Diatomaceous Earth, Probably Heard this ? B4

[anthonyjames]

I went to my local feed mill. They don't carry DE and looked at me crazily and said what is that for. But said they would look around and found that one of their manufacture's carries it. They said it is food/feed grade. When I looked at the spec sheet I noticed it was like 85% silica.

It also talked about feeding ratio's to horses, dogs, cats, etc on the spec sheet, so I can only assume this is the correct stuff.

So would this be correct on the silica?

I want to pick this up but having it shipped at the same cost of the bag is ridiculous. My feed mill can get me a 50lb bag for $22. That is double what I can find on the net for half the cost.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Yes that's the right stuff.....and a good price too

DE is made up of the fossiliferous silica cell walls of a type phytoplankton called a diatom.

 

[Whispering Winds]

You have to make sure its Food Grade. That sounds cheap, because in one of my chicken supply catalogs its $42.99 for a 50 pound bag.

 

[Wynette]

Yes, true - it MUST say "Food Grade" right on the bag. The stuff that is NOT food grade WILL say it's safe to feed...if you search on here, you'll find several threads with brands that are definitely food grade. If the stuff you have access to is, in fact, food grade, that's ONE heck of a deal!

 

[gritsar]

That silica content sounds way too high?

 

[newchickmom09]

If it is food grade than that is a good price. The feed store I go to sells 50lb bags for $28.

 

[Msbear]

What are the effects of using DE that isn't food grade?

 

[wildorchid053]

food grade d/e is from inland lakes that were fresh water... regular d/e that goes into a pool filter is processed from saltwater and is not edible.. we bought food grade on line but the shipping for a 50 lb bag was alot.. 40.00... people can eat it.. it is bad to inhale so if dusty wear a mask it is like little razor blades and if put lightly on deep litter it will keep down mites... fleas. etc.. it cuts the skeltons and they dehydrate and die.. you can dust your cats , dogs, birds or whatever in it to keep down ticks, mites, fleas etc... just don't make a big dust bowl of it lol. it can be fed to people and animals.. people take 1 tab a day in a drink or your choice and it is said to kill parasites inside you and the animals.. but you must not stop taking for 30 days.. there could be a mass pile of dying parasites inside of you and it could be toxic.. people are said to take it for high blood pressure... lowering blood sugar.. but that is just hearsay.. go on line and read about it... and gl.. we use it in our deep litter for drying out the poop and getting rid of the smell..not quite brave enough to taste it but thinking about it.. hubby and i joke.. did you eat earth today... no did you? lol

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
The typical chemical composition of Diatomaceous Earth is 86% silica, 5% sodium, 3% magnesium and 2% iron.

Silicon Dioxide:
The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica (from the Latin silex), is an oxide of silicon with a chemical formula of SiO2 and has been known for its hardness since antiquity.[1] Silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz, as well as in the cell walls of diatoms. It is a principal component of most types of glass and substances such as concrete. Silica is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust.

Chris