How To Use Diatomaceous Earth With Chickens

How to use diatomaceous earth.

How to use diatomaceous earth with chickens. I made a chicken dust bath in an old tractor tire filled with sand wood ash and diatomaceous earth. I do not use or advocate the use of food grade diatomaceous earth with backyard chickens for. Use diatomaceous earth in the dust bath and your chickens will happily dose themselves. The algae are called diatoms which is the origin of the word diatom aceous earth. Add a tablespoon every three months.

With an ever growing awareness about healthy lifestyles and healthy eating more and more people are realizing that quite apart from being a fun and interesting hobby keeping a small flock. The benefits of diatomaceous earth for chickens are numerous it contains nutrients that your chickens. Keepers of backyard chickens generally use de to control pests in their. F ood grade diatomaceous earth also known as de and fossilized shell flour is a naturally occurring fossilized mineral dust with microscopic razor sharp edges that act as a mechanical insecticide by slicing into insects bodies and absorbing their bodily fluids thereby dehydrating them to death. But i do have a specific dust bath area for them.

You can learn how by clicking the link. Chicken mites can be difficult pests to combat their life cycle is difficult to thwart and they thrive in chicken coops. Diatomaceous earth is a white powder made from the fossilized shells of a type of algae located throughout the world. Making a diatomaceous earth box. Diatomaceous earth however can be used as a natural chicken lice and mite treatment.

Diatomaceous earth is safe for external use with poultry and so far i ve not experienced any respiratory eye or skin issues with my birds. The popularity of keeping chickens in the backyard on a patch of land or even on a larger acreage has enjoyed a real surge over the past decade and now you can even use diatomaceous earth for chickens. There s really no formula for how much of either to offer so i go with a 1 1 ratio. The easiest way to incorporate de into your coop is by offering a dust box loaded with a diatomaceous earth sand or dirt mix. De works effectively to exterminate the lice and mites but remains a safe pesticide to have come in close contact with chickens.

This is my favourite method of application as it is the easiest and result in no stress for the bird. The content of silica in food grade freshwater diatomaceous earth is monitored by osha. Diatomaceous earth uses with your flock. It s pretty much impossible to keep your chickens strictly using the dust bath area.