Diatomaceous earth???

[roostercluck]

Where can you buy DE?

 

[astabley]

Hi I bought a bag of DE at Home Depot. Lowes probably carries it too. Careful which one you buy the one for the pool is posionous.

 

[roostercluck]

Hi I bought a bag of DE at Home Depot. Lowes probably carries it too. Careful which one you buy the one for the pool is posionous.

Thank You. I will do that.

 

[PDXcluck]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21673156

Just to rebut a few earlier posts that said there was no proven benefit to using DE in feed, the study linked above found that it does reduce parasite loads and increase production in at least one breed of layer. If anyone is interested I know I have the link to the full text version around here somewhere...

 

[Chris09]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21673156

Just to rebut a few earlier posts that said there was no proven benefit to using DE in feed, the study linked above found that it does reduce parasite loads and increase production in at least one breed of layer. If anyone is interested I know I have the link to the full text version around here somewhere...

What I would like to know is how the DE did any good since it is a fine dust and is ground to a even finer dust once it goes through the digestive track of a chicken.
There are no "tiny sharp edges that cut the parasites" as the Mfg. clam it does. If there was then DE would cut the Esophagus of the chicken.



Quote from Dr. Christine King (found on the internet)

diatomite. Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring, soft, chalky rock that, when crushed,

yields a fine, light-grey powder. It consists of fossilized remains of tiny hard-shelled algae called
diatoms. Owing to their high content of crystalline silica, diatomite is mildly abrasive.
In fact, that is the mechanism by which diatomite is purported to kill intestinal parasites. It is
believed that the abrasive micro-surfaces of the diatomite cut the outer membranes of the
parasites like thousands of tiny blades. But I question that premise. Industrial-grade diatomite
has a high silica content and is used as a mild abrasive. However, food-grade diatomite has a
much lower content of crystalline silica, so it is minimally abrasive.
And even if the abrasion theory is valid, then what does this stuff do to the delicate lining of
the digestive tract? While I could not find even one scientific study which validates the use of
diatomite against internal parasites in horses or other livestock, my search did turn up several
articles documenting the health risks of chronic exposure to diatomite. When inhaled, it causes
inflammation of the airways and, with chronic exposure, even some fibrosis (scarring).
Even more concerning was a study which showed that chronic oral intake of diatomite can
damage the intestinal lining, altering its absorptive properties and making it more permeable to
potentially harmful substances. So, it seems to me that the practice of using diatomaceous earth
as a daily dewormer for horses is either useless but harmless or useful but harmful, depending on
the grade of diatomite used.''

Chris

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

I find it interesting that one will deride the benefits of using a proven technology such as Amprolium in chicken feeds while blindly believing that an unproven product such as Diatomaceious Earth works as a parasiticide.

Jim

 

[Chris09]

I find it interesting that one will deride the benefits of using a proven technology such as Amprolium in chicken feeds while blindly believing that an unproven product such as Diatomaceious Earth works as a parasiticide.

Jim

I know what you mean, they would have better results using chewing tobacco than Diatomaceious Earth. I use Amprolium on all my livestock with no ill-affects.

Chris