Eggcellent Chicken Calcium Comes From Aragonite!
Chickens are no longer only seen on farms or in rural areas. They have become quite the common pet among both urban and rural families alike. Chickens are arguably one of the most useful pets, as they produce eggs! Many individuals are turning towards keeping their own chickens for eggs and have found they make pretty fun companions too.
One important point that many new chicken-keepers may not know is how important calcium is for egg laying chickens. If a chicken does not have enough free calcium, she will produce eggs with thin, weak shells or eggs without any shell at all (called “rubber eggs”). In severe cases, she will pull calcium from her bones to sustain the calcium requirements for her eggs. This can lead to deformities and a deficiency that will require a long period of recovery – not something you want for your chickens!
How can you tell if your chicken is not getting enough calcium? Take a look at your chicken’s eggs. Do you see dark patches on the shell? These are weak spots on the egg and are an indicator of a calcium deficiency. Is there no shell at all? This definitely means your chicken needs more calcium!
However, keep in mind that young chicks do not need additional calcium as this can do more harm than good. Once they have molted, they are able to be supplied calcium.
There are different types of calcium on the market for chickens. One of which is oyster shell. Often times, chickens will selectively pick out and throw away the oyster shell in order to get to more grain – wasting your supplement and money. Oyster shell can also contain phosphorous, which is already abundant in the grain you feed your chickens. By adding more phosphorous, you may be at danger of upsetting the calcium-phosphorous ratio. Too much phosphorous causes the body to pull calcium not only from their egg production, but also their bones, beaks, and other critical areas. Lastly, many marketed products only contain a small amount of oyster shell and the rest is simply crushed limestone, which isn’t as effective and has a lower calcium content.
Another method of supplying calcium is to feed your chickens their own eggshells. These need to be cleaned, sterilized, and crushed extremely fine. If they are not clean, health issues can occur. If they are not crushed beyond recognition, you could be inadvertently training your chicken to eat their own eggs! Not to mention, this is also time consuming.
While oyster shell and eggshells have their benefits, oolitic aragonite surpasses both in terms of safety and quality of calcium. Oolitic aragonite has a unique morphology (or structure) compared to typical calcite/limestone. This unique structure means that oolitic aragonite has an extremely high surface area. Due to the high elemental calcium content (~42%) and high surface area, oolitic aragonite is the most highly bioavailable calcium supplement on the market. It is also phosphorous free and will not train your chickens to eat their own eggs.
Oolitic aragonite is also preferred by chickens – they love it. They won’t toss the pieces away looking for grain like some do when fed oyster shell. Due to the high calcium bioavailability, stronger eggshell integrity has been reported and even larger eggs! Oolitic aragonite also has another benefit – it is sustainably sourced from a renewable resource. Both chickens and the environment love it!
Testimonials
Brie B., Alaska: “My chickens are enjoying the aragonite calcium which I feed to them as a free choice supplement. They prefer it to oyster shell. I think their shells are harder with the aragonite calcium than with the oyster shell.”
A.J., Alabama: “After adding aragonite to our chickens feed, we have noticed the eggs are larger and their shells are harder, which is always a good thing during handling and washing. Although production usually decreases in the winter, we are seeing production rates remaining consistent with summertime. We are one of the few in our area that are able to have enough eggs to sell through the winter.”
Aragonite Chicken Calcium
Fine: For Superior Calcium Uptake
Coarse: Calcium Supplement and Gizzard Digestive Aid