Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
Uses: Feed Supplement | Parasiticide
Diatomaceous Earth (De) is a soft, chalk-like rock made up of the crushed, fossilized shells of prehistoric animals called diatoms. The rock is easily crumbled into a fine whitish powder the fine particles of which average around 2 – 10 microns. Under the microscope, the crushed shells look like slivers of glass, giving the powder its rough feel. Today, DE is used in over 1,500 ways. DE contains silicon dioxide (65%) and 11 trace minerals.
A researcher at Michigan State University reports that DE mixes well with all feeds. It saves albumen, destroys harmful acids and safeguards the stomach. It improves the health and growth of young animals and improves digestion, allowing animals to absorb a higher percentage of protein from their regular diet.
Benefits as a Feed Supplement
- Improves feed conversion and milk production.
- Absorbs methyl mercury, e.coli, endotoxins, viruses, perhaps even the proteinaceous toxins produced by some intestinal infections.
- Prevents scours.
- Reduces odour from manure.
- Increases appetite.
- Serves as a visible indicator of self-medication. When offered free choice, check to see if an animal’s nose and mouth are covered in the white powder.
Directions for Use as a Feed Supplement
- Dairy Cows: 1 – 2 oz or 28 – 56 g/day or free choice.
- Dairy Calves/Heifers: 0.5 – 1 oz or 14 – 28 g/day depending on body weight and feeding program, or free choice.
- Beef Cows or Feeder Cattle: 1 oz or 28 g/day or free choice.
- Beef Calves: 0.5 oz or 14 g/day or free choice.
- Hogs: 0.25 – 0.5 oz or 7 – 14 g/day depending on size, weight and feeding program, or 1% of total feed (22 lb/ton or 10 kg/tonne) as a maintenance program.
- Horses: feed 5 oz or 141 g twice a day with the ration.
- Sheep and Goats: 0.25 – 0.5 oz or 7 – 14 g/day as a maintenance program.
- Poultry: 1% of total feed as a maintenance program.
A sheep farmer was losing one sheep every three days from the fringe tape worm in the bile duct. He started feeding fossil shell flour, mixed with salt and cotton seed meal. Within two weeks the deaths stopped. Since then, the farmer has lost two sheep, but not to worms. He now recommends that anyone try DE, especially since it is inexpensive.
Benefits as a Parasiticide
- DE helps the animal resist the effects of parasitic worms and virus epidemics. It punctures the insect’s exoskeleton or wounds soft – bodied insects causing deadly internal injuries. The insects die by dehydration.
- Controls flies, fleas and parasitic worms.
- Controls mites in poultry breeder flocks (blocks breathing passages).
Directions for Use as a Parasiticide
Internally:
- Use two weeks on – two weeks off.
- Cattle and Dairy: 0.1 oz or 3 g sulphur and 0.3 oz or 10 g DE/day.
- Other ruminants: 7 – 10 lb/ton or 3 – 4.5 kg/tonne of finished feed along with 3 lb of sulphur/ton or 1.5 kg/tonne.
- Single-stomached animals: 5 lb/ton or 2.3 kg/tonne of finished feed along with 2 lb of sulphur/ton or 0.9 kg/tonne.
- Poultry: 2%/tonne of finished feed.
Externally:
- Use 50/50 with sulphur to dust and delouse.
- Sprinkle full strength in poultry nesting boxes.
- Spray weekly on walls, partitions, feeding troughs and watering areas.
Packaging
- 2.2 lb or 1 kg
- 50 lb or 22.6 kg bags
Safety
- DE is deadly to insects but does not harm animals, plants or people.
- Avoid inhaling DE dust, which may irritate the respiratory tract and cause a dry cough.
- Avoid contact with the eyes.