE when mixing cement or laying bricks... do you? You don't even see it on reno/DIY shows either! Complacency is the issue here and TBH (and unfortunately), it's damn hard to be working hours on end laying bricks or hauling cement in PPE gear!

 

[Bonnieboo]

I've always found that if I keep a light dusting of DE on their bedding, they don't get those horrible stick mites that hook onto their comb and wattles,. I know it works because if I don't keep it up the mites arrive.

 

[Yvette In California]

Has anyone actually used DE and gotten sick from it? Or their birds? (Sorry for hijacking the thread )

I use it and we have not had an issue. But I am also careful about it, and don't use it willy-nilly. I put a tiny bit in the nesting pads, since that's where the girls are laying. Also important to note, food grade DE is what you need to have. We have had no mites. Folks use food grade DE for nutritional health support (not me, personally, but my husband, whom worked at a Sprout's grocery store, said they sold it in the vitamins dept regularly).

I would imagine if you are using it responsibly (as with any product of this sort) and being mindful of how you apply it, you should be ok. <3 If you don't feel comfortable using it, then don't.

 

[AGeese]

So I read Feltiella acarisuga attacks European red mites, and various mites. Not sure if that means they'll eat poultry mites or not.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Everyone has opinions on DE. I’ve researched it and found more to the danger side than to the benefit side, but it seemed like a wash to me so I’ve never used it.
I’d go with the spray, as mentioned, if you have a mite issue. If you don’t have an issue just keep your coop clean. If you have a chronic issue then you need something stronger than DE anyway.

Just my take it or leave it.

 

[topochico225]

DE is useless for my humid climate. Caused respiratory symptoms in my birds (coughing, sneezing, shaking heads) when I dusted their coop and feed with it. Big no no for me.

 

[AGeese]

I think I found an actual poultry mite predator (haven't used it):

Hypoaspis miles - Stratiolaelaps scimitus - Predatory Mites​

An abstract on them:

Laboratory screening of potential predators of the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) and assessment of Hypoaspis miles performance under varying biotic and abiotic conditions​