Diatomaceous earth Uses & Info
Diatomaceous earth Uses & Info
Written by Clucky Nugget, author of this article and creator of Backyard Poultry Guide.
Published: 05/28/2026Have you ever considered if you can use diatomaceous earth with your chickens? You may see it in feed stores, often in the cattle or horse section, or occasionally in the chicken area, but what is it? What is diatomaceous earth used for? Does it have any benefits or risks? This article will dive into two things: all you need to know about diatomaceous earth and its uses, as well as dive into a fascinating biology lesson teaching about an organism called diatoms.
Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder created from diatoms, to be more specific fossilized diatom remains, diatoms are a small aquatic organism, they are considered an algae which have a hard shell like structure. This shell-like structure is like glass, made of silica, when these diatoms die they sink to the bottom of oceans or freshwater. It’s been mentioned in some articles their shell structure is like glass and they are the only organism with a transparent glass like shell. Diatoms are collected when they die and settle to the bottom of the water they live in, the deposits of diatoms turns into a fossilized rock called diatomite, which are then harvested by machines. Diatomite is then dried, and crushed into the powder we know as diatomaceous earth!
Diatomaceous earth is made from diatoms, diatoms are single celled organisms with a clear glass like shell, diatomite is a fossilized rock formation of dead diatoms which is processed into diatomaceous earth. There was way too much research going into this. A website dedicated to diatoms (Diatoms.org) has so much information about diatoms and they are truly an interesting subject to research. I truly hope more people can learn about what diatoms are with this information provided.
When diatomite is processed, the soft sediment rock is crushed and broken back into microscopic dust. There are two kinds of diatomaceous earth as well, food grade and non food grade.
Food grade collection tends to be more pure, keeping its natural form, while being processed in a less harmful way, without using extreme sources of heat. Food grade is safer due to not having rigid edges as the calcined crystalline diatomite has. Food grade diatomaceous earth must contain less than 1% of crystalline silica to be considered safe for human or animal consumption due to the effect crystalline silica has when consumed. The food grade form of diatomite must also contain very little lead or arsenic less than 10%
Non food grade uses high heat treatment when processing diatomite, making crystalline silica, undergoing this heat then being crushed causes the diatomaceous earth to get the rigid structure creating a whole different form of diatomaceous earth with a vastly different use.
Difference in terms of calcined and non-calcined diatomite, as well as Amorphous vs Crystalline diatomite. The difference in these is non-calcined is Amorphous, and calcined is crystalline. These are the before and after in processing diatomite.
Calcination is the process of heating a material to 1000 C or almost 2000 F, this process causes the material to become more stable, physically altering its structure.
Amorphous is when the diatomite is at its natural form, a soft rock, or sediment rock, created from dead diatoms that become fossilized. Amorphous is naturally safe and may not harm you. Amorphous is also considered an opal. Amorphous structure when turned into diatomaceous earth has softer ridges, this structure can be more easily digested due to it remaining in its soft form. Amorphous is not calcined.
Crystalline is the processed form of what was once amorphous diatomite, when it gets calcined it becomes crystalline, the crystal-like structure has larger rough edges which help with filtration. Crystalline is calcined.
Diatomaceous earth (food grade, amorphous) is commonly used as both pest control or dietary supplements providing a source of minerals for good bone and or egg development. Under pest control, diatomaceous earth breaks down cell walls of parasites and bugs, causing them to perish. Diatomaceous earth can also be used in gardens to help keep pests away but may need reapplied due to water causing it to become ineffective.
Although amorphous diatomaceous earth is considered safe to eat. Diatomaceous earth labeled as FOOD GRADE is safe for chickens and humans to consume in small amounts. Keep in mind when purchasing diatomaceous earth and research which brands have the keywords, food grade, non calcined, amorphous etc.
As long as its food grade, which Red Lakes is, yes you can use it in the coop but it's not recommended, even food grade is still unsafe to breathe in large quantities of, as it still has rigid edges which can highly irritate lungs, but not as much as the crystalline version. Realistically, if you hope to use diatomaceous earth as a form of pest control, you’re better off being safe and using dewormer, or sprays directed for lice or mites in which diatomaceous earth is otherwise recommended for in treating said pests.
While in MOST cases you should never come into contact with the highly toxic calcined diatomaceous earth, you should not worry about consuming food grade diatomaceous earth. If using it in the coop you may need to use a mask, but the diatomaceous earth may still cause severe respiratory distress to chickens due to their extremely delicate respiratory system.
I would not personally recommend using diatomaceous earth, even the food grade variant, inside your flock’s coop mostly due to respiratory safety. You are much better off using it as a feed supplement for its mineral benefits than using it as pest control. While learning about diatoms is fun in game, be safe in understanding diatomaceous earth’s risks and benefits. Use this information provided wisely.