The relief I feel after the buildup of pressure for the deadline of an exam....is just amazing relief...LOL I have only one more exam in that class and it's the Final in two weeks.
The girls are doing well. To date I have not found any mites or bugs on them, knock on wood. I religiously check for white powder on the legs and whatever else might lie under their feathers. If they have bugs, I can't see them and as long as I can't see them I am not grossed out LOL. I think I clean them, their feet and their coop, as much as I do so that I can cuddle them as much as I do.
I have been told by all who see my hens that they are extraordinarily clean and no stench from the coop probably cause I treat them like house pets and I spend a fortune on pine shavings (comparable to our house carpet, but instead of vacuuming I scoop it out every few days) and ddiatomaceous earth.
I have to laugh because if anyone could see me clean their feet with a toothbrush in the laundry room washtub I would die or they would die laughing knowing I've lost my mind. I guess you'd call it the weekly chicken Pedi. I started this treatment when I read that cleansing their feet and legs with warm soapy water helps fight off bug infestation. So I clean them periodically. Of course the amount of Diatomaceous earth I use in the coop (is the one and only debugging method I know) but I'm afraid it is going to leave me with lung cancer or my girls with a respiratory infection. I jest, but I hope not. (Ironically my chickens were a gift when I quit smoking) ....But Hey No Bugs!!! Right, that is the most important thing.This has sparked a curiosity in me to do a little research on diatomaceous earth and find out the risks I pose to the girls and myself by using Diatomaceous earth as liberally as I do.
There is a form of diatomaceous called the flux-calcined form (I gather this is in the pool product form) and it contains a highly crystalline form of silica, resulting in sharp edges. This version is dangerous to breathe and a dust mask needs to be worn. I take from this that I should never deal with the crystallized version and I will stock up on dust masks in my coop.
Apparently Natures Wisdom (a distributor of holistic products) sites that out of 600 deposits in the US only 4 are considered "food grade" by the FDA standards. Their Perma-Guard products use Diatomaceous Earth, mother nature’s eco-friendly naturally organic material. They say that their products fit into the "living Green" lifestyle.
With the information from Natures Wisdom website and Wikipedia, diatomaceous earth is not earth but fossilized remains of diatoms, apparently hard-shelled algae. It may be best to get from a fresh water source because they form a harder shell and are less fragile than salt water sources. I’m Getting ahead of myself....So approximately in 1837 a farmer was digging a well near Luneburg Heath and stumbled upon what he thought might be some sort of limestone deposit. It was later discovered to have interesting qualities that allows it to be used in many ways today. First, industrially, it can stabilize dynamite. Then, it has filtering qualities used to filter drinking water and foods. The list goes on. It has abrasive qualities which give way to some of the oldest known uses in facial masks, cleansers, toothpaste and polishes. But most importantly, (Hello insecticide for my chickens) its special qualities of absorption of lipids (purposeful as dehydration mechanism) are most beneficial. As a fine powder it absorbs lipids from insect’s exoskeleton and dehydrates them. Based on Fick's law of diffusion, they die from water pressure deficiency. There is even a medical grade diatomite used to deworm humans and pets.
In a nut shell, (actually they are an empty cell or shell of a single cell diatom) they absorb moisture or lipids at such a microscopic level that it dehydrates bugs, or wrecks their membrane system ultimately to their demise. (I read maybe even kills bed bugs too, but it takes a super long time to be effective on bed bugs, probably weeks to kill bedbugs, so it isn't a quick fix if you go to a Motel Six and find your too afraid to sleep in the bed...geeezzz LOL now consider that might be an internet rumor and requires more research...I'd be interested to know if research has been done on bedbugs with diatomaceous earth) Added side note is that interestingly it doesn't hurt earth worms which are a favored treat for "My Girls." (If you don't read my blog, I'm talking about my hens not my chest.) www.natureswisdom.co.uk/ ( they carry their brand Nature's Wisdom DE which contains Perma-guard de, which I haven't personally tried yet, but they seem to be a natural holistic type of company, more research is required to form an opinion of this product and product supplier. )
***** Friendly reminder to all who read my blog. If I provide data, opinions or otherwise seemingly useful or useless information please be advised it is necessary to always do additional research to form your own opinions and to insure accuracy of topic discussed. It is very important as I've mentioned in previous posts to site all sources to the best of one's knowledge. I will always site where I found the information on my blog and credit will be given to where credit is due. I had hoped when I created this blog, it would be a mutual discussion forum, allowing others to inform me, correct me, or otherwise provide opinions and chatter about chickens, pets or whatever I'm blathering on about. I especially would love to hear from people that check out my blog and also keep chickens as pets or otherwise in different parts of the country or world. That would be so fantastic LOL. So please consider this an invitation to share on this blog. I look forward to any interaction this blog can provide. ****
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