"Feed grade" vs "Food grade" Diatomaceous Earth

[Mountain Sunshine]

Quote:
The ONLY reason it's given a "Food grade" rating is because it is used to kill insects in grain that is later used for human consumption, and there's no way ro remove it.

The "summary" of all the supposed uses for DE is very misleading.

There is NO scientific evidence that ingesting DE has any benefits at all, and the only places promoting such use conveniently happen to sell it too

The only PROVEN use for DE is as an insecticide and drying agent.
Dont waste your money if you think it will help treat internal parasites

It does help the internal parasites in animals. My dog had worms and I fed him the DE for three weeks and took a fecal sample to the vet and the worms are gone! So, it does have it's benefits. If it works on dogs I am sure it would prevent re infestation in chickens if used.

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

I have used both and I beleive the feed grade doesnt work as well as food grade..That is my opinion!!! But I feed it to my chickens because it gives them beautiful plumage shine and the feed grade doent seem to work as well..DH brought home a 50lb bag of the feed grade so I used it for a few months and switched back to food grade.. Again my opinion..
Hope this helped

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I wouldn't put the "non food grade" on my plants, the harsh chemicals might burn the plants.

There are no chemicals in DE
It's over 85% silica, which is the same thing as sand.

The biggest hazard from it is breathing the dust​

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

It does help the internal parasites in animals. My dog had worms and I fed him the DE for three weeks and took a fecal sample to the vet and the worms are gone!

It's strange that no scientists have ever been able to prove that.
Most likely the worms died off on their own, since they dont reproduce in the hosts body, but mostly have to go through an intermediate host​

 

[Chieftain]

I stand corrected on my earlier comments about "Food Grade" DE. There's a lot more to know about this than I realized, and I thank you folks for your guidance on this.

Tremendous help!

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I use that brand and have had great results with it, no mites since. I have a rubbermaid low feeder with a few inches of it in the barn at all times. They love it for dust bathing and I see them pecking through it, not sure if they eat much. I don't rely on it for internal worms nor do I suggest it. I tried the feed gread DE and my hens would not use it as a dust bath. That stuff is mined near here and as stated it is presented as it is mined, it has dirt in it. They seem to like it better that way.

 

[snowflake]

Question! If DE is bad for us to breath wont it hurt the chickens too? also I asked at TSC for DE he told me to get it at a pool place as they only carry it in the spring. Is the pool kind OK to use?

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

Quote:
No the pool kind is POISIONOUS!! Will KILL your chickens...They guy as TCS needs a little more education!!!
It has to say food grade or feed grade

 

[jus1jack]

Saltwater DE Freshwater DE


A naturally occurring mineral derived from microscopic in size fossilized remains of marine diatoms. It has high absorption, low bulk density and high brightness.
Deposits have been mined for centuries and have been used in hundreds of industrial and agricultural applications. There are two primary types of diatomaceous earth deposits - saltwater and freshwater.

Saltwater DE is commercially processed in the United States, primarily application as a filter aid. Beer, wine, fruit juices, and vegetable oils are filtered through the diatoms' multitude of pores, acting as microscopic sieves. Swimming pool and fish tank filters also utilize this material. Because saltwater DE has a high crystalline silica content from a process called calcining (being exposed to high degrees of heat), it is not appropriate, and in fact dangerous to use in ingestible applications such as grain storage and as an animal feed additive.

Freshwater DE [what DE36 is] is mined from ancient lakebeds, primarily in Nevada and Arizona, and is ideal for agricultural uses because it typically has a low crystalline silica content (amorphous), and is highly absorptive. Documented use of diatomite by the Chinese for pest control dates back almost 4,000 years. Because of its ability to kill insects, DE has been used in grain storage for generations. As awareness of and concern about chemical pesticides grow, non-toxic, natural, diatomaceous earth is enjoying renewed attention and interest. As well, many farmers and ranchers tout DE as a neutral anthelmentic (de-wormer), and are finding great success by adding it to their livestock feed to keep their goats, sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, and fowl healthy and clean without the use of chemical drugs.

http://www.reade.com/Products/Minerals_and_Ores/diatomaceous_earth.html

 

[ivan3]

O.K., I'll take a crack at this again.

FOOD GRADE is an FDA designation, but it was vetted by the EPA ( AMORPHOUS NOT CRYSTALLINE). It is used (as has been mentioned) primarily as an anticaking agent and for insect control. Its designation by the FDA is that it is GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe).

Please download and read the EPA Report:

A:SILICA2.PDF06-14-2000
... are limited to the naturally mined silicon dioxide-containing product diatomaceous earth... revise the exemptions in 40 CFR 185.1700 and 186.1700 for diatomaceous earth to include silica gel used in food and feed handling ...
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/old_reds/4081red.pdf (PDF)

Amorphous Silicon Dioxide does not kill insects by slashing them to shreds (that is what POOL GRADE DE - CRYSTALLINE does). As a matter of fact, the more finely it is ground, the better it works. It kills by adsorption that results in desiccation.

To go back to the source. This is from Popular Mechanics Magazine, Aug/1958 (pg. 103) describing Walter Ebeling's research:

…he applied an insecticide in the form of a mist to a group of wooden test blocks, in the form of a vapor to another group of blocks, and as a dust to a third group. Seventeen months later Robert Wagner placed each group of blocks in separate test chambers containing Dry Wood Termites and watched the results.
Strangely, none of the insects that crawled over the blocks treated with the mist or with the vapor was affected by the poison applied to the wooden surfaces. Yet every insect that moved across one of the dusty blocks died soon afterward. More study showed that in all three cases the insecticide itself had decomposed with age and was no longer lethal. There was only one possible conclusion: In the case of the dusted blocks it was the inert diluent, the nontoxic powder used to give body to the insecticide, that was doing the killing.
The investigators found that dust is a killer because it adsorbs or disrupts the waxy film that covers an insect’s body and normally prevents loss of moisture by evaporation. Without the protection of this lipid layer an insect becomes dehydrated and perishes. In many cases enough dust is picked up by its feet and transferred to its body to break down the protective layer. In several minutes or several hours, depending on the type, the insects lose a fifth or more of its weight by evaporation and that’s the end of it.
Of the many diluents that are used in insecticide dusts, the research group found that several highly sportive natural clays and diatomaceous earths are quite effective killers.

Walter Ebeling's paper (if you read the above don't spend the $28.00) http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/esa/jee/1959/00000052/00000002/art00003

If it is FOOD GRADE it will Say FOOD/FEED GRADE AMORPHOUS SiO₂

Amorphous DE is no panacea (for bugs). The more humid it is, the less effective it is. Some insects are less susceptible to the effects than others (those that prefer humid locations and sport thicker, nasty, chitinous exteriors - turn loose the chooks!).

Amorphous DE is NOT associated with Silicosis. However, breathing any large quantity of most dusts is not recommended. I feel safer standing downwind from dirt bathing turkeys than I do emptying the vacuum cleaner.

ed:sp
ED: Sorry, forgot to add the Bentonite (also GRAS): http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnDetailNavigation.cfm?rpt=scogsListing&id=35 I assume (an ugly practice but I'm going there) that adding Bentonite to Amorphous Silica results in a `feed' grade product (good for livestock).​