fly control

[Royd Wood]

Diatomaceous earth is just the best

 

[redtailgal]

the edges are microscopic...........and the lining of the intestines are much tougher than that.

I've been using it for years......hasnt killed a critter yet. I've yet to see any harm whatsoever from it.

Have you done any research on DE? The horticultural grade DE is fine for human consumption............AND it doesnt contain a bunch of harsh chemicals.

While I still dont really believe that feeding it interaly will prevent flies (because it is a digestable substance and is therefore broken down before it's pooped out), I believe that is is pretty good for a stomach-dwelling wor preventative and EXCELLENT on external parasites, esp since it can be used on newborns.

So, to answer your question, there is nothing wrong with me!

 

[Rvrfshr]

So, we (you) are saying that it's recommended to feed ground up coralized fosilized algae (glass like substance) to livestock for the purpose of 'cut by the DE and die' or better yet (more explanatory) 'the abrasive edges of the particles cut the parasites and bugs in their abdomen causing them to die of dehydration.'?

A livestock owner should know everything about any and all applications PRIOR to admininstering it/them to their animals.

Anyone can read about diatomaceous earth simply by googling it. DE is a coral like substance that is akin to finely ground glass. KF is absolutely correct about the probable effects of administering such substances to sheep.

It's nice to read comments about ideas that people have but do some fact checking before endangering your livestock.

 

[Rvrfshr]

This took me 5 seconds to find:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

 

[autumnprairie]

dawn dish soap and vinegar is our natural fly spray.

how do you measure this out 50/50

 

[kfacres]

dawn dish soap and vinegar is our natural fly spray.

how do you measure this out 50/50

well, you take 1 cup--- of any size really, doesn't matter....

and you fill it full of soap- then dump it into whatever container you plan to use-- we use a spray bottle.

then you take that cup again- and fill it full of vinegar

and you dump it into that same container.

You then shake the container you dumped the two ingredients into--- and spray it onto whatever you do not want flys bothering...

depending on what kind of container you want to use- and if this solution is too thick to flow through the nozzle-- we have added more vinegar to it to make it more liquid like... Something as extreme as 2:1 on certain sprayers.

 

[Rvrfshr]

We're looking at the Spalding fly predators as well.

We had good luck with DE when the dogs had fleas very badly one year.

Read the labels of DE products, it states very clearly NOT to use on pets or livestock or to allow them to ingest it.

My wife and I considered DE for our dogs flea problems a few years ago but decided against it after reading (researching on the Internet; i.e. google) and informing ourselves of its danger to pets and livestock.

DE will kill fleas, but do not put it on your pets or livestock. Any powdery substance will smother fleas. Talcum is the base agent that is used in many products such as Roach-Pruf, flea powder, many ant poisons etc. Some of these products also contain DE. Read the labels before using these agents or taking someone elses word about their purported efficacy.

 

[redtailgal]

This took me 5 seconds to find:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

Quoted from the site you recommended:


"Use in agriculture
Natural freshwater diatomaceous earth is used in agriculture for grain storage as an anticaking agent, as well as an insecticide.[16] It is approved by the US Department of Agriculture as a feed supplement.
It is also used as a neutral anthelmintic (dewormer). Some farmers add it to their livestock and poultry feed to improve the health of animals.[17] "Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth" is widely available in agricultural feed supply stores. It is acceptable as organic feed additive for livestock.


Marker in livestock nutrition experiments
Natural diatomaceous earth (dried, not calcined) is regularly used in livestock nutrition research as a source of acid insoluble ash (AIA), which is used as an indigestible marker. By measuring the content of AIA relative to nutrients in test diets and feces or digesta sampled from the terminal ileum (last third of the small intestine) the percentage of that nutrient digested can be calculated using the following equation:
Where:
is percent Nutrient Digestibility
is the percent of nutrients in the feces
is the percent of nutrients in the feed
is the percent of AIA in the feces
is the percent of AIA in the feed
And:

Natural diatomaceous earth (freshwater) is preferred by many researchers over chromic oxide, which has been widely used for the same purpose, but which is also a known carcinogen and therefore a potential hazard to research personnel."

Perhaps the DE label that you've read says not to use it, but I've read the label on my bag of DE. It gives suggested uses, and includes the amount to use as an additive to various animal feeds, as well as face wash for humans. It also suggests use as a natural pesticide in gardens.

There is a very big difference between horticultural grade DE and non horticultural grade DE.

ALso, DE has been approved by the USDA as a feed additive.

Here is another website that you may want to include in your research:

http://eap.mcgill.ca/publications/eap4.htm

 

[Rvrfshr]

This took me 5 seconds to find:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

Quoted from the site you recommended:


"Use in agriculture
Natural freshwater diatomaceous earth is used in agriculture for grain storage as an anticaking agent, as well as an insecticide.[16] It is approved by the US Department of Agriculture as a feed supplement.
It is also used as a neutral anthelmintic (dewormer). Some farmers add it to their livestock and poultry feed to improve the health of animals.[17] "Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth" is widely available in agricultural feed supply stores. It is acceptable as organic feed additive for livestock.


Marker in livestock nutrition experiments
Natural diatomaceous earth (dried, not calcined) is regularly used in livestock nutrition research as a source of acid insoluble ash (AIA), which is used as an indigestible marker. By measuring the content of AIA relative to nutrients in test diets and feces or digesta sampled from the terminal ileum (last third of the small intestine) the percentage of that nutrient digested can be calculated using the following equation:
Where:
is percent Nutrient Digestibility
is the percent of nutrients in the feces
is the percent of nutrients in the feed
is the percent of AIA in the feces
is the percent of AIA in the feed
And:

Natural diatomaceous earth (freshwater) is preferred by many researchers over chromic oxide, which has been widely used for the same purpose, but which is also a known carcinogen and therefore a potential hazard to research personnel."

Perhaps the DE label that you've read says not to use it, but I've read the label on my bag of DE. It gives suggested uses, and includes the amount to use as an additive to various animal feeds, as well as face wash for humans. It also suggests use as a natural pesticide in gardens.

There is a very big difference between horticultural grade DE and non horticultural grade DE.

ALso, DE has been approved by the USDA as a feed additive.

Here is another website that you may want to include in your research:

http://eap.mcgill.ca/publications/eap4.htm

Good post Red! In light of the conflicting information about DE, I am unconvinced that is suitable for ingestion by pets or livestock and will opt for other more tried and true methods for treating my animals.

 

[bonbean01]

Seems there are different grades of this stuff. My biggest concern has been the lungs on animals or humans...I know that you're supposed to be careful not to inhale it, but with my luck I'd sneeze while using it and end up breathing it.