7 Best Livestock Diatomaceous Earth For Parasite Control Farmers Trust
Discover the top 7 food-grade diatomaceous earth products for livestock. This guide reviews the brands farmers trust for natural, effective parasite control.
You’ve seen it before: a chicken looking a bit listless, a goat with a rough coat, or production just seeming a little off. Internal and external parasites are a constant pressure on any farm, and managing them without reaching for harsh chemicals is a top priority for many of us. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is one of the most trusted tools in the natural farmer’s arsenal, but not all DE is created equal.
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Choosing Food-Grade DE for Livestock Health
Let’s get one thing straight right away: the only diatomaceous earth that should ever touch your farm is food-grade. The other kind, filter-grade or pool-grade, is heat-treated and contains crystalline silica, which is dangerous to inhale for both you and your animals. Food-grade DE is amorphous silica, meaning it’s safe for consumption and handling (though wearing a mask when applying large, dusty amounts is always smart).
When you’re looking at bags, you’ll often see the term "OMRI Listed." This means the Organic Materials Review Institute has certified it for use in organic operations. For many hobby farmers, this is a crucial seal of approval. It ensures the product is pure, unadulterated, and free from additives that would conflict with natural farming principles.
Think of it as a baseline for quality. Even if you aren’t certified organic, choosing an OMRI Listed product guarantees you’re getting a clean, reliable form of DE. It’s the simplest way to ensure you’re not introducing unwanted contaminants into your animals’ feed or environment.
Harris DE: Top Choice for Poultry Dust Baths
If you raise chickens, you know their primary defense against mites and lice is a good, vigorous dust bath. Harris Diatomaceous Earth is exceptionally well-suited for this job. Its texture is light and fluffy, clinging well to feathers and getting down to the skin where pests hide.
Get 4lbs of HARRIS Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, a natural product with no additives, OMRI listed for organic use. Includes a powder duster for easy application.
Many farmers mix Harris DE into the flock’s favorite dusting spots, either with sand, dry soil, or wood ash. The microscopic, sharp edges of the diatoms mechanically abrade the waxy exoskeletons of insects, causing them to dehydrate and die. It’s a physical method of control, not a chemical one, which means pests can’t build a resistance to it.
What sets Harris apart for many is the convenience. Their packaging often includes a small powder duster, which is perfect for targeted applications. You can use it to puff DE into the corners of nesting boxes or directly onto a bird you suspect has a mite problem, getting the powder exactly where it needs to go without creating a giant dust cloud.
Perma-Guard: Trusted as a Livestock Feed Additive
When it comes to using DE as a feed additive for internal parasite control, Perma-Guard is the brand with the longest and most trusted reputation. For decades, farmers have relied on its purity and consistency for mixing into daily rations for everything from cattle and hogs to goats and chickens. It’s recognized as the original and one of the purest food-grade DE products available.
The theory behind feeding DE is that its abrasive texture can help scour the intestinal tract, creating an inhospitable environment for internal parasites. While it’s not a dewormer in the chemical sense, many farmers see it as a critical part of a proactive, preventative gut health strategy. It’s about maintaining a system that is less friendly to parasites in the first place.
Perma-Guard’s fine, uniform grind makes it easy to incorporate into any feeding system. It mixes evenly into loose minerals, top-dresses pelleted feed, or blends into a TMR (total mixed ration) without settling out. This consistency is key to ensuring every animal gets a consistent amount, which is vital for any feed-through supplement.
DiatomaceousEarth.com: Bulk Value for Large Herds
As your farm grows, your input costs grow with it. Buying small bags of DE from a garden center just isn’t practical when you have more than a handful of animals. This is where DiatomaceousEarth.com shines, offering high-quality, food-grade DE in large, economical sizes like 25 and 50-pound bags.
For hobby farmers managing small herds of goats, a flock of sheep, or a few cows, buying in bulk is a game-changer. The cost per pound drops dramatically, allowing you to use DE more liberally in bedding, dust baths, and feed without constantly worrying about the expense. A single 50-pound bag can last a small operation for many months, simplifying your supply chain.
