Our diatomite fines are the ideal Diatomaceous Earth (DE) product for supplementing chickens and stock feed. It has been used for many years by the poultry industry and has a long and successful history of use with cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, as well as cats and dogs.

This diatomite is a coarse grade of Diatomaceous Earth and is more suitable as a mineral supplement than as an insecticide. For those looking to use this as an organic insecticide, it's suggested to use Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth, listed below, which is super fine and more effective against insects. This product retains some insecticidal properties, but not as much as our other grades.

Size Disclaimer: Only the 15kg comes in the original packaging. The small sizes are taken from an opened 15kg bag and are supplied in a clear bag.

About Diatomite (DE) for Poultry:

Diatomaceous Earth is claimed to have numerous health benefits for your chickens. While some are not scientifically proven, many poultry keepers have experienced the following benefits:

Clearing internal parasites such as worms.
The strengthening of the chicken's cells occurs as they absorb the silica from the diatomaceous earth.
Protecting chickens against fleas and flies.
Drying up the moisture from their droppings.
Getting rid of lice and mites.
Strengthening the chicken's feathers gives them shine.
Gives the eggs firmer shells.

What we know is that diatomaceous earth contains lots of great trace minerals when fed to chickens, so it’s beneficial in that regard.

Feed Rates:

According to the book "Going Green using Diatomaceous Earth How to Tips" (See Below), it suggests the following daily application rate: 2 to 5% of DE per weight of feed ration.

Other Uses for Diatomite Fines:

Fine diatomite can also be used as a filler, particularly where a lightweight inert filler is required. It is frequently added to paints, varnishes, lacquers, paper, insecticides, plastics, asphalt, fertilisers, welding rods, printing inks, sealing compounds, explosives and matches.

The finer diatomite grades are as good as or even more absorbent than Kleensorb. Fine diatomite absorbs more than 200% its weight in water.

The low thermal conductivity of diatomite makes it one of the best insulators over a wide range of temperatures. It is also used as a mild abrasive. As a powder, paste or suspension, it is employed in metal and car finish polishes, toothpastes, powders, soaps, scouring compounds and match heads.

Diatomite is used in the manufacture of alkaline earth silicates and is also important in the making of pigments, ceramic glazes and as a pozzolanic component in concrete.

An important use of diatomite is as a support or carrier for catalysts, as a promoter of reactions, in emulsion breaking, in settling out processes, and in foundry operations.

Diatomite is gaining increasing use in agriculture. For a long time, it has been used as an addition to ammonium nitrate fertilisers to prevent caking and ensure even spreading. It is important as a carrier for other agricultural products, particularly fertilisers. Our own manufactured product, Molodri, is an example of the effectiveness of diatomite in this capacity. The use of diatomite in combination with other biogenic materials is a key to its future applications, providing benefits for both plants and animals.

Disclaimer & Australian Registered Uses: Please note that Diatomaceous Earth is not registered in Australia for many of the international and other uses listed above. In Australia its range of registered uses is limited to the following: For the control of various stored product insect pests in farm-stored feed grain, farm-stored seed grain, grain for human consumption not handled by or delivered to bulk grain handling authorities, harvesting and other grain-handling machinery, grain bins, silos and other storage facilities, food processing and warehouse facilities as per directs for use.

Current Australian research and product development are focused on:

Bed bugs.
Poultry pests: Red mite, Darkling beetle and Lice.
Internal Parasites of stock: poultry, goats and sheep.

Health & Safety Disclaimer: Please read and follow the instructions on the product's packaging and only use as directed. Please follow the instructions on the product packaging above all other information, even above information on this page that may have errors or might not apply to your situation. We suggest using an N95 mask or similar when applying any diatomaceous product and avoid breathing in the powder as much as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What is the main difference between Diatomite Fines and Diatomaceous Earth, and is Diatomite Fines suitable as an insecticide?

A. Both are Diatomaceous Earth products, but the Diatomite Fines is coarser and not as fine as the regular DE, so the Diatomite Fines is less effective as an insecticide. Since Regular DE is finer, it makes it microscopically sharper and hence more damaging to insects.

Q. What is the average particle size of this Diatomite Fines?

A. According to the manufacturer, the average particle size is 30 microns.

Q. Is this Diatomaceous Earth food grade?

A. This product is food-grade (but is not registered as food grade) and is made from the same Diatomaceous Earth material that Absorbacide is. Absorbacide is registered as food-grade, as it's more suited for food-grade uses, such as killing insects in grains, etc.

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