I just started the trace mineral supplement today. I've been taking trace minerals myself for about a year and heard a veterinarian talk about how trace minerals are missing in so much of today's crops, even organic soils. Hens don't need very much trace minerals -- just a smidgen soaked into their whole buckwheat kernels. This is the liquid trace mineral brand I ordered (came from Chula Vista, Calif) -- the directions for use are by weight of the person and since it's a capful per 100 lbs of weight you can see that not that much needs to be applied to hens:Have you noticed a difference in the eggs?
By itself the solution is bitter and needs to be diluted in water -- the diluted mineral solution I added to the buckwheat kernels must've been delicious since the girls ate it down to the last kernel. As for egg quality I'll monitor for any changes. Since trace minerals are in fresh foods that we eat I can't imagine there'd be any egg quality differences -- just increased general overall health for the hen herself. General feed for laying hens seems to be geared just for egg quality/production but giving the hens all 77 trace minerals needed by ANY living omnivore animal -- including humans -- has to be good for our digestive health and ability to absorb all other ingested food vitamins and nutrients. Geez! We even need trace amounts of lead, mercury, and arsenic and this brand of minerals are plant-based and not clay, granite, or ground-rock based.
Most of our ailments stem from our digestive tract from improper diets. Crop soils in the farming industry are so depleted and overworked people are missing many trace minerals in their everyday diet. I've even ordered wood ash to add to my veggie garden soil so the harvest has a chance to absorb more nutrients from tree ashes (trees absorb a lot of minerals through their massive root system) and burning the wood doesn't destroy the leftover minerals in ashes. Centuries ago crops were healthier since farmers added their wood stove ashes to their crop soil.
Quote by Hippocrates: Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.