I came across diatomaceous earth on a youtube clip today when I was looking up the best ways to treat scaly feet on chickens these days, and I went on to watch a clip that talks about how to tell if your chickens need to be wormed. She recommended using Diatomaceous Earth for all sorts of parasites like worms and mites, which I have read a bit about today and it sounds awesome. Anyone used it? Any feedback?
I havent used it but came across it when i was search ways to get rid of bed bugs.
Apparently it is quite effective and non toxic way of getting rid if pests.
DE
I don't think I would rely on it for internal parasites, and scaly leg mite can be treated with any number of things including vegetable oil/Vaseline.
Mite control not only requires treatment for the animal, but also for the house and perches. Some thing that your are able to spray into every nook and cranny is ideal.
My health food shop has just started stocking this and hes spruking it big time. I haven't looked into it too much but it's certainly interesting.
Here's the youtube link I found it at, about worming chickens:
http://youtu.be/od-e3ZFJQHw
And here's some info I then came across on a website:
Here at Fossilpower we are a family owned and operated business supplying the Diatomaceous Earth which is 100% pure Food Grade and organic.
It contains less than 1% of Crystalline Silica and has no additives or been treated with anything. This is the only Australian Diatomaceous Earths that is equal in quality to Russia, China and USA.
Pets:
Our best friends come in all shapes and sizes. Protect them with Diatomaceous Earth. You can mix the Diatomaceous Earth into your pet’s food to give them the bonus of 15 trace minerals which are lacking in our soils and food today.
General guidelines are listed here.
Cats – 1 teaspoon/day
Weaned Kittens – 1/4 teaspoon/ day
Dogs – 50kg + 2 tablespoons/ day
25 - 50kg – 1 tablespoon/ day
under 25kg – 2 teaspoons/ day
Minidogs – 1 teaspoon/ day
Plants:
For control of aphids, white fly, beetles, caterpillars, mites, leaf hoppers, and others.
Use Diatomaceous Earth inside your home, greenhouse or outdoors on fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains and grass, up to and including day of harvest.
For dry application of Diatomaceous Earth use a duster and cover entire plant, apply to both top and bottom of leaf. For young plants, as little as 10 kg per acre may be adequate. For larger plants, 20 kgs per acre is probably sufficient.
Diatomaceous Earth will need reapplication after rain. Applies best when there is dew or after a light rain. It is a long lasting, effective powder.
Livestock:
All livestock, Horses, Cows, Pigs, Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, Chickens and others will benefit from the use of Diatomaceous Earth. It is completely safe and nontoxic.
Some of the benefits are; converts feed better, reduces odor and moisture in sheds and stalls, healthier and stronger animals
Diatomaceous Earth can be mixed right in with the animals feed.
Cows/Horses get 1/2 cup per day,
Sheep/Goats/Hogs get 1/4 cup per day,
For Chickens and other livestock you need to weight them and add 2% to 5% of that weight in Diatomaceous Earth (Fossil Shell Flour) to their food. It is not toxic and you can eat the meat of the
livestock at anytime without the worry of toxins in your food.
Your livestock will also get the benefit of over 15 trace minerals that make up Diatomaceous Earth.
Stored Grain:
Just add 3 - 6kgs. of Diatomaceous Earth to each ton of grain as it is conveyed into the storage.
Can also be applied to the top of feed bins as it will slowliy work its way down through the grain.
Dry Application
Cover the affected area with Diatomaceous Earth at the rate of 1 to 2 kgs. per 200 square metres. Larger plants require more per area.
Human Use:
Great results have been found when consumed in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
* Remove Toxins and heavy metals
* Lower Cholesterol
* Clean Colon
* Remove internal Parasites
* Lower PH levels
* Clears skin conditions
* Helps reduce weight
Take a teaspoon in a glass of water twice a day, can be increased slowly.
for scaley leg i use a mix of olive oil and garlic and use an old tooth brush to get "right in there"
for lice and that i've just baught a cattle pour on thats off lable use and its also for internal nasties too.
and a farmer told me that Epsom salts in their water keeps naties at bay too?