The discovery of blood in the stools of some calves prompted Nancy Biglieni to try diatomaceous earth a year ago.
Biglieni owns a 50-head herd of purebred polled Herefords near Douglas, Man.
She had the stools of the affected calves sent to a laboratory. Although it was not confirmed, Biglieni suspects the calves were infected with coccidiosis, one of the causes of scours.
“Once they got onto eating diatomaceous earth, we just didn’t see any of that.”
Anecdotes like this are the reason cattle producers are looking more closely at diatomaceous earth as a defence against scours.
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According to distributors of the product, there are some things buyers should consider.
For example, not all diatomaceous earth sold in Canada is designed for livestock. It is also used industrially for pool filters and insulation.
Charlene Kaartinen, a cattle producer at Eriksdale, Man., sells diatomaceous earth for calf scour prevention. She advises producers to do their homework when buying it.
“To feed animals you want exceptional purity, which is white in color (not grey or red),” she wrote in a letter to The Western Producer.
She also stressed checking to ensure the product is food-grade quality.
“The industrial grade, I am told, has some heavy metals in it, more specifically lead. This, of course, is not good for animals.”
Brad McNish, a cattle producer and owner of Natural Farmworks near Red Deer, also sells diatomaceous earth.
McNish advises checking for what he calls the crystalline silica level of the product, which he said could render it carcinogenic.
The level of crystalline silica increases when diatomaceous earth is heated, changing its structure. Cattle producers buying it for herd health should look for a product that has not been heated and that has a crystalline silica level of less than one percent, McNish said.
Color, texture
He recommends diatomaceous earth that is slightly off-white in color, with a texture similar to flour.
According to McNish, diatomaceous earth should cost between $22 and $25 for a 50-pound bag, shipping not included. He prefers to see the product fed free choice. For producers who are creep feeding their calves, he said a feed mix with one percent diatomaceous earth is adequate.
The material is not a cure-all, although he believes it also has other merits for livestock.
“It is a good tool, but it’s a tool that has to be matched with other management practices.”
