What is diatomaceous earth?

[joshram]

Can someone tell me what it is and what it's used for?

 

[duckets]

Good Saturday Afternoon joshram,

There are many great threads on BYC which discuss DE, here is a link to one that has several pages;

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/83002/how-where-how-much-and-why-do-you-use-de

 

[joshram]

Thank you.

 

[LoveThemBirds]

It is a powder for Mites,fleas and you can eat a certain type.It gets rid of worms (unless teh worms dont eat it)

 

[3riverschick]

diatomaceous earth is the shells of lttle diatoms which live in the ocean. The shells are very small and have sharp edges. When they are spread where unwanted bugs are living, the bugs crawl thru the "dust" and the little sharp edges lacerate their exoskeletons. Then they die of dehydration. Those tiny sharp edges ( too small to cut human skin) are also why one should always use a suitable face mask when using DE so it isn't drawn up in the human lungs.
When I clean my coop, I clean it to the bare floor and carefully sweep it out ( old DE and all). Then lay down a layer of DE just thick enough so I can't see the floor thru it. A heavy dusting. Then I add the hardwood chips over it to a depth of at least 4 inches. In go the birds. The creepy-crawlies like to live at the bottom on the floor where they merrily crawl thru the DE and then die.
Best,
Karen

 

[LoveThemBirds]

Will leg mites come off and merrily crawl threw dust?