I was super skeptical about using diatomaceous earth for mites... until I actually saw it work

I kept hearing people swear by it on here but I figured it was just another snake oil thing. Then last summer I noticed my Buff Orpington, Gertrude, was scratching way more than usual and her feathers looked kinda rough. I pulled her aside and sure enough there were little red mites crawling around near her vent. I dusted the whole coop floor and nesting boxes with food grade DE from the farm supply down the road. Three days later I checked all the birds again and I didn't see a single mite. I mean it was like they just vanished. Has anyone else had that kind of luck with DE or did I just catch a mild infestation early?

2 comments

2 Comments

martinez.karen14d ago

oh yeah i was totally in the same boat, thought it was just backyard chicken hype. my barred rock hen, pepper, had mites so bad last fall she was losing feathers around her neck. i did the whole coop dusting with DE and reapplied it a few times over the next week and it cleared up way faster than i expected. i think the key is making sure its dry and you get it in all the cracks and crevices where they hide. i was honestly shocked it worked that well, figured id have to break out the chemical sprays.

cooper.taylor14d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back on this a little. DE is basically just ground up fossils, right? I tried it once on my birds and it did nothing but make a huge dusty mess. I think people see a little improvement and credit the DE when maybe the mites just ran their cycle or the birds got healthier on their own. Plus, if you're dealing with a real infestation, DE can actually irritate their respiratory systems since chickens have such sensitive lungs. I had a vet tell me straight up that DE is more of a feel-good fix than a real treatment. If you really want to be sure, I'd rather just use a proper permethrin spray and be done with it. But hey, whatever works for your flock, I guess.