Please read about Diatomaceous Earth

[Newbiechickchic]

Given recent conversations (as always on pet/chicken forums) about Diatomaceous Earth and its safety, I happen to be browsing medical sites to find answers to my own thoracic interstitial problems, and I fell upon this paragraph (cited below). I want to share this because even though a chickens (or dog or cats) life is much shorter than a humans, this should make us all stop and think about using DE with animals in general, but particularly with chickens who will roll/dust in it and scratch in it. The first sentence gets to the point --- DE IS 100% SILICA!!

"Chronic silicosis results from chronic exposure to inhaled silica particles. Occupations that commonly entail exposure to silica include mining, tunneling, sandblasting, and foundry work. The chest radiograph commonly shows upper lung zone–predominant abnormalities characterized by multiple small nodular opacities in the central lung tissue. These nodules can slowly coalesce into large masses known as progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). Enlargement and eggshell calcification of the hilar lymph nodes are common. Functional and physiologic impairments in chronic silicosis are quite variable. Some patients with abnormal chest radiographs report few, if any, symptoms and can have normal lung examination and pulmonary function tests. Unfortunately many patients are impaired and have mixed restrictive and obstructive impairments with reduced diffusion capacity. The physiologic impairment can remain stable or, if PMF occurs, can progress even in the absence of continued exposure. Symptoms are typically exertional dyspnea and variable mucus production."
--Cleveland Clinic Med Ed on topic of Interstitial Lung Disease

PLEASE SHARE ON PET PAGES! I am all about natural solutions - my first go-to solutions, but in this case I have felt for some time now that DE cannot be considered safe due to the microscopic aspect of it which is damaging to any mucosal/delicate tissue.

 

[pennyJo1960]

every product on the market has some horrible side effect unless you line you coop with it small amounts have no bad effect like anything else moderation just my humble opinion

 

[pineapple416]

x2 penny1960

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I agree that it's moderately unsafe, I certainly wouldn't use it with chronic asthma.

The problem with things that are useful and safe in moderation is people who don't realize the potential issues and say, fill poop trays with the stuff, due to hearing how useful it is from so many people. They take it as gospel on face value and spread the stuff with abandon until the chickens, themselves, and their kids are all breathing clouds of it.

I think we can all agree that's not healthy.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

This is an important concern.

We have a high level of dust where we live and find coatings of red clay dust on everything in our home. We are breathing this daily; it's unavoidable.

My feeling is that DE is a good option for dusting chickens outside in the morning. This gives them time to shake it out of their feathers and add some dirt before roosting for the night. I know lots of people use DE inside the coop with no obvious adverse effects, but I don't feel this is an option for me. The concentration is too high.

Remove the litter and douse the coop, blocking access to the chickens, and just before they roost for the night sweep it all up and add new litter. It doesn't take long to suffocate and kill mites. Repeat as needed.

Chickens bring dust into the coop; that's natural and expected. But to add fine particulate matter to an enclosed breathing space isn't wise —and since I'm in there every day, they're not the only ones breathing all that dust.

As for wood ash, it has its own issues, but people have used it forever as a long standing dust bath for chickens. Again, keep it outside of their living space. Some people here in the forums have said they've noticed hardly any buildup of dust in their coops from wood ash and DE. Put your chickens in a room painted white, as I had to do for a while this summer, and see what happens in a matter of hours. Trust me: high levels of dust are present, and that doesn't include the invisible airborne particles that don't settle as quickly as you may think.

Larger coops can probably handle DE more safely than small ones. But the dust concentration is likely to hang low indoors, and that's where our chickens live, although I had a coating of dust on the ceiling and the ceiling fan from just a few days of having chickens indoors — and that's from allowing them to free range. When I placed a dust bath indoors, the air looked clear and fine but the particles were absolutely everywhere.

Just some things to consider when using DE. With a chicken's lifespan and other health risks raising them, DE is probably a good option. But we should also consider our exposure to these particles when using it as a staple in the care of our flock.

 

[CorvusFarm]

DE is a far cry from the occupations listed in that cited paragraph. Also, "chronic exposure" needs to be defined. And I also assume you are using "food-grade" DE, which is different.

I mean, if you spend 40 hours a week inhaling non-food grade DE, and you donsonforna prolonged period of time, you might encounter difficulties. But using food-grade DE as a dusting for poultry isn't the same as being a coal miner.

Unless the study was a peer-reviewed article researching the correlation between food-grade DE use and silicosis, it is misinformation.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

DE is a far cry from the occupations listed in that cited paragraph.... using food-grade DE as a dusting for poultry isn't the same as being a coal miner....

.... "Chronic silicosis results from chronic exposure to inhaled silica particles. Occupations that commonly entail exposure to silica include mining, tunneling, sandblasting, and foundry work....

Most coal today, and all Dichotomous Earth is produced via strip mining. It goes without saying then that the soil gouged out of the Earth first goes through a separating plant that grinds up the DE bearing dirt (creating even more dust) and in the case of "food grade DE" several separating plants in an effort to segregate the DE from the other toxic elements and compounds in the Earth like Asbestos, Arsenic, Lead, and Mercury. Where does one of the above posters think we get DE from, the Easter Bunny?

 

[CorvusFarm]

Strip mining is simply the removal of coal at the surface, which is not possible in most places. Coal mines are cut at the depth of the vein. Maybe you love in the mountains West of the Mississippi, where strip mining is more common. I grew up East of the Mississippi, where strip mining isn't possible. My family from great-great grandfather to father and brothers all mined in shaft mines 800+ feet underground.

This thread is about a study unrelated to DE being used as an indictment of DE. That is bad science. I'm sorry if you or the Easter bunny disapprove.

I searched my academic database last night for peer-reviewed studies linking DE to silicosis and didn't find anything. What I believe is that the dire predictions of the original study don't paint a clear warning. What it does produce is a realization to not stick my head in the DE bag and breathe deeply for several hours a day and over a prolonged period of time.

I will go back and try to find actual information instead of snarky comments. And if I find anything, I will happily share.

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

I'm sure breathing in "any" dust is not the best thing for humans/animals to do on a regular basis.

Humans, grab a box of these babies and...use them when scooping the coop. Animals, go outside while your humans tidy up your coop.

And....don't do this....ever...

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I personally hate DE and think it's over rated and over used...

Please kills intestinal worm, cures acne, blah blah... Science shows there is NO effect on intestinal worm, even in the wikipedia article.

Yes, it will kill SOME bugs on the surface. It is not effective on infestations. And I have seen my girls shake out after dirt bathing. They have taken lots of dirt with them as I constantly have to put new dirt in their favorite spot because it turn into a deep hole. Every time they shake out the other birds breath it in aside from themselves.

Even if it isn't the same as being a coal miner... I will pass on using this crud on my birds and exposing them and my family to it. This is what people don't understand is that even "natural/organic" poison is STILL poison! Just like the things listed above... lead, arsenic, and so on.

DE, will NOT be recommended by me for anything related to chickens. There are much more effective ways of treating all things that can be treated by DE and without any more harm than DE. Seen too many threads of people treating this and that with DE only to discover their birds are still suffering and have to move onto another treatment. So NOT on my watch or at my house... But each to their own.