Using DE AND lime AND sweet PDZ at the same time with pine shavings bedding in coop?

[Magnolia76]

currently I use DE Sprinkled on the floor of the coop along with sweet PDZ and then I put the bedding on top of pine shavings. I understand a lot of you don’t like DE but I’ve never had a problem with it no one I know has had a problem with it and I used it on chickens for several years when I had chickens many years ago as well so my question is not about the safety of DE But I keep hearing about Saturday lime and I’m wondering if I can add that to my regiment. Can I use all three? I don’t want to ever get mites or lice and I want to be as proactive as possible. I cannot find anything online that says anyone has used DE, lime, PDZ at the same time Thoughts?

 

[3KillerBs]

None of those things will do anything whatsoever to prevent mites or lice.

These parasites are transmitted through direct or indirect contact with wild birds or using contaminated bedding.

 

[Magnolia76]

None of those things will do anything whatsoever to prevent mites or lice.

These parasites are transmitted through direct or indirect contact with wild birds or using contaminated bedding.

Why do so many people used to treat the chickens. Are you of the opinion that using nothing it’s just as effective to prevent mites and lice

 

[Magnolia76]

I do have a ton of wild birds as I live in the woods but I have to keep the chickens in the run and the birds cannot get into the run.

 

[3KillerBs]

Why do so many people used to treat the chickens. Are you of the opinion that using nothing it’s just as effective to prevent mites and lice

People do many things because they *believe* in them, regardless of whether they actually have any real effectiveness or not. Such practices get passed by word of mouth almost like a religion.

If my birds ever get mites or lice I will use a permethrin dust or spray -- because they actually work.

I don't treat problems I don't have because insecticide resistance is a thing.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I use PDZ and First Saturday Lime in the coop with wood shavings. I use FSL in the run after it rains a lot too. It says it helps with mites, etc but I have no idea. I have never had problems with bugs. I do find it keeps odors under control in the run. I pu t the FSL down under the pine shavings after a deep clean and use PDZ on the poop boards

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Side note: I think people use a lot of things because they believe they work, as @3KillerBs said. Apple cider vinegar is one of those things as is DE. I dont use DE anymore because I used it for a while and found it wasn't doing anything. Its useless when it gets wet. ACV I occasionally use in the summer to keep algae growth down in my waterers but too much and the chickens won't drink it. I dont find it has any benefit for my birds. The PDZ and FSL I think do work as far as absorption because my poop boards are particle board for now and I need that like cat litter to keep them dry. I have no idea if FSL works as advertised to keep bugs off your chickens but it does seem to keep their dust bathing spots and the coop drier and less stinky. Lots of things in the chicken world are trial and error and you have to find what works for you. The pine shavings I buy have DE in them and zeolite pellets which helps keep them dry supposedly. I dont buy them for the DE though. I suspect its the zeolite that helps them stay "fresher longer" although I buy them because for the size they are a good deal and the package fits nicely in the bin I keep it in. If you find DE useful there's no reason not to keep using it that I'm aware of.

 

[townchicks]

Why do so many people used to treat the chickens. Are you of the opinion that using nothing it’s just as effective to prevent mites and lice

People that use DE as a "preventative" love to cite that as why they do not have mites. I use no type of preventative. I still do not have mites. Using De and not having mites is not proof of cause and effect.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

People that use DE as a "preventative" love to cite that as why they do not have mites. I use no type of preventative. I still do not have mites. Using De and not having mites is not proof of cause and effect.

PDZ is an absorbent, an absorbent like cat litter (I call it an absorbaturd, lol), to my understanding. I use it on my poop boards along with sand to help keep them dry and sweet-smelling, but it doesn't do anything to control mites and lice.

Correction, I wasn't able to get PDZ the day I shopped for it, my feed store was out of it. So I got a product called "Stall-Fresh" which I believe is essentially the same thing.

DE is like cornflakes. Crispy when dry, a soggy mass when wet. Do this test. Put some in a container like a glass jar and add a bug, preferably one with a hard shell. Watch to see if the bug dies and if so, how long it takes. Report your findings.

 

[3KillerBs]

If you find DE useful there's no reason not to keep using it that I'm aware of.

It's a respiratory irritant. Very hard on the delicate tissues of the lungs.