Could D.E. harm a chickens lungs?

[ChickenCarol]

I wonder if anyone out there knows the answer to this.

Everything I have read says D.E is good for chickens externally and internally to deter mites and parasites. I have always sprinkled it around and in the coop and my chickens love to peck at it through the coop door first thing in the morning and at bedtime.

I have just read from a chicken blog of a hen that had to be put down for bullying to the extent of leaving a blood bath. The owner had a necropsy done and the results showed fatty liver (from bullying other hens away from the sunflower seeds and getting too many) and lung damage from breathing in D.E.

This alarmed me as I knew we should wear a mask so as not to breath it in but didn't know it could damage the chickens lungs.

I am now quite worried about them pecking at it daily as they must surely be breathing it in.

Any information on this will be gratefully received.

[pepi]

Im not proud , so I'll be first to ask the question - whats D.E.

[Mad Chick]

Im not proud , so I'll be first to ask the question - whats D.E.

DE is Diatomaceous Earth or diatom powder. It's great for keeping nasty crawlies and the dreaded red mite at bay.

I have no idea about lung damage in hens. I know I've read that it can be harmful to humans if breathed in large quantities

[julieann]

I'll watch this thread with interest as I use DE

[dogcatcher]

Breathing silica dust is not good for lungs but you must consider that it takes long term exposure and a lengthy time period for silicosis to appear in humans, it is a disease of of various trades and industries, thus I would only expect to see it in very ancient hens and layers tend to pass on before they reach double figures.
I find that the normal humidity in the coop stops it dusting.

[ChickenCarol]

The hen I read about on the blog was two years old, so not that old. The owner was totally shocked.

[gigglemonkey]

Hiya


Im a newbie to chicken keeping but have bought feed grade DE, it comes with a massive fact sheet about how much to feed them as well as putting it into their coops etc. it can be used to prevent corn getting nasties in it and for cattle etc.

If its safe to be inside them can it really be bad for them??

I have taken a pic of the instructions that came with my DE and the link is below, dunno if that helps anyone :)

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s55 ... 075217.jpg
http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s55 ... 075248.jpg

[Steve valentine]

The difference between eating something and inhaling something is the key, most chemicals are harmless until they become airborn. Your stomach can digest a lot of things, but airborn particles in the lungs take upto six years to break down, constant inhaling of a product is the problem.

In theory just one fibre of asbestos can kill you, but it hasn't yet been proved.

[dogcatcher]

The hen I read about on the blog was two years old, so not that old. The owner was totally shocked.

Whilst silica or any other airborne particulates are present in the lungs they present no real problem depending on what they are, the length of time they are present and the quantity.

If I had a post-mortem tomorrow there is a 99% chance that silica and asbestos would be found in my lungs, but they wouldn't have killed me.

[Mrs B]

Maybe the key point here is that although the post mortem showed lung damage it didn't kill the hen.

I am very prone to chest infections (and leave it until I am gasping before seeking help as I HATE seeing the GP) so a post mortem would probably show I have lung damage but in no way would it have killed me. Ditto much scarring on my sciatic nerve but it wouldn't kill me.

I would imagine that only people with large scale chicken farms are at risk, although obviously people with breathing problems should take precautions.

[ChickenCarol]

Thank you to all of you for your input on this. My conclusion is to carry on using D.E as its benefits out way any down fall. I think as you all point out, it would take a long time to cause damage and is unlikely to cause a chicken to die earlier than it otherwise would do. I really value all your expertise.