Diatomaceous earth

I put it where the girls dust bath. It will help with mites and little critters. I spread it around liberally where they tend to hand out. Use Food Grade DE  by the way

Steve

I use it on our wide roosts and also on the coop floor.  I've yet to come across a single bug.

forgot to mention its odor control qualities

Tractor supply store, 20# bag @ $12.

How much would you use per square foot?

1/3 sand - 1/3 dirt or soil - 1/3 DE my bathtub is 2' deep 18" tall and 4' long

My old one was not deep enough and they kicked the sand out all day long. 2' X 3' but 10" deep

DE (Diatomaceous Earth) Food Grade - Food grade diatomaceous earth is EPA approved to be mixed with grains to control mealworms and pests. Food grade diatomaceous earth makes a very effective natural insecticide. The insecticidal quality of diatomaceous earth is due to the razor sharp edges of the diatom remains. When diatomaceous earth comes in contact with the insects, the sharp edges lacerate the bugs waxy exoskeleton and then the powdery diatomaceous earth absorbs the body fluids causing death from dehydration. Food grade diatomaceous earth has been used for at least two decades as a natural wormer for livestock. Some believe diatomaceous earth scratches and dehydrates parasites. Some scientists believe that diatomaceous earth is a de-ionizer or de-energizer of worms or parasites. Regardless, people report definite control. To be most effective, food grade diatomaceous earth must be fed long enough to catch all newly hatching eggs or cycling of the worms through the lungs and back to the stomach. A minimum of 60 days is suggested by many, 90 days is advised for lungworms. Best yet, parasites don’t build up a tolerance/immunity to its chemical reaction, so rotation of wormers is unnecessary. Internal feeding of food grade diatomaceous earth helps eliminate most internal worms, including roundworms, pin worms, tapeworms, etc. It's also excellent when fed daily to keep down fly loads, since food grade diatomaceous earth is eliminated from the body, exactly the way it went in, it helps reduce the manure odor and kills flies that come in contact with it. Mix in animal feed or grain and/or feed free choice. Our goats, fowl, and dogs eat it free choice. DE is primarily used for the control of external parasites, and as a wormer when using food grade DE. Diatomaceous (die-uh-toe-may-shus) "DE", as diatomaceous earth is abbreviated, has the neat quality of killing insects. It's perfect for natural insect control. It is 100% ecologically safe to the environment and non-poisonous to man and beast. In fact, if you've eaten anything made with flour you've eaten DE. It's used in commercial grain storage as a means of natural, poison-free, insect control. Worming add 2% D.E. to your feed to reduce, or eliminate internal parasites and worms. Delousing your birds to help control external parasites like red mites, and lice. You will also need to spread this liberally on roosts, bedding areas, and dusting spots.

Doesn't that pretty much make it a waste of time to pass it through the animal first?

None of the following has ever been PROVEN scientifically, and in fact most of it has been DISproven, which is why they use so many "qualifiers" rather than saying it actually does any of those things

The information is a cut and paste from Wolf Creek Ranch, whose main goal is to SELL you some DE:

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

Can anyone logically explain how it DEHYDRATES a worn inside an animal's body?

And why does that same website tell you it will NOT kill Earthworms in your garden?

It's an insecticide, and not much else