Diatom - good or bad

Most of what I've read recommends diatom as a red-mite preventative so i dusted the coop today (perhaps a little early but it has been very mild). I've also heard that diatom should be avoided because the dust is so fine that it can be an irritant to the birds. Would value some opinions

the best way to use it is as a slurry - type in Hillfooters slurry in the search box and it should come up.

I painted the nooks and crannies with the slurry and it lasts for ages.

When i clean them out, i mix some in the bedding and generally give the whole coop a dusting. If you are dusting the coop, make sure you do it when they wont be going in for a while so the powder can settle.

I also use it in all the nest boxes in our aviaries. Doesnt seem to irritate them, they range from tiny finches to small parrots

Buy it from somewhere reputable. I bought some off ebay once and i'm not convinced it was what it should have been.

I would much rather use it along with other deterrents, than have to deal with a full on attack on red mite.

Thanks all for these helpful comments.  I take home the message that diatom is good and best applied as a slurry with a paintbrush which is good advice as it was a bit of a faff trying to dust it into the nooks and crannies as a dry powder by hand.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention about adding it to their dust baths!  that's good too!  They love dust!   

Certain dusts are not good, like dusty straw etc, as it can lead to respiratory infections.