Do Chickens need Grit when they free range?

[Chris09]

Egg Shells do very little for helping add calcium to a poultry diet to "harden" egg shells.

Here is a post on a study that tested feeding egg shells back to chickens.



Quote from http://www.zootecnicainternational.com/article-archive/nutrition/889-calcium-source-particle-size-and-calcium-level-for-laying-hens-.html



Quote from http://www.zootecnicainternational.com/article-archive/nutrition/889-calcium-source-particle-size-and-calcium-level-for-laying-hens-.html
Chris

 

[imzadi]

ok...silly question from a newbee

per the study above...if the egg shells of the new eggs produced by the hens given the ground egg shells were fine...but the specific gravity is low...so? If the ground eggshell suplementation produced "hard" eggs...and prevented the "soft shell" problem...?

to put it another way...why do i need higher specific gravity to my hen's new eggs?

(phew...

 

[Chris09]

ok...silly question from a newbee

per the study above...if the egg shells of the new eggs produced by the hens given the ground egg shells were fine...but the specific gravity is low...so? If the ground eggshell suplementation produced "hard" eggs...and prevented the "soft shell" problem...?

to put it another way...why do i need higher specific gravity to my hen's new eggs?

(phew...

Higher specific gravity = better shell thickness and in turn harder egg shells.





Quote:http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm044
Chris