Can I feed ground beef for added calcium?

[micheleomal]

I have a mixed age flock of chickens. Since I can't feed layer feed to everyone, I am feeding Flock Raiser with oyster shells on the side. I have 2 hens that do not eat the oyster shells and have been laying rubber eggs at night. They all get greens from my garden and table scraps in small amounts, scratch and BOSS in the morning and grit. My dogs have food allergies and I feed them a raw beef diet of ground beef scraps from the meat processing place near me. There is a lot of fat ground up with the beef. Can the chickens eat some of this for added calcium? If not, what can I feed them to get extra calcium into them? When I feed them yogurt they get diahrea. Are chickens lactose intolerant? Will it hurt non-laying pullets and a young cockeral to eat meat? Lots of questions. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Folly's place]

There is no significant calcium is ground beef!!! The flock raiser is a balanced diet, only needing free choice calcium for laying hens. When you feed lots of other goodies, at least some hens won't eat enough balanced feed to meet their needs. IMO you need to limit the extra stuff, at least for a while. They will then eat what they need, not just what tastes best. Mary

 

[SavageDestiny]

Muscle meat like ground beef is actually high in phosphorus, which binds calcium. Raw meats are a great source of protein, but if your chickens are already having issues with soft shell eggs do not feed them meat for now, it will only make the problem worse.

Some vegetables like kale are high in calcium, but long term feeding can result in depressed thyroid function. I would suggest putting out ground egg shell or trying a different brand of oyster shell to see if the 2 girls like those better.

 

[RJSorensen]

When best practices can not be done, you do what you have to do. I might be run out of BYC for this, but from my reading of your question, I would feed as high a protein lay formula as you can get, and make sure it has calcium in it as a complete ration. Continue to offer oyster shell as well. When a ship is listing, does it matter if it is to port or starboard? Much like the noted ship, a tip to one side or the other really makes little to no difference. So if you are getting rubber eggs, that would make me concerned that those birds will be harmed from lack of calcium, more so than the young ones getting too much. Adult hens carry extra calcium in the leg bones, if they have depleted this reserve already, I believe the lesser of two evils is to feed layer feed in place of your flock raiser.

I am unsure how old your younger birds are, so I don't know if I would offer them the meat byproducts. Chickens do love to eat meat, that is for sure.

A very interesting question, to say the least, best to you and your birds,

RJ

 

[Chris09]

Try cutting all the Treats out of there diet and see what happens.
"Rubber Eggs" can be the result of a number of things including old age, and even a calcium/phosphorus/ vitamin D imbalance.
I don't know all scraps that your feeding them or how much but BOSS in high in phosphorus and indigestible fibers and both can through off calcium intake.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Soft shell eggs in adult hens are usually associated with chronic diseases or other long standing heath issues.

Overly fat hens are subject to never laying an egg with suitable shell ever again.

The reason for this is that a hens' fat deposits are concentrated around her vent. With a porky hen this makes egg laying more difficult and strenuous.

This results in tearing and stretching of a hens' reproductive track and she may be unable to keep an egg inside her long enough to deposit a proper shell on her eggs ever again.

Some diseases also impact a hen's ability to lay an egg with a strong sell.

Read up on this and see if anything mentioned fits your flock's health history.

 

[Chris09]

Just posted this on another thread.



Protein, Adequate levels of lysine and methionine is need to produce good egg shells. When pullets begin laying, there is an increase in protein, vitamin and mineral requirements per day due to deposition in the egg. If dietary protein is too low or the amino acid requirements are not met, poor egg production and hatchability will occur.

Calcium, The egg shell is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. The pullet's requirement for calciumis relatively low during the growing period, but when the first eggs are produced, the need is increased at least four times, with practically all of the increase being used for the productionof eggshells. Inadequate calcium consumption will result in decreased egg production and loweregg shell quality.
Hens store calcium in medullary bone, a specialized bone capable of rapid calcium turnover. As calcium stores are depleted, bones become brittle. In severe cases, hens are unable tostand. The condition is known as caged-layer fatigue. Birds on the ground or on litter floorsrecycle calcium and phosphorus through consumption of feces, and do not have caged-layer fatigue.
Calcium can be supplied in the diet as either ground limestone or oyster shell. Particlesize affects calcium availability. Usually the larger the particle size, the longer the particlewill be retained in the upper digestive tract. This means that the larger particles of thecalcium source are released more slowly, and this may be important for the continuity of shellformation, especially in the dark period when birds do not ordinarily eat.
Periodically, dolomitic limestone is offered to the feed industry. However, dolomitic limestone(which is used in the steel industry) should never be used in poultry diets. Dolomitic limestonecontains at least 10% magnesium, and this complexes with calcium or competes with calcium forabsorption sites in the intestines. The consequence of feeding dolomitic limestone is inducedcalcium deficiency.
Young birds should not be fed a high calcium layer diet because the calcium/phosphorus ratiowill be unbalanced, resulting in increased morbidity or mortality.

Phosphorus, The nutritional role of phosphorus is closely related to that of calcium. Both are constituentsof bone. The ratio of dietary calcium to phosphorus affects the absorption of both these elements;an excess of either one impedes absorption and can reduce egg production, shell quality and/orhatchability.
In addition to its function in bone, phosphorus plays a primary role in carbohydrate metabolism,is active in fat metabolism, and helps to regulate the acid-base balance of the body

Vitamin D, Vitamin D is required for normal calcium absorption and utilization. If inadequate levelsof vitamin D are fed, induced calcium deficiency quickly results and egg production decreases.
Feed grade vitamin D comes in two forms, D2 and D3. In most animals, both are equally potent. In birds, however, D3 is substantially more active than D2. In poultry diets, therefore, vitamin D must be supplied in the form of D3.

Magnesium, Magnesium is needed for healthy bones, proper nervous system functioning, and energy metabolism.

Fat, Dietary fat is a source of energy and of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. A deficiency of linoleic acid will adversely affect egg production. Dietary fats also serve as "carriers"of fat-soluble vitamins, and some fat is necessary for absorption of vitamins. In fact, impairmentof the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) is the most serious consequence of a dietary deficiency of fat.

The general make up of a egg shell is --
Calcium carbonate.............................................................:94-97%
Phosphorus.......................................................................:0.3%
Magnesium........................................................................:0.2%
Sodium, Potassium, Manganese, Iron and Copper............:traces
Organic matter...................................................................:< 2%