Sweet coop

[BlindLemonChicken]

Are you going to wear a mask all day and night cause: American Lung Association

Common Outdoor Air Pollutants​

• Ozone
  Ozone (also called smog) is currently one of the least-well-controlled pollutants in the United States. It is also one of the most dangerous—and it's invisible.
• Particulate Matter
  Particulate matter, or particle pollution, refers to a mix of very tiny solid and liquid particles that are in the air we breathe. It is dangerous enough to shorten your life.
• Nitrogen Dioxide
  Nitrogen dioxide is a gas that comes from burning fuels. Live near a busy highway? You may be breathing a lot of nitrogen dioxide.
• Sulfur Dioxide
  Sulfur dioxide forms when sulfur-containing fuel such as coal, oil or diesel is burned. Live near a power plant or a port? You may have more sulfur dioxide in your air.
• Carbon Monoxide
  Carbon monoxide is another gas that forms from burning fuels. High levels often show up near roadways.
• Toxic Air Pollutants
  Nearly 200 other pollutants emitted into the air can cause diseases, including lung cancer, or cause other harmful effects.

Sources of Outdoor Air Pollution​

• Electric Utilities
  Electric utilities burning coal, natural gas, oil and biomass produce air pollutants that harm lung health.
• Transportation
  Vehicles and equipment used to move people, goods and fuel from one place to another can pollute the air and harm human health.
• Residential Sources
  Heating, cooling and powering our homes all produce emissions that can harm health, including in our own neighborhoods.
• Commercial and Industrial
  Harmful emissions come from heating, cooling and powering businesses and industrial operations, as well as from manufacturing processes.
• Emergencies and Natural Disasters
  Wildfires, flooding, hurricanes and other natural events can create unhealthy air, especially for people with lung disease. And the cleanup often adds to the challenge.
• Climate Change
  Climate change poses a grave health threat to everyone, with serious risks to lung health.

Page last updated: March 6, 2020


We have filters in our lungs and maskss for that I have asthma too and dont were a mask and never had an attack it is not dangerous. Wear a mask.

Chickens don't wear masks.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Inhaling anything is not safe!

Doubly so for chickens.

 

[perkolator]

I did a little research and stopped using it

Curious what evidence you found?

Perhaps your Google-Fu is better than mine but I’ve tried finding evidence of birds dying from use of DE and haven’t found anything other than opinions without any actual science or perhaps an autopsy etc. to back it up.

I’m guessing it’s respirable crystalline silica content that people are referring to as the hazard, but food grade DE has the lower concentration than industrial grades and is a regulated product to be able to use that labeling. There’s a good amount of repairable crystalline silica in dirt and sand, yet people fill up their coops and dust baths with them. Maybe because DE is abrasive when dry? It’s ineffective with moisture and animals lungs are a moist environment…

I don’t go crazy and use a little bit of DE here and there and when I searched the topic, I easily found a scientific article where they specifically researched the effects of using DE inside and outside of chickens bodies and it definitely didn’t end up being a hazardous material around chickens

My opinion - all things are bad to breathe in. If using DE, also use it with common sense and don’t go crazy with it

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Curious what evidence you found?

Perhaps your Google-Fu is better than mine but I’ve tried finding evidence of birds dying from use of DE and haven’t found anything other than opinions without any actual science or perhaps an autopsy etc. to back it up.

I’m guessing it’s respirable crystalline silica content that people are referring to as the hazard, but food grade DE has the lower concentration than industrial grades and is a regulated product to be able to use that labeling. There’s a good amount of repairable crystalline silica in dirt and sand, yet people fill up their coops and dust baths with them. Maybe because DE is abrasive when dry? It’s ineffective with moisture and animals lungs are a moist environment…

I don’t go crazy and use a little bit of DE here and there and when I searched the topic, I easily found a scientific article where they specifically researched the effects of using DE inside and outside of chickens bodies and it definitely didn’t end up being a hazardous material around chickens

I was just looking it up for human use actually and it said it was harmful if inhaled because it is a mild abrasive. I think the effects show up over time. I used it for a while and none of my chickens dropped dead from it (that I'm aware of). I did have a couple sudden deaths but never sent them for necropsy. That was ten years ago or more. I haven't had a sudden death since but that doesn't mean DE killed my chickens. I just prefer not to use it if it could harm them since I also saw no benefits from it.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

DE is kind of a hot topic on here-like ACV. Some people swear by it. I am not one of them. If you are concerned you can either start a thread asking for peoples' experiences or put it in the search bar and find numerous threads about it to help you make your decision.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

I won't comment on the safety of DE. Like BlindLemon said, it's a highly debated topic. All I know for sure is that you're not supposed to use it in your coop if you're doing the deep litter method (it interferes with the composting process). You can use Zeolite (Sweet Coop or PDZ) by itself for drying and deodorizing purposes.

 

[ValarieF]

I was just looking it up for human use actually and it said it was harmful if inhaled because it is a mild abrasive. I think the effects show up over time. I used it for a while and none of my chickens dropped dead from it (that I'm aware of). I did have a couple sudden deaths but never sent them for necropsy. That was ten years ago or more. I haven't had a sudden death since but that doesn't mean DE killed my chickens. I just prefer not to use it if it could harm them since I also saw no benefits from it.

Unfortunately not everyone has common sense and knows how to read instructions.

 

[ValarieF]

I won't comment on the safety of DE. Like BlindLemon said, it's a highly debated topic. All I know for sure is that you're not supposed to use it in your coop if you're doing the deep litter method (it interferes with the composting process). You can use Zeolite (Sweet Coop or PDZ) by itself for drying and deodorizing purposes.

Yea you cant use it in deep liter method that is correct.

 

[ValarieF]

Yea you cant use it in deep liter method that is correct.

Im useing sand and first staurday lime. Ive read some woderful things about first saturday lime and its patent pending and fda approved