Diatomaceous Earth

[outofthebox]

Has anyone used Diatomaceous Earth as a feed supplement for internal parasite control/treatment with any issues or cautions?

Im wondering if there really is any cause for alarm or caution when I read about the abrasive nature, dehydrating capabilities and not breathing it in but I do like the idea of how and why it works – so seeking thoughts from others

[midhilldexters]

Have you ever seen any field trials that prove it is any good? Just read something recently from a sheep vet that said "It's worthless". I've never used it, all I read says there are no trials that have ever proved it works, and no one ever seems to be able to show anything different. Sorry, jmo.

Carol K

[ian]

Hi


We used to sell a lot when we had our stock-feed business in Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands, that's before we retired and moved down to Tasmania. We had a small herd (7) of Dexters back then and used diatomaceous earth (DE) all the time for internal parasites and I do belief it helps with rumen function, it also has a lot of other mineral properties. I also monitored the dung beetles and saw no ill affect on them. We always fed it wet in feed to suppress the dust. The main thing is to only use food grade DE and not the DE that is for pool and water filters, that has been heat treated and must not be fed to animals or inhaled. Over five years we must have sold 8 to 10 tonne of food grade DE to local farmers and never got anything but positive feedback. This is a link to a mine that we purchased DE from in the past www.mtsylviadiatomite.com.au/

[zephyrhillsusan]

We used it faithfully when we started and never had any problems with it, nor did the animals. We just dumped the recommended amount on their feed, and they ate it up just fine. I did fecals on the animals to check, and they had no worms. The vets, cow and horse and dog vets, all pooh-poohed it. Then we got away from using feed because my horses stay too fat and the Dexters didn't need it. Our animals still don't have worms. The horse vet says it's because we run cattle and horses together. Every vet I've ever asked pooh-poohs it, but try it if you want, it won't hurt them. Just don't stir it up and stick your head in or you'll be coughing.

[RedRidge]

The controversy about DE and ACV is ongoing.
My personal opinion is that ACV will not help an existing problem but could "potentially" prevent a parasite problem by slightly reducing the load in a relatively low level animal.
As far as DE... It has its uses but in general it is nasty stuff and we refuse to use it. It is abrasive and hard on the lungs and skin. So why would you want your animals ingesting it if not necessary? I am not a fan of DE for any purpose, even in the garden where we now use "surround" as an alternative.
Current research using food grade copper sulfate in fasted animals is proving very valuable information. That is research I would recommend following in the future. I suspect we will hear more regarding its effectiveness in the future.

In general, there is no adequate substitute for proper pasture rotation and management.

When doing a presentation on parasites at a national convention several years ago one thing became apparent to me... Most people do not understand (or aren't aware out of lack of knowledge) that all animals carry parasites. It is the animals over all health and exposure combined with how that animal is managed that determines how well that animal handles the parasite load they have. Even humans are not totally parasite free.

During the conference this comment astounded some people. Thank goodness those people had their "we don't have parasites" animals with them... It made proving otherwise very easy even with the limited equipment we had with is. ;-)

Another thing to note... Many parasite have such a small negative effect that they are simply overlooked. But certain parasites that exist only in ideal conditions can be devastating very quickly. The barber pole worm in early summer is a good example of this.
An even better example of this is the severe problem southeastern states had last year with menengial worm (deer worm) in small ruminants due to the excess rain those states experienced last year.
Heartworms in dogs is yet another over treated and totally misunderstood parasite - but I digress.
Knowing and understanding the life cycle of these parasites is key to controlling their effects, not adding yet another ingredient or dewormer that has unwarranted consequences to their repertoire.

[outofthebox]

My enquiry came about because we were asked about it for treatment if egg counts returned positive – especially those who practice organic methods.

I read DE can be used with permission for those organically certified (no didn’t pay attention to which country this was) so I made a personal assumption that maybe DE cant be ‘totally’ non-chemical.
Mentioned on the same site was Neem Oil for the treatment of external parasites requiring the same level of permission.

And yes Carol C - I also cant find anything on the net re DE trial results

Thanks Ian - I will pass on the wet aspect

Practicing rotational grazing is not always an option for those with space limitations and being knowledgeable on other options for parasite management can be handy.

The other question we had was about using ‘food grade’ DE in burlap bags where the animals can rub and scratch themselves as a prevention method for external parasites but haven’t had much of a chance to read up on this aspect.

We have large piles of dirt which is turned up and loosen each fortnight for dust bathing by the moos which has been working very well for us to date. But again, this isnt an option available to the persons who asked

Does anyone use DE in the bags with success or issues? Is there an alternative?

[poplinfarmdexter]

Our cattle like it when we put DE down their backs to help with flies. If we use Python powder or fly spray they will leave. I think they dislike the smell of chemical preparations. They will stand for dusting with DE and brushing. I just use an empty grated Parmesan cheese shaker can filled with DE and dust them lightly. I avoid getting the dust near their faces. I observe that it does help with fly control. I sprinkle some on the barn floor where they like to lay. No insects in my barn. I do not feed it. Our animals have had Ivermectin pour on wormer.

[kozzy]

Jul 18, 2015 16:36:54 GMT -5 poplinfarmdexter said:

Our cattle like it when we put DE down their backs to help with flies. If we use Python powder or fly spray they will leave. I think they dislike the smell of chemical preparations. They will stand for dusting with DE and brushing. I just use an empty grated Parmesan cheese shaker can filled with DE and dust them lightly. I avoid getting the dust near their faces. I observe that it does help with fly control. I sprinkle some on the barn floor where they like to lay. No insects in my barn. I do not feed it. Our animals have had Ivermectin pour on wormer.

You imply good effectiveness here---comparable to spray? My hairballs are also not too fond of the spray also and since I have a bag of DE sitting around doing nothing, I'd like to try it for the flies. The odd weather this year has the flies blooming like weeds and I'm finding it impossible to keep up with the problem.

How often do you find they need re-dusting?

Anyone else do this with good results?


Now if there was only a good solution for wasps......They are getting to the point where I am considering explosives.