Do Chicks Care About Calcium? Or is it about companies and outdated studies

[CabritaChicks]

It is interesting to see the opposite side of calcium-in-the-soil issues. My land tends to be acidic because the rain dissolves the calcium and it filters down through the sand until it is below the roots of most plants. I'm not sure if the rain/filter mechanism is what caused it to be acidic in the first place but we spread lime to adjust the pH so plants will grow better.

While poking into what coral islands are like this afternoon, I was reminded that our sand isn't the same as some ocean beach sands. Ours is generally about 90% quartz.

I found a little (very little) about how plants grow differently on coral islands vs inland areas. One study found higher amounts of antioxidants in plants growing on coral islands than the same plants growing in inland area. Also, higher protein and fleshier leaves. Evidently, a response to the environment. It sounded like how tomato seedlings grow thicker stems when their stems are bent by a fan blowing on them or a hand brushing them.

That’s really helpful information about the acidic soils and different types of sand. Now I guess it’s time to put on my Google cap (even though I should probably be doing other things… but here we are!).

You must go through a lot of gypsum! Back when I was gardening in Minnesota, dealing with heavy clay was my biggest challenge, amending the soil. Using gypsum along with compost did wonders for breaking it up and improving the level garden beds.

I grew from seed, and the first year were far to 'spindly' with the soil, the next year- I waited till the last frost (which you need to time correctly). I kept them in longer: you are 100% correct about using the blowing to create a stronger stem

 

[saysfaa]

Well, no. We do throw damaged pieces of drywall out on a handy field. That is pretty much pure gypsum wrapped in paper, at least it was years ago when that drywall was bought. But I don't think we'ved used gypsum otherwise. We use calcium carbonate mostly. Gypsum is calcium sulfate.

I don't think it takes as much of either kind for our purpose as it does for amending clay. I'm guessing about that.

About the tomatoes, I heard it activates an enzyme or something in their stems. It (something about the phenomenon; not the enzyme) has a name but I forget what it is.

 

[CabritaChicks]

About the tomatoes, I heard it activates an enzyme or something in their stems. It (something about the phenomenon; not the enzyme) has a name but I forget what it is.

I use granulated gypsum, breaks up the clay and converts acidity to something usable. We use powder and granulated.

(My spelling is shnitT) I think the word you are seeking is: Thigmomorphogenesis and from that stimulating Peroxidasises (cross-linking lignine), Cellulalarus and eventually ethylene production? (I sounded them out- proly drunk spelling!.. I have some wine....)

 

[Sally PB]

My soil is much the same as what @saysfaa has. Last year, I had a tremendous amount of blossom end rot on my tomatoes, indicating a lack of calcium. This year, I added gypsum and a tomato fertilizer to each hole as I planted the seedlings. We'll see if that makes a difference. I hope so; I threw out about half of each tomato last year when I was canning.

Regarding chickens and calcium... I give my chickens their eggshells back. Since it takes more than one eggshell to provide the calcium for another egg, I am running low. I bought some flaked oyster shell, but the chickens don't seem to like it very much. They ignore the pelleted stuff from Tractor Supply. Their shells are thin; worryingly so at times.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Cuttlebone is what we use for finches and budgies - should work for chickens too.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My clay soils etch concrete. The local university says I need to apply 800# of Ag Lime per acre, twice a year, for the foreseeable future.

 

[saysfaa]

Learning something every day....

"...At a given pH level, more lime is needed on fine-textured clayey soils than on coarse-textured sandy soils because the fine-textured soils have more exchangeable hydrogen and aluminum (potential acidity). Soils high in organic matter need more lime than those low in organic matter for the same reason...."
From Source

That source also covers many aspects pretty well, and concisely.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Cuttlebone is what we use for finches and budgies - should work for chickens too.

Ill quote from a client I had to write too years ago:
cuttlebone is expensive, suitable for a tiny finch, but not for chickens. It is not a suitable grit option, only a boost in calcium:

• Ground limestone- Contains 80-95% calcium carbonate depending on the type of limestone and processing. Limestone is a salty stone, ground into pure calcium carbonate. It is safely used in human grade foods and often found in bird supplements or pellets. Limestone does contain other trace minerals, but when processing has a large variability of nutritional composition.
• Oyster shells- Roughly 96% calcium carbonate. Oyster shells come from the ocean, and therefore have a higher sodium content right off the bat. Unlike limestone, there are more metals in oyster shell like copper, iron and nickel. There are reports stating consumption of oyster shells in feed lead to metal poisoning, including lead from processing.
• Egg shells- About 95% of the dry eggshell is calcium carbonate with a bit of phosphorus, magnesium, and other trace minerals. It is very easily procured and can be made at home to avoid additional ingredients from processing. To process eggshell, I microwave the shells, and grind them in a mortar and pestle for young chicks, and just crush them with my hand for adults.
• Cuttlebone- Calcium carbonate makes up about 85% of cuttlebones which is less than eggshells, but is richer in minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. However, has a higher amount of sodium like other ocean forms of calcium (oyster shells). Unlike the other forms of calcium, whole cuttlebone is fun to play with, and the nature of it helps to polish beaks.

 

[CabritaChicks]

My soil is much the same as what @saysfaa has. Last year, I had a tremendous amount of blossom end rot on my tomatoes, indicating a lack of calcium. This year, I added gypsum and a tomato fertilizer to each hole as I planted the seedlings. We'll see if that makes a difference. I hope so; I threw out about half of each tomato last year when I was canning.

Regarding chickens and calcium... I give my chickens their eggshells back. Since it takes more than one eggshell to provide the calcium for another egg, I am running low. I bought some flaked oyster shell, but the chickens don't seem to like it very much. They ignore the pelleted stuff from Tractor Supply. Their shells are thin; worryingly so at times.

Yes, when I lived in the Midwest US, that was definitely an issue I dealt with. But after living in other parts of the world—like Asia and the Middle East—I realized that the soil composition and mineral balance vary dramatically by region. While gypsum was incredibly effective at breaking up the dense clay back in the U.S., I quickly found myself going down a rabbit hole in other climates, trying to figure out how to create a proper balance in the soil. As if I used gypsum here, it will break up the clay, but create more calcium- however most is massive raised beds (about 17ft off the ground), so much of that was from quarries- which again, even tho it was a type of clay (rock hard- need a jack hammer hard) it actaully needed more organic material (most expensive here).

With my tomatoes here: it is not about growing, my amendments are brilliant... it is the pearly eyed thrashers that eat them the moment they are vaguely ripe!

What worked in one place didn’t always translate to another, and it became clear that improving soil isn’t just about structure—it’s about understanding the full mineral and nutrient profile in context.

I think the gypsum should help you- you can also sprinkle around the tomatoes, and water it in

 

[saysfaa]

My soil is much the same as what @saysfaa has. Last year, I had a tremendous amount of blossom end rot on my tomatoes, indicating a lack of calcium. This year, I added gypsum and a tomato fertilizer to each hole as I planted the seedlings. We'll see if that makes a difference. I hope so; I threw out about half of each tomato last year when I was canning.

Regarding chickens and calcium... I give my chickens their eggshells back. Since it takes more than one eggshell to provide the calcium for another egg, I am running low. I bought some flaked oyster shell, but the chickens don't seem to like it very much. They ignore the pelleted stuff from Tractor Supply. Their shells are thin; worryingly so at times.

Friends who might save eggshells for you? My dd found freezing them was the least objectionable way to accumulate them.