DE for deworning your herd? Goat specific question...

[MaLoTu]

I am planning to use DE as a maintenance dewormer for my animals. I have dogs, goats, and chickens and a horse. My goats are still pretty young and I do not feed them grain. I am still weaning them off the bottle. Can I add the dosage to their formula? I cannot find anything online.

I hope this isn't a controversial issue! Not trying to start a debate, just trying to manage my herd!

Do you sprinkle DE in the coop as well? I have read that it has many uses ...

TIA

 

[Stacykins]

You should always make sure any kind of worming agent is required before using it. A vet should analyze a fecal sample. You can either use your local vet, or send samples off for $5 per sample here, to Mid America Agricultural Research. It tells you what parasites are ailing your goats and the numbers each goat has. After they get wormed by whatever method you choose, send in another sample to ensure it worked.

DE will basically be useless internally, so you shouldn't bother. Find some actual research on parasite maintenance, not some anecdotes from a granola cruncher's blog. Sure, try DE if your gung-ho about it, but make sure to send in a before and after fecal so you can see the results.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's a drying agent. People put diatomaceous earth in dust bath areas and in the coop as deterrent of mites and lice, etc. Exoskelaton critters avoid the DE drying them out which kills them. I've never heard of feeding it to combat internal parasites. Is it suppose to work internally?

 

[MaLoTu]

It is food grade. It says it is "completely safe and non-toxic". I watch this homesteading thing on youtube and the lady (Becky, I think is her name) uses it for all her animals. The guy at the feed store gave me the proper measurements for all my animals per the manufacturer, I am just not certain about administering through the formula. I wonder if I should give electrolytes also?

 

[cassie]

One thing you need to consider, if your goats have internal parasites, they need something that works. Just because something is "natural" does not necessarily mean that it is safe and/or effective.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I agree with the others. DE, though popular, is really not a great choice for parasite control. A good control program (regular fecals, pasture rotation, worming only when needed, and hygiene/cleanliness) will work far better at controlling parasites.

 

[ridingtailboard]

I would not add it to the bottle and would not use it while you are weaning. If you going to use DE i would wait until they are adjusted to hay, grain and or pasture. Then i would still use a dewormer and supplement with DE.

 

[waddles99]

This is what we use to deworm goats: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/safe-guard-goat-wormer-125-ml?cm_vc=-10005
Vets recommend you use a double dosage, as internal parasites have build up a certain immunity to it, and require a double dose to do the job. That being said, this is a very reliable and safe method of preventing and combating worms in goats. You NEVER want to cut corners when dealing with something this serious. Goats can die from serious cases of worms.

 

[MaLoTu]

Ok, thank you all.

I don't think my goats have worms, but I noticed that my chickens were giving really messy eggs. I treated them, but wanted to just do a full sweep of all the animals just to be complete. The DE worked like a charm for the messy eggs.

My goats eat hay and I am really not considering grain as part of their diet at this point. They are not very interested in pasture, at all. Every once in a while I see them pick up some foliage, but it is pretty rare ... don't know what is up with that.

Is the wormer for goats a paste or liquid? Should I just keep them on a worming schedule like I do with my dogs and horse? Just for clarification, the goats are about 13 weeks old and they are pygmies.

 

[waddles99]

Ok, thank you all.

I don't think my goats have worms, but I noticed that my chickens were giving really messy eggs. I treated them, but wanted to just do a full sweep of all the animals just to be complete. The DE worked like a charm for the messy eggs.

My goats eat hay and I am really not considering grain as part of their diet at this point. They are not very interested in pasture, at all. Every once in a while I see them pick up some foliage, but it is pretty rare ... don't know what is up with that.

Is the wormer for goats a paste or liquid? Should I just keep them on a worming schedule like I do with my dogs and horse? Just for clarification, the goats are about 13 weeks old and they are pygmies.

Goat wormer is a liquid, almost like milk. You worm every 3 months.