One of the very first uses of diatomaceous earth outside of agricultural applications was as a filled for animal feed. Diatomaceous earth, or DE, has been demonstrated to improve digestive health, improve the coats of animals and add nutritional value to feed.
The fine silica particles in diatomaceous earth, in addition to adding vital nutrients to feed, also helps prevent feed from caking and deters insect pests.
The molecular composition of DE is extremely absorbent and will act as a natural preservative. By absorbing any excess water content in feed stores, diatomaceous earth will prevent mold, fungus and rot from taking hold.
In this article we’ll provide a simple, step-by-step process that details the best method of adding diatomaceous earth to your horse’s diet.
What You’ll Need
- Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
- A Scoop
- Horse Feed
- A Food Scale
Step 1: Check Your DE
The most important factor in supplementing your horse’s diet with diatomaceous earth is ensuring that you’re using the correct form of DE. Some grades of DE, such as pest control grade DE, can contain dangerous poisons.
Other grades, like pool grade DE, have been treated with high temperatures that cause the silica content to crystallize, making it dangerous to consume. Always use food grade diatomaceous earth for any application involving ingestion of DE.
Step 2: Measure Your DE
The most effective and efficient ratio to use when adding diatomaceous earth to animal feed is a 2:100 ratio of diatomaceous earth to feed. A 2% ratio such as this will equate to roughly 3 ounces of diatomaceous earth for every 10 pounds of feed, or two pounds of DE for every 100 pounds of feed.
You’ll need to decide whether you’re going to add diatomaceous earth to your horse’s feed before every meal, or add it in to the food store. Adding diatomaceous earth to feed storage is more efficient and offers a number of natural preservative effects.
To pre-mix diatomaceous earth, simply determine the weight of your feed store or feed bag and divide it by 50 to measure out the correct amount of DE.
Step 3: Mix Your DE
Once you’ve measured out the correct amount of diatomaceous earth, simply add it to the feed and mix thoroughly. To ensure you’ve created an even mix of feed and DE, it’s best to transfer the feed to an airtight container.
Create a fine layer of DE for every 3 inches of food as you fill the secondary container. Once you’ve filled the container, shake it vigorously to mix. If the container is too large to pick up, rock it from side to side until and even mix is achieved
Additional Notes
If you’ve decided to supplement your horse’s diet with diatomaceous earth, always be sure to provide sufficient water for your horse as DE has a tendency to dehydrate when consumed in large amounts.
Diatomaceous Earth Information Guide:
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Please reach out regarding any information above. In the future, more share-worthy useful enhancements, experiences and effects of diatomaceous earth will be added as the benefits continue to pile up. Always welcome for more insight and awareness, click the button to see the most recommended beautifully blended product that combines both high quality food grade diatomaceous earth powder and pure organic silica together in one formula.