Adding plaster of paris as a source of calcium into chicken feed?

[chicken2010]

hi all, just wanted to ask would it be safe to add in say 100g to 5kg mix of feed as a source of additional calcium? as far as i know, P.O.P is heated gypsum and it's used to make tofu so should be quite harmless if added in a small amount making up about 2% of the chicken feed? thanks

 

[chicmom]

Oh, boy....I hesitate to add anything that is not "food" to my chicken's diet........you can get crushed oyster shells relatively cheap at the farm store.......Personally, I feed my chickens a 16% layer feed, and I haven't even needed the oyster shell.

 

[CoopCrazy]

I say a great big NO ... I have heard of people using plaster of paris for rat killer.. I would be very afraid that it would harden in their crops and impact them ....

 

[chicken2010]

Quote:
yes, that's why I'm slightly worried as I read on here that it could be used as a rat killer but the quantities ingested seems to be 100x more than what the chickens will ingest as the chickens tend on eat the feed during the morning and free range for the rest of the day, it's just that I'm worried the hens may be deficient in calcium as we only feed them scratch as it's the only thing we can get hold off and they have been laying an egg every day.

 

[WriterofWords]

No.

 

[chicmom]

Scratch is really not nutritious at all. It's more like candy to a chicken. Where do you live that you can get scratch, but you can get layer mix? That seems kind of odd.

 

[chicken2010]

 

[sunflowerenvy]

NO NO NO feed them hard biol eggs withe shell on them . i grind them up in the Food Processors.
laura

 

[rrgrassi]

No Plaster!!!! It is moisture (water) activated, so it get hot and sets up as a solid.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Is it not possible to get layer feed and oyster shell from the same place you get the scratch? Or have them order it?