Sources of Calcium?

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rmonge00

rmonge00

Chirping
8 Years
Jan 30, 2011
120
1
99
Western Washington (Sultan)
Hello all,

I am planning on continuing to feed my hens all-purpose feed with a free-choice calcium option when they start laying. This way, my rooster wont get health problems from the calcium. I have heard oyster shells are good for this - is there anything else? How about wood ash?

Ryan
 
The main calcium source for laying hens is limestone and/or oyster shell that are set out in its own dish, or mixed into the feed.
You can also reuse the egg shells that are left over from the eggs you eat...however i suggest that you First, Cook the eggs shells in an oven and allow to cool. Crush shells with whatever you can devise.
Cooking the shells first alters the taste of the shells so that your flock doesn't get a taste for the fresh eggs.
This way they are getting good calcium source and you are not wasting anything...saves money too......In my experience, this produces great shells on your laying hens
wink.png



Best Wishes,
Laura
 
Quote:
Wood ash is full of carcinogens.
It's best not to be exposed to it at all

Hey Bear Foot - I don't know where you get your information from - but what you stated is incorrect - google 'carcinogens in wood ashes' - and see what is said - I put wood ashes in my garden all the time - in fact they contain valuable minerals for the garden - thank God for Googel - or people would be getting all screwed up with the information posted on the internet -
D.gif
 
Quote:
Wood ash is full of carcinogens.
It's best not to be exposed to it at all

Hey Bear Foot - I don't know where you get your information from - but what you stated is incorrect - google 'carcinogens in wood ashes' - and see what is said - I put wood ashes in my garden all the time - in fact they contain valuable minerals for the garden - thank God for Googel - or people would be getting all screwed up with the information posted on the internet -
D.gif


I thought wood ash is a good fertilizer, correct me please.
 
When wood is burned ash is produced and in the ashes are all of the minerals that were inside of the living tree. But, if the wood is not fully burned, then you are left with little nuggets of charcoal in addition to the ash. Inside this charcoal, in addition to the minerals and at low levels, is wood tar...even if the charcoal is dry to the touch. Wood tar *can* contain a healthy dose of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), some of which are carcinogens. This is the same type of carcinogen that people talk about when another plant, tobacco, is burned.

So, wood ashes are a great source of minerals. Wood ashes with some charcoal in it might be a source of carcinogens. I'm not taking a stance here, just passing along the truth as I know it.
 
Hey Bear Foot - I don't know where you get your information from - but what you stated is incorrect - google 'carcinogens in wood ashes' - and see what is said .
I put wood ashes in my garden all the time - in fact they contain valuable minerals for the garden

I got my info from the same place you got yours.
I just read more of it evidently

It's fine to put them in the ground.

It's BREATHING them that can give you cancer as well as causing other health problems

And if you read the Google info CLOSELY, you'll see it says "completely burned wood ashes contain no carcinogens".

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080703192900AAUjg42

Wood ashes that are completely burned are not known to contain carcinogens.

They are hazardous only in the fact that Potassium Hydroxide is a very caustic alkali that can cause chemical burns to your skin and other tissues.

Unless you've had complete combustion, they are most likely contaminated with soot and UNBURNED materials

Lye is made by pouring water through WOOD ASHES


Do you think it's a good idea to breath Lye?
http://www.greathealthandwellness.com/id6.html

LYE

Lye, also known as caustic soda, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and caustic potash, is commonly used in drain cleaner, oven cleaner, and in some nonphosphate detergents. Lye is extremely caustic.

Its chemical action eats away materials (including skin tissue).
Contact with skin or mucous membranes causes burns and frequently deep ulcerations with scarring. Mists, vapors, and dust can cause small burns. Eye contact causes severe damage, including blindness.

Here are some of the chemicals in any unburned material mixed with the ash

They can also be radioactive:

With the exception of some very low California readings, all measurements of wood ash with fallout-cesium exceeded - some by 100 times or more - the levels of radioactive cesium that may be released from nuclear plants (about 100 picocuries per kilogram of sludge). Wood ash-cesium levels were especially high in the Northeast"

http://burningissues.org/smoke.htm

So while you may be "technically" correct in that PURE wood ash has few carcinogens, the "ash" most people are exposed to is not pure and IS dangerous.

Putting it in the soil is safe, but that was not the question that was asked here​
 

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