Where to buy DE for Deep Litter Method?

[mkhenderson17]

Ok so Im totally Lost, I understand the whole Deep Litter Method (DLM) but Im totally lost as to where to buy Food Grade diatomaceous earth (better known as DE). I can find DE at Home depot but its not food grade. Im very excited to try the DLM with my standards and my bantams but I am missing the key ingreadent so If anyone has any insite I would really appriciate it! Im from Eastern Ohio/western PA (right next to teh ohio pa line) So mom and pop shops in other states may not help.

Thanks for all your good information. Reading other posts has helped me a lot! This is my first winter with my birds (yup a Newbie) and you guys have been super helpful!

Thanks!
Mandy

 

[rainierlass]

I use Stall-Dri and buy it at the feed store - it is DE mixed with clay

 

[patandchickens]

You don't *need* DE for deep litter, you know. There is no "the" deep litter method, there are a whole whole buncha ways to do that general type of thing, different approaches having somewhat different pros and cons.

Bear in mind that the traditional deep-litter method that most people seem to have hovering in the back of their mind when they discuss the subject did not use DE at all, because it was not AVAILABLE (widely, or in many cases at all) back then.

I would suggest that rather than approaching this as a recipe to follow -- which may well not yield results you like, because the recipe type method is NOT suitable for all situations -- just take an experimental "custom" approach. Try things. Fiddle. Tweak. Arrive at your OWN management approach that is tailored to YOUR situation. If you can get DE and it happens to fit in well with your system and you don't overuse it, fine. But if you can't get DE, so what, figure out a way of managing your sanitation (with depth of litter, or whatever) that does not *require* DE. It's not a big deal at all

Good luck, have fun,

Pat