What's the best way to use Diatom?

[Pony Girl]

I've got a diatom puffer pack and have been using it to dust perch ends etc but it does end up very dusty. Is it best to continue using it this way or make perhaps a slurry with washing up liquid and paint this on the perches? I'm worried that it can't be very good for my birds breathing.

I had an outbreak of red mite late last autumn but I think I've managed to erradicate it with poultry shield and diatom. Have found no further trace but am keeping vigilant!

 

[Marigold]

Remember they will bring it in on their feathers as well - if you add lots of diatom to their dustbath and make this really deep, dry and attractive, they will treat themselves under their armpits more effectively than you probably could, faced with an unco-operative hen! This is one good way to help prevent reinfestation in the coop, and also to get the preventative stuff into the birds' feathers, where it does most good to them.
I use redmite powder in the coop, which comes in a tall box with a sprinkle hole in the top - it doesn't puff all over the place like the puffer kind does. Maybe just try using it dry, but shake it on and rub it into cracks with a gloved finger, rather than puffing? Diatom is very dangerous for you to breathe, as well as the chickens, especially as you get the full force of it when actually doing the job. I think you're supposed to wear a mask, not that I do, but I've only got one coop to treat. Haven't tried putting it in water, maybe that's a good idea too.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Pony Girl. Dust is not good for chickens breathing. We've left cleaning out too long in Summer and the dust has upset them. Next stage would be respiratory infection. As far as I am aware Diatom is simply finely crushed shell which has sharp edges which lacerate mites and kill them. Wouldn't think breathing it in would be good.

We had good results containing red mite with just red mite powder the first year and still use it in the nest boxes. But in the coops last year the mite were actually nesting in the powder!

 

[Tim]

I put diatom in the cracks and under perch ends and if there's a red mite problem, I rub it into the perches so that it's like a gymnasts bar.

The chooks have fun doing their gymnastics but it works well keeping the Red Mite off them

I don't find dusting a problem as it soon settles and my coops are well ventillated.

 

[pennyblack chooks]

I also do as Tim outlines and also have a very well ventilated coop, but as I have one (plastic) coop I have cut up a plastic sheet that goes on the floor of the coop and on this I put a thick layer of aubiose and into that I sprinkle diatom. From my POV this just makes it even easier to keep really clean. Anyway, my hens walk on this sheet with all the aubiouse/diatom on it as they go in and out to their roosting bars or the nest boxes. UNDER the sheet and all in the corners and edges of the coop I also have a very generous layer of diatom.

My definiton of 'coop' is where my chickens sleep at night and (when they do lay eggs again!) where the nest boxes are. I am not referring to a run (covered or uncovered) as part of that definition.

 

[Pony Girl]

I put diatom in the cracks and under perch ends and if there's a red mite problem, I rub it into the perches so that it's like a gymnasts bar.

The chooks have fun doing their gymnastics but it works well keeping the Red Mite off them

I don't find dusting a problem as it soon settles and my coops are well ventillated.

OK, that's what I had been doing so maybe I'll just go back to that... Thank you!

 

[chrismahon]

On the basis of what's been posted so far I will make the investment and get some to sprinkle around the floor where the creosoted sides meet the painted floor. I think that's where the little devils will colonise. I will be relying on Elector this year as well so hopefully there will be no problem.

 

[Sue]

I can't see why you would worry about the Diatom being dusty in the house as if they are dust bathing in it the dust flies everywhere and they throw it all over themselves anyway.

 

[pennyblack chooks]

I can't see why you would worry about the Diatom being dusty in the house as if they are dust bathing in it the dust flies everywhere and they throw it all over themselves anyway.

If it is a small enclosed unventilated coop then the dust would be more thickly distributed in the air around the chicken than if they are dustbathing in the garden or in an outside run that is open to the elements or even in a very large coop that served as sleeping quarters.

I also chuck diatom in the craters on the edge of our lawn in with the earth they have excavated - perhaps once a week.

 

[Sue]

Yes, pennyblack chooks, but you don't put it in the coop whilst the hens are in there and once it has settled there is no more dust than from wood shavings.

 

[pennyblack chooks]

I have quite clearly misinterpreted what you were asking. All I will add is that using a puffer might leave more dust hanging in the air that chickens might then wander through? I have never used one so have never experinced it. I just sprinkle it over the aubiose and under the sheet and rub it into the perches and chuck some in the craters on the edge of our lawn when my small sleeping coop is empty. My hens only sleep in my coop though maybe when they come back into lay they will use the nest boxes too. It isn't where they go to scratch about. Some people may put it in the floor covering of their covered run.....
Perhaps you could ask Marigold who advised about the dangers of breathing it. And I think chrismahon also mentioned the danger of dust to chickens respiratory function. They might be able to explain how and why it could become a problem?

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Ponygirl. Just read the above. Dust must irritate their respiratory system and lead to problems as it would ours. We've had chesty birds which were sorted by a good sweep out and increased ventilation. Only two actually developed an infections as a result - both Buff Orpingtons. The dust in those cases was a combination of feather dust and very dry Aubiose in Summer -not cleaned out often enough. You need to make sure there is no dust around when they start moving around or flapping their wings. Just waft a newspaper in the coop and look for dust -if you have any it needs cleaning out. We had one with a chest infection in Winter for a different reason -black mould spores caused by condensation. Coop lid cleaned and painted, more ventillation added, wood shavings changed for Aubiose.

 

[Marigold]

As for the danger of it being breathed, by humans or birds, it's a sort of sharp abrasive silica dust which works on the mites by a) drying them out and B) grinding up the outside coating of their shells. It has a similar effect on the insides of lungs. People used to be quite unconcerned about asbestos dust until it was generally known how dangerous it was when inhaled, and the results were not seen for years in some cases. I'm working on the assumption that diatom is the same sort of thing; if used it must be with great care. You are actually supposed to wear a mask when puffing or sprinkling it. Just because its a 'natural' product doesn't mean it's any less dangerous than some of the chemical alternatives, however harmless it looks.




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