any reviews on diatomaceous earth?

[cg91]

Looking info on this stuff for cob with itchy legs, also unsure how much is meant to be fed?

 

[JillA]

Ooh, no you don't feed it you apply it to the skin. It is microscopic creatures with sharp edges that damage the exoskeletons of shelled mites/fleas etc without hurting thicker and more flexible skin of host animals

 

[cg91]

Everything I've read about it says it's best to feed it? In that case you can buy food grade. And I've been told it's a natural wormer etc.

 

[JillA]

I'll be interested in what others say then - I have always used it as a dusting powder

 

[MotherOfChickens]

feeding it will do nothing for mites, for mites you would need to dust. You feed it as a wormer, or you do if you believe that those sharp exoskeletons can damage the hardy parasitic worms while not doing your horses' guts any harm.

 

[goldenchestnut]

I use it in my chickens feed to worm them and on pony's legs for mites.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I use it in my chickens feed to worm them and on pony's legs for mites.

Which is fine for poultry as they need grit in their diet but not for horses, as they don't.

 

[JDee]

It has no insecticidal power at all, so no point feeding it
Its a desiccant - works by absorbing all the moisture from whatever you want to kill and can also shred it because its full of very sharp particles
It might kill mites if you dust it on the legs but its useless for killing anything once its wet - which is why its ineffective as a wormer
Even the food grade can have an acceptable amount of arsenic and lead in it so not something I'd feed or eat myself

 

[eggs]

I just use it in the hen house to combat red mite. Feeding it to a horse won't get rid of mites living on the legs.

 

[cg91]

Well I have just used the powder on his legs, when I tried to get information everything said it was best to feed it so I'm glad I posted on this! Thanks everyone

 

[Leo Walker]

It doesnt work as a permanent solution. It works initally and then about 10 days later they are back. Same for fleas on dogs