# Diatomaceous earth-- anybody?



## Oreo (Jul 26, 2010)

I've been hearing about DE as a dewormer. Has anybody here ever tried it, and does it work? We recently obtained 15 goats from several sources and are looking to raise them organically (not certified though) and we're looking for the most effective or cost effective natural wormers to use.

BTW, we are in SC and we do have access to walnut trees and especially cherry trees.

But I'll try to stay on topic for this post, so does anybody know about DE?


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## jodief100 (Jul 26, 2010)

If you want to raise goats organicaly, check out the Fiasco Farm website.

http://fiascofarm.com/

My personal recomendation is if you are going to raise "naturally" you must be having fecals run by a vet on a regular basis to ensure your natural dewormer is effective.  I would also keep some chemical dewormers and other things on hand in case of emergency.  Worms can take down an entire herd of goats FAST.  I know someone who lost 19 out of 24 of his goats to a parasite storm this spring.  

Good luck, it is a challenge I would not undertake but I wish you the best.


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## ksalvagno (Jul 26, 2010)

DE alone doesn't work. You need to use some other herbs. Like Jodie said, run fecals on a regular basis. You will have to experiment with the herbs and do frequent fecals until you find the right "mix" that works for you. Also, do keep the chemical wormers on hand in case one of your goats does get a bad case of worms.

Molly at Fiasco Farms sells an herb combination for deworming. Also cloves and black walnut and garlic work for deworming. But you have to find the right amount that will work for your goats. Molly's herbs are given weekly and the cloves/black walnut need to be given daily.


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## Chirpy (Jul 26, 2010)

Welcome to BYH!!

I agree with everything said above...

I also try to do everything natural with my goats.   I use DE regularly for them..   I mix some in with their baking soda and I sprinkle some on their bodies.  I've only had goats for three years but I've never had a worm issue thus far.    Now... I live in a very dry climate and that makes a big difference.   If you live in a wet climate worms are far more likely to be a potential problem.

Keeping their stalls clean and dry is critically important to helping any animal maintain good health.

As stated, if you are using a natural de-wormer you need to give it every week to your animals.  

Finally... make sure the DE you buy is FOOD grade... it has to say that on the bag or it isn't and can kill your animals.


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## mossyStone (Jul 26, 2010)

I feed DE to everybody here, dogs, cats, chicknens, goats, ducks, it is in there food, i have a sand, and DE dust bath for the turkeys and chickens, i Sprinkle it around the loafing areas it is even in the carpet of the mudd room, But once it gets damp it wont work out side..
 I run fecals twice a yr on the goats, dogs and barn cats, no worms to speak of.... All my animals free range i think thats why we have no real worm loads... ... But if i need to i will worm with Ivermectin or anythng the vets says i need to.....

Mossy Stone Farm


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## chandasue (Jul 27, 2010)

I use DE sprinkled on the floor of the goat barn and chicken coops. I mix it into the chicken feed once in a while but I've read that it doesn't work so great internally on goats. So I'm not sure. I had pretty good results with Molly's Herbals but we had a lot of rain in the last month and had to break down and use a chemical wormer on my goats. Depends a lot on where you live I think...


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## cmjust0 (Jul 28, 2010)

chandasue said:
			
		

> I had pretty good results with Molly's Herbals but we had a lot of rain in the last month and had to break down and use a chemical wormer on my goats. Depends a lot on where you live I think...


FWIW...the worms we worry about most -- haemonchus contortus, aka barberpole worms -- apparently don't overwinter very well on pasture.  If you have cold winter weather, then it's likely that the VAST majority of barberpole worms you have on the premises in the Spring have ridden out the winter in a state of hypobiosis (like hibernation, sorta) _inside the goat_..  

When the weather is compatible with survival of barberpole larvae, the barberpoles inside the goat come out of hibernation, latch on, suck blood, and begin producing eggs..  There may only be a few barberpoles left to begin with, so it may take quite some time for them to build up to a point of significant pasture contamination.  As such, you usually don't start seeing significant worm infestation in the goats until the pasture has been contaminated "really well" and the goats have had sufficient time to eat those larvae...and for the larvae to molt, attach, suck blood, produce eggs, deplete the goat's metabolic ability to produce more blood rapidly, etc.....  Needless to say, the whole process takes some time.

Having said that, you really shouldn't be seeing any significant signs of worm infestation until it's "barberpole season" anyway, regardless of what dewormer you're using -- if any.  Indeed, almost anything would _appear_ to have been working prior to last month, because it wasn't really 'barberpole season' yet..  

What I'm getting at is that you dewormed with a chemical dewormer last month because -- based on whatever testing/checking you do -- it appeared as though the molly's wasn't cutting it, but the reality is that last month is kinda when barberpole season _started_..

I had no reason to begin deworming until last month, either..  Well, actually, it was earlier this month.  

Keep in mind that I'm not trying to bash the herbal stuff simply because it's herbal...  Afterall, herbs are chemicals too..    (  )

I'm just trying to make people aware that there are natural cycles to these sorts of things..  And I'm also saying that if a year-round deworming product doesn't appear to work sufficiently _when barberpoles are actually active_, then there's a pretty good likelihood that it's not working very well _at all_.

I also know it's fairly expensive stuff, too.  


I'm not sayin'....I'm just sayin'.


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## chandasue (Jul 29, 2010)

> Having said that, you really shouldn't be seeing any significant signs of worm infestation until it's "barberpole season" anyway, regardless of what dewormer you're using -- if any.  Indeed, almost anything would appear to have been working prior to last month, because it wasn't really 'barberpole season' yet..


Good to know. Thanks CM.


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## goodgirlmolly (Dec 4, 2010)

I actually add DTE to the Molly's at the time I make the dosage balls- to make sure they still get the correct amount of herbs.
Just make sure nobody breathes it in.


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## goodgirlmolly (Dec 4, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> DE alone doesn't work. You need to use some other herbs. Like Jodie said, run fecals on a regular basis. You will have to experiment with the herbs and do frequent fecals until you find the right "mix" that works for you. Also, do keep the chemical wormers on hand in case one of your goats does get a bad case of worms.
> 
> Molly at Fiasco Farms sells an herb combination for deworming. Also cloves and black walnut and garlic work for deworming. But you have to find the right amount that will work for your goats. Molly's herbs are given weekly and the cloves/black walnut need to be given daily.


Fascinating - the cloves, how much and how do you administer?
Thanks!


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## AlaskanShepherdess (Dec 5, 2010)

I've been doing a lot of reading on this, and to be truelly effective you need to be giving 1/4 C of DE a day, I think for a week? I'm not sure. You'll also have to supplement with herbal dewormers for the worms that are not in the digestive tract. (like lung worms)


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## Jered Norris (Nov 28, 2013)

I  have been raising A large herd of dairy goats organically for a while to exibit at shows. DE I offer free choice to the goats at all times. It has worked very well alone and they eat about the proper amount each day and are usually parasite most of the time. The vet has told me multiple times that my goats are very healthy.


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