The tradeoff, of course, is storage. You’ll need a dry, secure place to keep a large bag safe from moisture and pests. But for anyone serious about incorporating DE into their daily farm management, the cost savings far outweigh the minor inconvenience of storing a bigger bag.
Lumina DE: Ultra-Fine Grade for Easy Feed Mixing
Not all food-grade DE has the same texture. Lumina DE is known for its ultra-fine, almost flour-like consistency. This specific characteristic makes it an excellent choice for anyone primarily focused on using DE as a feed additive, especially for picky eaters.
Some animals, particularly goats, can be notorious for sorting their feed and leaving behind powders they find unpalatable. A finer grind like Lumina’s adheres better to feed pellets and grains, making it much harder for animals to avoid. It blends in seamlessly, ensuring a more consistent intake without waste.
This ultra-fine grade also stays suspended in loose minerals more effectively. If you offer a free-choice mineral mix, a heavier DE might settle to the bottom of the feeder over time. Lumina’s lightweight nature helps keep the mix consistent from the first scoop to the last.
Earthborn Elements for Goat and Sheep Bedding
Damp bedding is the enemy of a healthy barn. It’s a breeding ground for bacteria, fly larvae, and coccidia oocysts, and it produces ammonia that can damage respiratory systems. Earthborn Elements, a reliable source of food-grade DE, is fantastic for use in bedding, particularly for goats and sheep who are sensitive to moisture.
Sprinkling a layer of DE on the stall floor before laying down fresh straw or shavings acts as a powerful desiccant. It absorbs moisture, urine, and odors, extending the life of your bedding and creating a drier, healthier environment. A dry environment is fundamentally less hospitable to the life cycles of many common parasites.
This is especially important in kidding and lambing pens, where young animals are most vulnerable. A light dusting of Earthborn Elements DE can help keep the area dry and reduce the fly population without introducing harsh chemicals into a sensitive space. It’s a simple step that contributes significantly to overall barn hygiene and animal health.
Safer Brand DE: For Coop and Barn Pest Control
Attract and trap flies, gnats, and moths quickly with this indoor plug-in fly trap. Safe for homes with children and pets, it uses UV LED light and glue cards for continuous 24/7 protection.
Sometimes your pest problem isn’t on the animal, but around the animal. Ants trailing to the chicken feeder, slugs in the feed room, or other crawling insects can be a major nuisance. Safer Brand DE is packaged and marketed specifically for this kind of environmental pest control.
While it is still food-grade DE, its strength lies in its application as a perimeter defense. You can create a barrier around feed bins, sprinkle it in cracks along barn walls, or apply it to the floor of your coop after a deep clean. Crawling insects that cross the line will be dealt with mechanically, without the need for sprays.
Using DE in this way is a cornerstone of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan. You’re not just reacting to problems; you’re creating an environment that is less attractive and more hostile to pests. It’s a proactive approach that reduces the overall pest load on your farm, which in turn reduces the pressure on your animals.
Red Lake Earth: Mineral-Rich DE for All Animals
Red Lake Earth offers a unique twist on standard diatomaceous earth. Sourced from a deposit in British Columbia, it naturally contains a spectrum of trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron, which gives it a distinct reddish-brown color. This makes it a two-in-one product for many farmers.
While still functioning as a traditional DE for parasite control and moisture absorption, it also acts as a natural mineral supplement. For those who believe in a holistic approach to animal nutrition, providing minerals in their natural, unprocessed state is a huge benefit. It supports overall vitality, which is an animal’s first and best defense against illness and parasites.
This product is particularly popular with farmers who want to simplify their supplement routine. Instead of adding DE and a separate mineral mix, they can use Red Lake Earth as a feed additive to cover both bases. It’s an excellent all-around choice for a mixed-species farm where you want a single, versatile product for all your animals.
Ultimately, the best diatomaceous earth for your farm depends entirely on your primary goal. Whether you need a fine powder for feed, a fluffy mix for dust baths, or a bulk supply for bedding, there’s a product tailored to that need. By matching the right DE to the right job, you can make this simple, natural mineral a powerful tool in your farm’s health and wellness toolkit.
